Once upon a time, aspiration, grandeur, exclusivity and perfection were the defining markers of luxury. Yet as a notoriously passionate and outspoken generation comes of age, luxury is witnessing a definitive shift, with power moving from brands to consumers, who are in favour of democratising luxury’s perfection-driven aesthetic with a chance to make it their own. STYLE Edit: Gucci’s designer Alessandro Michele pays tribute to France in Paris The result? An industry that’s celebrating a more casual and offbeat aesthetic and one that has, though surprising to many, welcomed a new ideal: imperfection. With heritage having less relevance to younger...

In 2017, Gucci's sales grew by 44.6% over the previous year. And in the first quarter of 2018, the luxury brand posted nearly $2.2 billion in sales revenue, up 48.7% compared to the same period last year. What’s behind Gucci’s blastoff? One reason is millennials. As any experienced marketer will tell you, luxury branding requires a different approach than standard B2C efforts. We at IntraLink Global understand luxury brands and have done award-winning work in this space. To us, millennials are the clear access point: According to the Financial Times, millennials are “the world’s most powerful consumers.” While many other luxury brands...