# Inside the Luxe Life: How Fashion Brands Roll Out the Red Carpet for Very Important Clients (VICs)
In the realm of luxury fashion, exclusivity reigns supreme. Yet, for an elite subset of clients—dubbed Very Important Clients (VICs)—the allure of owning luxury goods is just the beginning. These high-net-worth individuals account for over 40% of sales at powerhouses like Chanel, Louis Vuitton, and Hermès. For them, brands go far beyond offering tailored garments; they create curated lifestyles through bespoke experiences, star-studded events, and unparalleled access. Let’s step inside this opulent world to see how fashion’s crème de la crème are wooed with a level of service that blurs the lines between commerce and fantasy.
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### **Paris Couture Week: A Fashion Fairytale Come to Life**
For Laura Sachs, a devoted Chanel client and regular in Palm Beach, attending Paris Haute Couture Week felt like stepping into a dream. Handpicked by the maison, Sachs stayed at the Ritz Paris, Coco Chanel’s former residence, indulged in a private dinner with Pharrell Williams, and attended **Vogue World 2024**, a dazzling runway-meets-variety show featuring stars like Bad Bunny and Aya Nakamura. The event set the tone for a week of breathtaking exclusivity.
Sachs, a member of **Vogue100**—a high-profile membership club requiring a $100,000 annual spend—added her personal flair to the occasion in a custom Chanel maternity ensemble. Her sophisticated presence underscored an evolving truth in luxury fashion: for VICs, sartorial elegance must meet lifestyle functionality.
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### **VIC-Only Experiences: Beyond the Boutique**
This elevated service is not confined to Paris. In Sardinia, Dolce & Gabbana hosted its famed **Alta Moda**, a multi-day event blending couture with performances by Christina Aguilera and Katy Perry. True to its brand DNA, the spectacle boasted breathtaking landscapes, extravagant jewelry debuts, and a mingling of celebrities, editors, influencers, and VICs—a rare departure from the traditional social hierarchies that dominate the luxury world.
For VIC Lisa Park, Louis Vuitton brought a similar sense of wonder with an exclusive candlelit dinner at the medieval Abbaye des Vaux-de-Cernay. Clad in the maison’s Spring 2024 collection, Park described the night as “ethereal,” highlighting how these curated experiences transport clients beyond mere materialism. These events remind VICs that theirs is a world where the surreal becomes attainable.
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### **The Changing Face of Luxury: The Growing Power of VICs**
Even as the broader fashion market faces economic slowdowns, VICs wield unprecedented influence. While aspirational shoppers—those spending less than $10,000 annually—might scale back, VICs continue to fuel brands’ revenue growth. For long-time clients like Suzanne Saperstein, who has frequented couture shows since the 1990s, spending thresholds have skyrocketed. Where $100,000 once guaranteed entry into VIC status, insiders now suggest $200,000 is the new baseline.
Post-pandemic, brands are investing more than ever in experiences over products. From private pop-up boutiques on secluded beaches to direct interactions with marquee designers, the focus is increasingly on cultivating deeper, more personal relationships. A stylist aptly remarked, “It’s no longer enough to spend; you have to embody the brand’s lifestyle.”
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### **Vogue100: The Pinnacle of Prestige**
One of the most coveted keys to this world of exclusivity is **Vogue100**, a private membership club launched by Anna Wintour in 2019. This club grants its members insider access to high-profile events like Vogue-hosted breakfasts, red carpet galas, and private previews. For individuals like Lisa Sher-Chambers, a former investor-turned-stylist, memberships like Vogue100 represent more than access—they’re an opportunity to build credibility and influence within the fashion ecosystem.
The modern VIC has evolved. They’re no longer just connoisseurs; they’re participants in shaping the narratives of elite fashion. The result is a dynamic collaboration between brands and clients, where influence and aspiration feed into a shared vision of luxury living.
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### **Elegance in Restraint: The Social Rules of VIC Status**
In this rarefied world of extravagant soirées and six-figure wardrobes, subtlety reigns supreme. Despite the feverish temptation to broadcast every glittering moment to the world, overindulging in social media posts or flaunting excessive logos risks appearing gauche. As Vogue’s unwritten guide subtly advises, truly refined VICs project wealth with discretion, adopting a whisper-not-shout approach to both their fashion choices and public personas.
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### **The Art of Exclusivity: A High-Stakes Dance**
At its core, the VIC experience is more than surface-level indulgence—it’s the encapsulation of a brand’s identity brought to life. Whether it’s Dolce & Gabbana’s Sardinian extravaganza or Louis Vuitton’s ethereal abbey dinner, luxury fashion has transcended its origins to craft aspirational lifestyles that forge emotional ties.
For VICs, the perks of the role go beyond being lavishly catered to—they are collaborators in preserving the mystique of high fashion’s rarefied world. Fashion today is no longer merely about what you wear; it’s about how you live. In this golden age of experiential luxury, living well has never looked—or felt—better.
