11: Luxury Consumers 2026: The Next Growth Wave

Behind every luxury brand that endures is a strategic foundation that quietly shapes its growth. In today’s market, expansion alone is not the story. What matters is whether growth is relevant, focused, and built to last as consumer values and cultural signals continue to shift.

I sit down with Camille Drumel, Partner at Simon-Kucher, to explore how luxury consumers are evolving across key markets, why “quiet luxury” and logo desire can coexist, and what brands must do to stay aligned with the segments that will drive sustainable growth. Camille unpacks why many maisons need to recenter around their core audiences, how China’s luxury psychology is maturing, and why India represents a major opportunity with a different status dynamic.

We explore how luxury consumers are evolving across key markets, and why many maisons may need to recenter around their core audiences as consumer signals shift. Camille explains how China’s luxury psychology is maturing, why India represents a major opportunity with a very different status dynamic, and how brands should think about growth when demand becomes more fragmented across segments.

We also examine the role of data in luxury strategy — including the risk of letting dashboards replace direction, and why CRM personalisation requires restraint if brands want relationships to feel human rather than automated.