GoKawiilLuxury sector urged to revisit pre-1990s scarcity model as growth stalls
A commentary argues that major luxury conglomerates, having enjoyed three decades of rapid expansion including LVMH's brief rise to Europe's most valuable company in April 2023, are now trapped by the mass-production playbook that fueled that growth. The piece calls for a return to true rarity, shorter supply chains, and made-to-order production as practiced before the 1990s.
GoKawiil's interpretation of the reporting above, not reported fact.
The argument suggests that the scale-driven expansion strategy luxury houses adopted since the 1990s may now be undermining the exclusivity that originally defined the category. If brands pursue scarcity-based models again, it could reshape manufacturing, pricing and customer experience across the sector, though this remains a proposed direction rather than a confirmed industry shift.
- LVMH briefly became Europe's most valuable company in April 2023 after decades of luxury sector growth.
- The commentary claims current mass-market luxury strategies conflict with the exclusivity the industry depends on.
- It proposes pre-1990s approaches—true rarity, shorter supply chains, made-on-demand production—as a possible corrective.
Source: fastcompany.com, 2026-10-22
Published there as: “True rarity, short supply chains, and made-on-demand models: What today’s luxury brands can learn from the pre-1990s”
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