Bold claim: 2025 belonged to the VIC—the Very Important Customer—and the luxury market pivoted around winning, wow-ing, and pampering this elite cohort. As many aspirational buyers retreated in a cooling economy, brands leaned into experiences that only VICs could access, exemplified by headline-making spending such as Jeff Bezos and Lauren Sánchez’s $50 million wedding in Venice. With the luxury sector finally slowing after 15 years of growth (outside the pandemic period), the playbook shifted from broad mass appeal to hyper-targeted relationship-building with a handful of ultra-wealthy patrons.
Experts note that the game has changed: attracting a few VICs can disproportionately lift a brand’s fortunes, making these clients more valuable than ever. Agencies specializing in high-net-worth events, like 1889 in Paris, help luxury houses—from Valentino to Cartier and Saint Laurent—craft tailor-made experiences. Imagine private dinners in art-filled apartments, helicopter transfers to historic sites, or bespoke itineraries designed around a client’s interests. The most coveted VIC perks often include all-expenses-paid Paris trips during fashion weeks, five-star accommodations, haute cuisine, and personalized touches such as flowers or beauty services before a show.
Aurum-level service is now the norm, not the exception. “A VIC should never have to pull out a credit card,” asserts Aurélie de Royer, cofounder of the agency behind many of these events. Mytheresa, the luxury online retailer, has long prioritized VICs, staging roughly 50 events a year—from intimate tea with a Patou designer in Paris to multi-day Italy-focused experiences featuring vintage Fiat 500 drives and private opera performances. These aren’t mere promos; they’re memory-making moments that blur the line between shopping and lifestyle.
For Mytheresa’s CEO Michael Kliger, the strategy centers on offering experiences that money can’t buy. The company recently launched Maison Mytheresa, a private members’ club in Saint Moritz, promising cultural happenings, trunk shows, private styling, and ski-season relaxation. The aim is to convert time—an incredibly scarce resource for the affluent—into meaningful engagement. As Kliger notes, inviting a client to a multi-day, high-value activation can be more persuasive than nudging them to spend a large sum on a single item.
Financially, the VIC-driven model is paying off. In the year ending June 30, top-tier customers represented a substantial share of revenue, with a small percentage delivering a large portion of sales, a pattern that has intensified as top spenders’ average purchases rise. Yet the broader market has shed roughly 50 million aspirational consumers amid price-resistance and the Chinese market’s slower rebound, prompting brands to recalibrate toward the U.S.—home to the most billionaires and a key arena for VIC activity.
Luxury houses are staging cruise-season showcases in major U.S. cities, signaling a shift in where and how prestige is displayed. Louis Vuitton, Gucci, and Dior are staging high-profile presentations in New York, Los Angeles, and Aspen, aiming to court the few VICs who can sustain demand. Even Chanel experimented with a dramatic Métiers d’Art show in a rain-soaked New York subway station, underscoring how location and spectacle can amplify exclusivity.
There remains significant untapped potential in regions that have been underexploited, notably the Southern states, where VICs exist but aren’t always invited to the most exclusive events. Brands are beginning to explore destination-style activations, following the lead of high jewelers who host ultra-private gatherings in places like Kyoto and Majorca. The overarching objective isn’t sheer size or extravagance; it’s intimacy, emotional resonance, and a sense of community. As one industry observer notes, VICs increasingly value opportunities to meet fellow top customers and to build networks within a private circle.
This shift has ripple effects beyond consumer events. Media coverage for fashion shows is tightening as brands curb budgets and emphasize exclusivity, with editors and influencers sometimes edged out in favor of the small cadre of VICs. Yet the drive to spark aspirational interest remains, buoyed by new designer debuts and the influence of billionaire patrons who act as the industry’s new patrons of fashion.
Looking ahead, 2026 is expected to intensify the VIC-focus. Brands will compete not just for attention but for meaningful, differentiated experiences that reinforce loyalty and spending. The central question for readers and observers: will this hyper-targeted approach widen the luxury gap or invite broader, more accessible interpretations of exclusivity? Share your take below: do you think VIC-centric tactics strengthen brand prestige or risk eroding broader appeal?
