From Ping Pong to Provenance: Rethinking Luxury in a Multipolar World
From Ping Pong to Provenance: Rethinking Luxury in a Multipolar World
As we emerge from the chrysalis of spring, the world of luxury and production is beginning to shift, not quietly, but deliberately. Supply and demand chains in China are engaged in a geopolitical ping pong across the Atlantic, bouncing between tariffs, alliances, and economic strategy. Meanwhile, eyes are turning south. Not out of charity, but out of necessity, recognition and innovation.
The Global South is no longer content being the raw material appendix to the world’s glossy editorial. As BOF’s Crossroads platform, founded by Imran Ahmed, recently highlighted, a new era is forming and one that places fashion, beauty, and luxury pioneers from the Global South at its centre, with continents including Africa, Latin America, the Caribbean and Asia. The region is no longer simply the hand behind the hemline, it is the mind, the muse, and increasingly, the marketplace.
Designers are now moving from a unipolar to a multipolar understanding of luxury. They’re reinterpreting the codes of the past through the lens of global memory, economic equity, and aesthetic reinvention. In this shift, production is not just about cost-efficiency; it's about authorship, meaning, and resonance.
This rebalancing of power is echoed in consumer behaviour alike. Content creators like Patricia Bright have taken to social media to critique ownership and alignment with legacy brands such as Hermès, questioning whether these symbols of prestige still carry the weight they once did. The Birkin bag, long viewed as the holy grail of luxury, is facing new scrutiny. Reports of polyester blends and mass-scale production in China have prompted a wave of reassessment. For many, the heritage magic feels diluted.
This March, luxury lifestyle creator Lydia Millen publicly shared plans to part ways with her Hermès collection, including Birkins and Kellys. This isn’t simply a closet refresh, it is a cultural reset. One that gestures towards British heritage brands, countryside charm, and the understated elegance of the Sloane Ranger redux. Perhaps we’re circling back to the original basics: less, but better. Simplicity, powered by consistency.
We’re seeing a wider movement away from logo-splashed identity and towards limited-edition, bespoke, and highly personal designs. Pieces that are harder to replicate because they weren’t born from trend cycles but from story. An existence only made possible by a unique collaboration between artisan and buyer. Here, the Global South may just hold the edge. In a world of algorithm-led taste, authenticity is luxury’s most enduring currency.
Nonetheless, Teréne has never been solely about fashion. Luxury energy is not confined to fabric and silhouettes. It’s felt in the quiet curation of a home, in the ritual of wellness, and in financial integrity. It’s the way a candle is lit at the same hour each morning. The mindfulness of spending, the elegance of mindful restraint. A style of living that feels rooted, present, and prepared.
Being grounded in ritual creates room for deep gratitude and that, in turn, fosters a slower, more intentional conscience. It shapes not just how we shop, but how we choose. Decisions made in that spirit will outlive trends. They hold visual power and financial empowerment.
Luxury is steadily on route: not just back to basics, but back to self. Quietly, boldly, and with purpose.
With love,
Terena