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In an overcrowded fashion landscape, luxury houses, emerging designers and mainstream brands are all searching for fresh ways to appeal to the masses. And with consumers rebelling against throwaway fashion in search of meaningful pieces with lasting power, the world is starting to see a rise in made-to-order services, limited-edition runs and a rise in the personalisation trend.


At the higher end of the market, Hermès offers bespoke riding saddles to its elite clientele with a process that starts out on horseback, when the rider’s measurements are taken along with the measurements of the horse. Thirty hours of craftsmanship and concentration later, a sports accessory is completed in the luxury house’s Parisian workshop.

Hermès’ equestrian saddles exemplify handcrafted customisation at its finest

For something more within reach of the rest of us, shoe customisation services allow the footwear-obsessed to create the designs of their dreams. Bally allows clientele to create bespoke shoes with an abundance of styles, colours and luxurious materials, as well as a choice of soles to meet every need. At Jimmy Choo, customers are treated to a made-to-order menu of signature colourways, textures and finishes that help them build footwear made to exact specifications. The iconic brand also offers personalisation in the form of dates as well as monograms in silver, gold or something blue — the perfect memento for brides.

Jimmy Choo’s made-to-order programme is ideal for marking milestone celebrations

For luxury bags, personalised punctuation is the cherry on top of an indulgent splurge. Provenance-rich French trunk and leather goods maker Goyard offers heirloom-worthy bags monogrammed by hand from a large variety of designs, nd fonts and exclusive shades. Dior customers can personalise the brand’s regularly Instagrammed Dior Book Tote with their own letters, part of the brand’s ABCDior service. Personalisation is also a craft deeply rooted in Louis Vuitton’s history, so it’s no surprise their customers can express themselves through hot stamping and painted monogramming services. But now they’ve amped it up a level, offering a bespoke selection of motifs and labels, including a colourful batch inspired by the collection of Gaston-Louis Vuitton.

A hallmark of the brand’s history, personalisation services at Louis Vuitton are among the best

With exceptional service at the heart of many heritage houses, it’s unsurprising these luxury players have set the pace for building exclusivity around their product offerings. That said, they aren’t the only retailers getting in on the game. When it comes to limited-edition production runs, sports giant Nike is one of the globe’s leaders, dropping limited-edition sneaker releases on regular rotation, many of which are sold out within minutes of release. Along with kicks so rare they’re displayed in the homes of sneakerheads like trophies, Nike is keeping up with personalisation too, offering a Nike By You customisation programme that allows customers to create their own sneakers from the base up.

Le Labo fans can customise the labels of their favourite fragrances

It’s a trend that’s unsurprisingly spilled into the beauty and fragrances arena. Le Labo offers customised labels on their carefully created classic scents. Giorgio Armani and Jo Malone offer custom engraving services on their lipsticks and fragrances, while Lancôme> has started rolling out a bespoke foundation programme, using nifty gadgets to measure a customer’s exact skin shade, skin type and desired coverage level to calculate a unique formula. It’s a concept nailed right down to the packaging, complete with personal complexion ID and name.


What does all this mean for shoppers? Access to product that feels less like product — and all more worthy of being treasured.

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