Thread by @arihappywick

The greatest luxury brands in the world spend centuries building a brand around exclusivity.

To do this successfully requires a tight control over supply, distribution, and brand perception.

But, a new wave of social media trends is changing everything.

Enter, Goyard 🧵

Lots of luxury brands *talk* about exclusivity, but nobody lives it like Goyard. As they said in an anonymous interview:

“Luxury is a dream, and revealing too much of what goes on behind the scenes would spoil the magic.”

This magic requires tight control of their story.

So what's their story?

Goyard was founded in Paris in 1792 as Maison Martin, a luggage-maker for French aristocrats.

They were even appointed official malletier to HRH Marie-Caroline, an Italian princess who married into French royalty.

She was the first of many royal clients.

Goyard's hand-painted trunks and subtle interlocking chevron pattern eventually became companions to kings, presidents, and celebrities—from the Romanovs to the Windsors, Lauren Bacall to Pablo Picasso, the Rockefellers to Marilyn Monroe.

Designers were also fans of this ultra-quiet brand.

Jeanne Lanvin, Cristobal Balenciaga, and Karl Lagerfeld (and of course his cat Choupette!) were all lifelong devotees.

That same pattern became a chic little shibboleth signaling status, taste, and means. #iykyk

My favorite blink-and-you'll-miss-it appearance of Goyard these days? Rap songs.

No two groups understand the power and emotion of branding shorthand better than rappers and luxury houses.

Over the years, Goyard has remained fashion’s best-kept secret.

They never advertise.
They never have celebrity creative directors or campaigns.
They never do seasonal shows.
They almost never give interviews.

And they don't sell ANYTHING online.

Goyard even has a per-year limit if you manage to nab something from one of their boutiques.

They maintain a set of timeless, artisanal designs year after year. Even Hermès debuts seasonal collections—but not Goyard.

Their entire brand hinges on exclusivity and quality.

These days, Goyard occupies a unique space.

They have the heritage and scarcity of Hermès, but occupy a price point some can justify as an heirloom splurge. (Think: price of a MacBook Pro instead of a new 4-door sedan)

That makes their luxury brand status even more delicate.

With social channels, things are changing fast.

Search TikTok and you'll see this "secret" brand becoming a mainstream status symbol.

Whether as an accessory to TT's "old money" aesthetic or a DHgate dupe, one thing is certain: Goyard has officially gone viral.

Quelle horreur!

But for real: horreur.

Goyard's "magical dream" of luxury requires maintaining an absolute chokehold on supply, distribution, and perception.

Lose control of that, and you risk losing everything that makes the brand special.

You might end up as (gulp) the next Louis Vuitton.

All is not lost—yet. But Goyard is definitely at an inflection point.

In a way, it's similar to their transition from being a product for royalty to a bag for anyone with the money to buy one.

The way I see it, Goyard has two ways they can regain control of their story.

Number one: double down on exclusivity.

As other luxury brands like Gucci try to scale, Goyard should throttle harder. Lean into artisan craftsmanship, slow production, and scarcity.

You can't always control your image, but you *can* control access.

Number two: limited drops.

This approach is riskier, because one of the things that makes Goyard so special is their staunch refusal to chase trends or constantly crank out new designs.

But! In 2002 they expanded from 2 to 12 colorways to great success.

Limited designs also dovetail nicely with their tradition of customization and bespoke luggage.

(They also recently introduced a special edition of their iconic Saint Louis tote, which is currently reselling for around TWICE the typical price. Just saying.)

The worst thing they could do?

Try to get ahead of the wave of influencer content by trotting out a big celeb campaign. Visibility plays are poison to recapturing the magical mystery that makes Goyard what it is.

(Sorry, Gucci.)

Luxury MUST appeal to emotion. It invites the customer into a rich story, while also offering the thrill of joining a secret, elite club.

Their bags may be at risk of turning into costume pieces, but Goyard has been in this game a long, long time.

I wouldn't count them out yet.

If you liked this thread, and you'd like to hear more of my marketing insights (with only slightly less handbag gossip):

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Sources:
pursebop.com/goyard-has-a-q…
goyard.com/eu_en/goyard-h…
hypebeast.com/2017/10/goyard…
grailed.com/drycleanonly/h…