Just came across a video over at Wolff Olins featuring Paul Smith, a high end fashion label. He’s a designer who doesn’t follow trends and continues to be creative on his own terms. Throughout the video, he mentions how he develops his brand to stand apart from Louis Vuitton, Prada, or Gucci. Smith focuses on quality in his products and creative experimentation. In his presentation he comments, “It’s so sad that all the shops are so formulaic now.” I would have to agree with him. It seems like many luxury brands follow the same formulaic marketing and development guidelines.