“The tectonic plates that we have in luxury at the moment are moving,” says Deborah Marino, chief strategy officer at Publicis Luxe, the agency’s luxury-focused wing that has offices in Paris, Shanghai and New York. “Between what ‘luxury’ was five years ago, what it was two years ago, and what it is today, we’re seeing changes. Normally it’s not that fast that you see those changes in luxury.” However, these days, “everything is becoming very liquid.” She labels this disruption “the new rhythm of luxury”.

“I think the old rules no longer apply, and I think luxury brands have quickly realised that if they don’t adapt and adapt quickly, they lose out,” says Sade Teyibo, who has worked in London, New York and Lagos at companies including luxury fashion group Kering and car group O’Gara (home to Rolls Royce and Lamborghini). Teyibo, who now runs Fola, a full service PR, marketing and brand development agency in Lagos that works with the likes of the Loewe Foundation, says: “I think they also understand that the customer’s attention span is so, so short and so thin, if you will, that if they are not keeping up with the pace, they lose those dollars that could have come their way. It quickly goes to somebody else.”

It is impossible to separate this destabilising “new rhythm” from the rise of micro-trends, much of which is driven by social media. These were once seen as passing fads but are now dictating how big players are communicating with their audiences, according to Marino – and it’s not always effective. “People are getting very upset and very tired with this idea of changing everything all the time. It was the kids playing with these trends, but now also the grown-ups in the room are getting involved.” While some luxury brands have shown they’re social media savvy, trying to keep up with TikTok micro-trends can be a losing battle, as some industry commentators have pointed out, especially for bigger, less agile luxury brands.