TPR's 2023 Luxury Forecast & Predictions

Gen-Z & Aspirational Luxury, Creative Director Picks, and Fashion M&A strategy

Source: Valet Mag

Luxury fashion is at a unique inflection point where the consumers are getting younger, more discerning, and consuming content at an impossibly rapid rate. New brands are fighting for relevance and heritage brands are starting to get more experimental to foster a new generation of luxury consumers. Based on market trends from industry leaders and the larger evolution of content and product strategy, I’m pleased to announce the first TPR Luxury Forecast. Below are three predictions and corresponding trends for 2023 for the future of creative direction, how Cartier is winning Gen-Z/Millennials, and the newest, most unpredictable M&A targets in the industry. This is the beginning of the toolkit for the modern luxury marketer - AS

Justin Saunders of JJJJound will be named Creative Director of a major fashion brand

Source: JJJJound

By nature, a creative director balances the commercial and creative vision behind a brand, offering a perspective equally as artistic as symbolic (read this brilliant article on the evolving role of a creative director by leading CMO, Ana Andjelic). Appointing a well-rounded creative director is a strategic cheat code to revitalize a brand as evidenced by Bally’s appointment of Rhude’s Rhuigi Villaseñor who brought a touch of vintage Americana to the Italian heritage brand. This worked incredibly well for Bally because Rhuigi is a master at incorporating west coast design elements on a luxurious scale. The modern creative director must be able to bridge multiple subcultures together authentically by changing the brand’s visual language. The most important requisite to a creative director is being an expert collaborator with several successful product collaborations. No modern collaborator is as prolific as Justin Saunders’ JJJJound, making him perfect for next in line to assume a creative director position at a brand that needs it.

Who is Justin Saunders and What is JJJJound?

Source: JJJJound

Justin Saunders started his creative journey on Tumblr by posting minimalist photography, architecture, and streetwear under the moniker ‘MAYBE SOMEDAY.’ He later changed the name to JJJJound as his content began to resonate with creatives and brand strategists in the early 2010s, and even Kanye West at the height of his fashion career. Based in Montreal, Saunders turned JJJJound into a creative studio turning out instantly sellable collaborative products with the biggest brands in the world including New Balance, Vans, Levis, and his own mainline collection. Saunders’ design process is known for its simplicity and unique color palette. When JJJJound works on a collaboration, Saunders makes a very small design tweak that’s seemingly inconspicuous to the average eye but revolutionary to the detail-oriented enthusiast.