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The timing for Ganni\u2019s push upmarket was perhaps unfortunate. In the past two years, consumers have become more sensitive to price and value, reassessing what they expect at different price points. While Ganni\u2019s elevation strategy seems to have targeted a grown-up millennial Ganni girl, this cohort is also facing a cost of living squeeze, which is limiting its spending power. There\u2019s also a perception that the product has shifted in a way that doesn\u2019t align with this customer\u2019s needs. \u201cA lot of clients have outgrown [or] fallen out of love with the brand,\u201d says Paolo Casseb, a 39-year-old stylist and personal shopper, who worked with Ganni at Selfridges and Browns and was a customer during the brand\u2019s heyday. \u201cFor that price point, they\u2019d want something less trend-based, or a different brand altogether.\u201d<\/p>\n
Beyond the core millennial customer, Ganni\u2019s elevated positioning may have also affected its resonance with all-important Gen Z consumers looking ahead. In a survey of 750 Gen Zs<\/a> by youth culture agency Archrival, just 29% say they\u2019d be willing to pay more for a luxury brand, while only 54% see luxury brands as \u201cdesirable\u201d. Ganni has historically occupied a clearly accessible contemporary positioning, but its elevation strategy has nudged it upward without fully redefining what the brand stands for. This has left it in a more ambiguous middle ground, while a wave of affordable brands like Reformation and Damson Madder<\/a> are increasingly capturing the customer Ganni once owned.<\/p>\n I took to Instagram to ask long-time Ganni customers about the brand\u2019s direction. Many pointed to rising prices as a key issue and expressed skepticism around perceived value, with some saying they now wait for discounts, buy secondhand, or have turned to the swathe of lower-priced competitors.<\/p>\n Some described a shift away from the brand\u2019s earlier identity. \u201cBefore, it felt more fun and unique; now, it\u2019s more clean and commercial. It feels like it has grown up to be liked by everyone,\u201d says one long-time customer.<\/p>\n Brands like Ganni have historically been able to capitalize on the growing desire for good design at accessible prices. Borrelli-Persson describes that not just as a marketing strategy, but as \u201cpart of the cultural ethos\u201d in Scandinavia. She adds that the \u201cseemingly omnipresent desire for everything to be high-end\u201d is unsustainable as the industry and pop culture \u201cencourage desire for fashion at the same time that it becomes out of reach\u201d.<\/p>\n This all points to a broader lesson for brands navigating today\u2019s market. Elevation can be tricky to pull off; it depends on whether a brand\u2019s equity, product, and customer base can credibly stretch upward. At a time when consumers are pushing back on luxury pricing and seeking stronger value, the middle market is proving more resilient than expected. Elevation can work, but only if there\u2019s a clear reason to do so.<\/p>\n What\u2019s next for Ganni hinges on how closely the brand realigns with its core customer. On Friday, the brand sent a survey to customers offering a 15% discount in exchange for feedback on why their shopping frequency has changed; how well attributes like \u201cjoyful\u201d, \u201caccessible\u201d, and \u201ccommunity-driven\u201d apply today; how they feel Ganni has evolved over the past two to three years; and how they would describe the brand\u2019s value for money. The move suggests it is in listening mode at a time when customers are signaling a shift in perception.<\/p>\n From an industry perspective, a return to CPHFW could also help reanchor the brand. Borrelli-Persson says such a move would be \u201ca triumphant one\u201d, helping to restore Ganni within the cultural context that defined its early success.<\/p>\n \u201cTo break through the noise and to register in the attention economy, companies need to lead, and having a clear brand identity is a key component to building trust,\u201d she says. \u201cMy sense is that people just want Ganni to be Ganni.\u201d<\/p>\n<\/div>\nWhat\u2019s next?<\/strong><\/h2>\n