Luxury is moving faster than heritage and Gen Z is driving the pace

A new definition of desirability

Luxury once meant exclusivity, legacy, and price. At Shoptalk 2025, Accenture’s Amal Benichou introduced a different lens: desirability shaped by community, cultural fluency, and relevance to emerging values.

Benichou laid out a seven-part framework for modern luxury desirability, where heritage and craftsmanship still matter but must be balanced with innovation, experience, and social value. The message was clear: the brands winning the next generation are those that evolve without diluting what makes them distinct.

Gen Z is not joining the club. They are building their own.

For Zadig & Voltaire, the shift started years ago. CEO Kristen Sosa explained that 40 percent of the brand’s business is now Gen Z and growing.

That customer base is drawn not just to product, but to the cultural space the brand inhabits. Zadig & Voltaire’s aesthetic remains rooted in Parisian rock-and-roll, but its marketing strategy is tuned to emerging artists, creative collaborations, and in-store experiences that build connection.

The Gen Z appeal isn’t just about edge. It’s about access—through music, art, and physical spaces like Chateau Voltaire, where installations and performances bring the brand’s values to life. “We’re not working with mainstream names,” Sosa noted. “That’s intentional. It keeps the energy focused on discovery.”

From curated product to curated experience

SSENSE Global Head of Marketing Haein Dorin shared how the company’s growth over the past two decades has remained grounded in one idea: storytelling through product.

From its start as a curated fashion site run out of a garage, SSENSE has evolved into a global luxury platform. What’s remained constant is the brand’s commitment to introducing emerging designers alongside established names giving its Gen Z and millennial-heavy audience a sense of community through aesthetic and editorial curation.

Content, Dorin said, is not an add-on. It is the experience. And increasingly, that experience is shaped by AI.

Technology as bridge, not barrier

For both brands, innovation is not about disruption it’s about fit. Zadig & Voltaire is currently auditing its tech roadmap to ensure systems are aligned with its split audience of Gen Z and Gen X customers.

SSENSE has already integrated AI into product search and content delivery. A partnership with OpenAI enables users to request looks in natural language like “neutral color streetwear for vacation” and receive shoppable results. Their on-site experience also dynamically surfaces relevant products and brands using customer data and style patterns.

Innovation, for both brands, is not about acceleration for its own sake. It’s about sustaining relevance on the customer’s terms.

Relevance is the new rarity

Luxury still signals aspiration, but the signal is different. Gen Z expects brands to be visually fluent, culturally present, and emotionally generous. Price and exclusivity alone don’t carry weight without meaning behind them.

For SSENSE and Zadig & Voltaire, success is coming not from reinventing their identities but from extending them with intention.

The outcome isn’t just a different kind of luxury brand. It’s a different kind of relationship.

Independently Created. Not affiliated with Shoptalk.

ClickZ is a Contentive publication in the Events division