If you know, you know: TikTok has slowly unveiled the world of Coded Luxury to a new, young (and massive) audience, and today we’re inspired to take you through our favorite high-end, underrated brands in fashion. If you find yourself asking the question – what is coded luxury, really? Here’s your crash course – whereas some brands pursue logomania [think giant C’s in Chanel, and trademark branding in Gucci, Louis Vuitton and the like] there are luxury brands [i.e. Bottega Veneta and The Row] who strikingly pursue the opposite – a perfectly tailored blazer, a fine-knit sweater, a quality tote bag – all in whose design could be mistaken for that of a high-street brand. Read on to explore luxury fashion’s best-kept secrets, below.
Another viable example that there is not much the Olsens can’t do. Founded by the superstar twins Mary Kate & Ashley in 2006, The Row was a London-inspired solution to the girls’ challenge to find the perfect tee – one of a premium fabric, cut and attention to detail that whispered ‘luxury’ in its stitching. We love the brand’s simple nature but luxe appeal.
As a true luxury brand exemplifies, Italian designer Brunello Cucinelli serves a large-scale line of menswear, in minimalistic fashion. Beyond the high-end approach to design and brand ethos rooted in sustainability and natural beauty, we love how Cucinelli is able to attach his personality to the brand through sharing its history, his favorite quotes by Italy’s ancestors, and a simple introduction to children’s leisure wear.
Women’s ready-to-wear line Khaite by Catherine Holstein, is a New York based brand inspired by feminine culture and detail. We’re obsessed with the brand’s ballerina-esque apparel and shoes, as well as its dramatic, yet simple, approach to insta. Consider the Fall/Winter looks ‘saved’ for our future…
The advanced contemporary women’s brand is shamelessly at the *top* of our list. Female-founded TOVE Studio, hits all the marks of ‘quiet luxury’, and then some: from consciously flexible silhouettes for every occasion, to materials and fabrics created with sustainability and ethical fashion in mind – we can’t help but feel that adding these timeless and luxurious pieces to our wardrobe should be considered doing a good deed…right?
The Swedish design house has mastered the formula for modern chic and meticulous craftsmanship. As introduced on their site, Toteme is a “style universe” that suits a woman’s lifestyle in a multitude of ways, acting as her uniform and inspiring a dress code that meets her where she’s at in life. All are showcased through designs that whisper ‘wealth’ through and through.
London’s best-kept coded fashion secret, Joseph, is where luxury essentials meet the modern wardrobe. We especially love the brand’s integrity to highlight emerging and iconic designers that follow their like ethos of luxury fashion in a simple way, through its continuation of ‘concept stores’ where the brand celebrates designers of all calibers and unique styles.
Coded-luxury connoisseur Charles Gross says it best, as he called out the brand in one of his many viral videos covering the topic of quiet luxury in a logo-manic world. Gross compares Moynat to the quality of an Hermes and the brand esteem as Louis Vuitton throughout France. Founded in 1849, the brand is iconic to those who know – and equal parts mystifying and chic to those who don’t know of its totes and trunks behind-the-scenes.
No one does quiet luxury with as much grace and meaning as designer, women’s rights activist and the latest creative director of @chloe, Gabriela Hearst. As the creative mind behind french luxury label Chloe, in addition to her own namesake brand, the designer continues to exceed the limits of expensive fashion through sustainability efforts, charitable work, and ethical sourcing of all materials. In her own words, “honest luxury”. In ours, “sign us up”.
The incredible quality and elegant disposition of luxury label Loro Piana is unmatched. The Italian company serves us a rural, Americana look through both its wardrobe collections for men and women, and also its textile line. Its use of luxury fibers has deemed Loro Piana the largest (and finest) cashmere manufacturer in the world. After all, even extravagance has a soft side.
The Italian menswear brand founded in 1934 has no plans of slowing down in its coded-fashion era. Recognized for its discreet approach to Italian elegance for men’s apparel and accessories, we love the suits, tuxedos, and ‘made to measure’ individuality of the brand on its site and social.
Coded, quiet, and under-the-radar… these brands have had a powerful impact on how we perceive luxury in 2022, and are amongst our favorite designers and labels today. Beyond their minimalistic nature and detailed tailoring, we find ourselves obsessing over coded luxury brands because of their dedication to brand values, a rich history, and sustainability in lieu of trademark symbols. Because when it comes down to it, style speaks louder than words (or letters).