’I think we all need to slow down. Invest in clothes we really need, take good care of them, and hopefully one day pass them along to a new owner,’ says Frej Lewenhaupt, co-founder and CEO of Scandinavian brand Steamery, known for its satisfyingly designed clothing care products – from signature hand-held steamers to an array of fabric shavers, brushes and lint rollers.
It’s a viewpoint that chimes with recent seasons, which have largely seen designers eschew throwaway trends in the pursuit of what has been called ‘discreet luxury’ – the honing of timeless pieces sans logos or monograms, rendered in rich fabrications and made to last long beyond the season’s end. Matthieu Blazy’s tenure at Bottega Veneta has perhaps best epitomised this shift – a pair of trompe l’oeil leather trousers designed to look like a pair of blue denim jeans is the ultimate statement – though an array of other brands have become synonymous with the move towards ‘quiet luxury’, The Row, Loro Piana, Brunello Cucinelli, Max Mara and Celine among them.
