Mark Zuckerberg is not wearing just any gray T-shirt here, but a custom-made piece by the Italian brand Brunello Cucinelli.
imago images/ZUMA Wire
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Reserved for insidersThe luxury clothes of the richest must go unnoticed
We forget the trendy show-offs and fans of clothing and accessories with logos! Discreet luxury is only for connoisseurs and is only recognizable by insiders. It is not uncommon for a simple T-shirt to cost 2000 francs.
There is a British saying that goes: “Money talks, wealth whispers”. A saying that applies wonderfully to the clothes of the greatest fortunes of this world. Indeed, there are no logos or brand names in large letters on the clothes of the wealthy like Mark Zuckerberg.
These brands rule the game with understated luxury
No matter how hard we look, we won’t find big logos on this kind of parts! We also forget the monograms of brands such as Louis Vuitton or Fendi, which do not enter this league, unlike brands such as Brunello Cucinelli, Loro Piana or The Row, which play the card of discreet luxury to the fullest. The latter have in common to present pieces which, for an untrained eye, look like basics. Except that their price reveals that they are worn by people with a well-stocked bank account.
At Loro Piana, a simple merino sheep’s wool T-shirt costs 2091 francs.
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Would you spend 3200 francs for jogging pants? Yet that’s what it costs at Brunello Cucinelli.
Brunello Cucinelli
By opting for this pair of leather shoes from The Row, you will be wearing a pair of sneakers at more than 800 francs.
The Row
In recent years, brands dedicated to silent luxury have been particularly popular in the technology sector. We owe Brunello Cucinelli the emblematic black turtleneck sweater of Steve Jobs and the gray T-shirt of Mark Zuckerberg, a custom-made piece, which would cost around 300 francs.
Why is understated luxury so expensive?
This hoodie from the Italian brand Brunello Cucinelli, for example, costs 930 francs. The piece is in French terry (jersey with a loop back), without any frills. Nothing more ordinary! But then, why is this hoodie so expensive?
This Brunello Cucinelli sweatshirt costs 930 francs.
Brunello Cucinelli
Its price is partly justified by the fact that all the pieces are created and manufactured in Italy. The company therefore not only relies on the finest cashmere wool, but also on fair working conditions: out of the question for employees to answer business e-mails outside working hours! Their wages are also 20% higher than the usual wages practiced in this sector. According to “GQ” magazine, Cucinelli employees are treated every day at 1 p.m. to a sumptuous multi-course meal, including wine.
Loro Piana also operates in the luxury segment and markets pieces made from exclusive and sometimes rare materials such as Vicuna wool. The vicuña is a mammal of the camelid family, whose wool is even finer than that of the cashmere goat. The animal can only be shorn every three years, which is why Vicuna wool clothes are rare and expensive. At Loro Piana, a cotton and vicuña blend T-shirt can cost up to 2,230 francs and a jacket up to 10,650 francs.
2230 francs: the price of this vicuña and cotton T-shirt is rather high.
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Just a hoodie? Think again! You will have to shell out a five-figure amount to wear it.
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This is what a vicuña looks like, the wool of which drives up the price of clothes.
IMAGO/VWPics
Member of a secret club
In recent years, The Row brand of Mary Kate and Ashley Olsen has become one of the leading brands in the fashion world. But to afford even a pair of jeans, you have to pay at least 640 francs. The luxury label’s pieces have a clean design that’s highly visible in fashion circles for their effortless chic. Over the years, the brand has built up a loyal following of stars like Hailey Bieber, Kendall Jenner and Gigi Hadid.
We search in vain for a logo on the clothes of Mary Kate and Ashley Olsen. “Over the years, the designers, who are rather shy in the face of the press, have granted ever fewer interviews, which only reinforces the secrecy of the brand and lets the clothes speak for themselves. “Wearing The Row clothes feels like being part of a secret club,” writes luxury fashion consultancy Robert Burke Associates on its blog.
Wearing pieces from The Row, Brunello Cucinelli or Loro Piana is a subtle signal to the outside world of your status and fortune. Online magazine Hypebae writes of $800 jeans from The Row: “Does it cost $800 to make denim pants? Of course not. But that’s what it takes to own Eglitta jeans from The Row.” The author of the text concludes: “That’s luxury. You pay for the fabric, the pattern, the cut, the finish, the promise of ethical production and above all the brand”.
Understated luxury is also a recurring subject in Charles Gross’ TikTok fashion videos. “Would you believe this is a $3,500 top from Loro Piana?” he asks. According to him, “the person wearing the T-shirt doesn’t care whether you or I know its price.” On the other hand, “people who recognize the T-shirt as such and who know how much it costs frequent the same circles and are, therefore, in the secret of the gods”, he adds. “The problem is here”.
Did you know the phenomenon of silent luxury? What do you think?