SEPTEMBER EDITORIAL | WHAT DOES LUXURY MEAN TODAY?

For decades, the answer seemed simple: exclusivity, recognisability, price. Major luxury brands built their desirability around these very codes, transforming a dress, a handbag or a piece of jewellery into a symbol of status. The logo was part of the value — and often the most immediate way of communicating it.

But something is changing.

The new language of luxury seems to be one of discretion, quality and longevity. It is the luxury of those who no longer feel the need to display what they own, but choose what they wear for how it is made, how it fits and how it reflects their personality. A less crowded wardrobe, pieces designed to last, exceptional materials, impeccable proportions, attention to detail and a more authentic relationship with what we choose to buy.

It is no coincidence that some of the most closely watched women in contemporary fashion have become true style icons precisely because of their ability to mix major maisons with far lesser-known labels.

Think of Katie Holmes and Jennifer Lawrence, both fans of Toteme, the Swedish brand founded in 2014 that built its success around an essential wardrobe, recognisable for the quality of its silhouettes and materials rather than its logos. Or Rosie Huntington-Whiteley, who, alongside The Row and Bottega Veneta, wears niche labels such as Low Classic, Tibi and Les Tien — proving that true style today increasingly lies in the ability to combine different codes and choose pieces with a distinct personality of their own.

Perhaps this is the most interesting shift of all: luxury is no longer necessarily about what others recognise, but about what feels recognisable to the person wearing it.

In this context, minimalism can become a new form of exclusivity. Not necessarily because it is expensive, but because it is rare. An identity that does not chase every new trend is rare today; so is a wardrobe in which every piece feels intentionally chosen. And there is something rare, too, about discovering a brand before it becomes ubiquitous.

This is precisely where brands like Crida find their place.

Today, Crida is a well-established and well-positioned brand in Italy, yet its aesthetic also speaks naturally to an international audience that is rediscovering the value of fashion that is sophisticated, feminine and, above all, understated. The new Fall/Winter 2026-27 collection builds on these very codes: sartorial precision, enveloping volumes, warm fabrics, deep colour palettes, precious textures and a balance between masculine inspiration and fluid femininity.

It is no coincidence that Crida has chosen New York to present this new direction. The presentation of the Fall/Winter collection at CORE, the exclusive New York private members’ club, represents more than simply an international appointment: it is the natural destination for a philosophy that is increasingly resonating with the most sophisticated corners of the fashion world.

Bringing Crida into a space like this means speaking to an audience that does not necessarily need to be won over through ostentation. An audience accustomed to luxury and, perhaps precisely for that reason, increasingly drawn to what stands apart without demanding attention.

Crida’s new collection seems to move exactly in this direction: refined, understated luxury. Significant pieces that never feel aggressive, built around silhouette, material and the quality of the sartorial gesture. A femininity that does not need to be declared through a logo, because it emerges through the line of a shoulder, the drape of a fabric, the depth of a colour.

Perhaps this is where the real change lies.

For a long time, we thought luxury meant owning something that other people could recognise. Today, it may mean the opposite: owning something that not everyone recognises, but knowing exactly why we chose it.

Perhaps the true privilege today is no longer owning what everyone else desires. It is choosing what genuinely represents us.

The luxury of the future may therefore have less need for a logo, and more need for quality, identity and meaning.

And, above all, for the freedom of having nothing to prove.

Cristina and Daniela