Why Luxury Will Soon Need to Be Not Only Beautiful, but Also Demonstrable
In the News
Why Luxury Will Soon Need to Be Not Only Beautiful, but Also Demonstrable
Explore our world’s natural wonders in a reimagined courtyard featuring In the Field AR, an experience powered by EPAM, and built for immersion, interaction and inspiration
Opening June 26, the National Geographic Museum of Exploration begins the journey of discovery right at its entrance. The museum’s physical courtyard features six distinct planters that celebrate our planet’s beauty and biodiversity. Life-sized sculptures and immersive soundscapes in each planter invite visitors to explore various environments, including the temperate forest, tropical forest, polar region, grassland, ocean and desert. The National Geographic Society, in collaboration with its preferred digital transformation partner EPAM, invites museum visitors and the local community to also engage with a cutting-edge augmented reality experience that brings these vital ecosystems to life, fostering a deeper appreciation for our interconnected planet.
"Every detail of the Museum of Exploration — both indoors and out — has been designed with intentionality, ensuring the spark of curiosity is felt the moment a visitor arrives. The courtyard is not just a part of our museum; it’s also a community space where neighbors and visitors can gather to explore the wonder of our world. By combining tactile experiences with digital storytelling, we are providing unforgettable moments that inspire us all to become global stewards of our extraordinary planet." Emily Dunham, chief campus and experiences officer at the National Geographic Society
Each ecosystem is meticulously crafted to foster curiosity, featuring bronze statues such as a JapaLuxury has long ceased to be solely about the product itself. For many buyers, the true value lies in the story behind a luxury item: where it comes from, who made it, how it has been maintained and passed down. The market for second-hand luxury goods is exploding, and trust in provenance is increasingly built digitally. This data plays a key role in that story and is increasingly determining price and reputation. European regulations regarding the Digital Product Passport (DPP) compel brands to record this information transparently. Those who handle this smartly understand that this is not a compliance issue, but a strategic opportunity.
For decades, certificates, receipts, and the knowledge of an exclusive network of experts determined origin. That worked as long as luxury products circulated within closed circuits. That dynamic has since fundamentally changed. Watches, bags, and couture clothing move at lightning speed across international platforms, between buyers who do not know each other. In such a market, trust is no longer a given, but a data point.
The Digital Product Passport restores trust to the product itself. This digital identity travels with the object, from initial sale to resale and beyond. This passport records where the product was made, which materials were used, how it was maintained, and what the environmental impact was. Not as a static document, but as a dossier that is enriched throughout its entire life cycle. From 2027, such a passport will be mandatory for most products in Europe; clothing and accessories will follow no later than 2030. For luxury brands, this means that origin is no longer a marketing story, but verifiable data.
This legislation represents a strategic shift. Luxury brands are traditionally strong in the primary market but often lose control during the resale of a product. Additional value is created in the secondary market, but without direct brand involvement. This leads to fragmented narratives, unclear price trends, and the loss of direct customer relationships. A Digital Product Passport changes this dynamic. Every product becomes an authenticated digital object, allowing brands to regain control over the lifecycle of their creations. They gain insight into where products circulate, can support their own resale initiatives, and ensure that value creation aligns better with craftsmanship and exclusivity. In this way, the second-hand market is no longer a side issue, but an extension of the brand strategy.
Read the complete article here (original text in Dutch).
Take control of your product's entire lifecycle. Let Empathy Lab by EPAM design and implement a DPP strategy that protects your brand equity: Empathy Lab | Commerce
