In a luxury market often blamed for flattening creativity, Maison Schiaparelli has long stood out for its defiant unconventionality. Where Coco Chanel’s creations exalted the functional elegance of the modern woman, Elsa Schiaparelli was interpreting her dreams, transforming her dresses into intellectual statements.

The story of how Elsa Schiaparelli did this is celebrated in Schiaparelli: Fashion Becomes Art, the current exhitibion at the V&A in London (until 8 November 2026). It also shows her legacy is intact. In transforming clothing into something provocative and fantastical, fuelled with an unconventional viewpoint and rooted in craftmanship, current creative director Daniel Roseberry has stayed true to Schiaparelli’s philosophy.

Key to the brand’s success is how it has consistently deployed clever, clear messaging. My research explores how luxury brands raise customer engagement and connect with their communities through distinctive shared values. From the outset, Schiaparelli’s messaging has been based on four central pillars: a strong connection to fine art; cultural relevance; recognisable iconography; and the promise of a heightened customer experience.

A connection to the art world

Elsa Schiaparelli pre-empted the kind of connection to the art world that many brands have tried to leverage ever since. When she arrived in Paris in 1922, she fell in with a distinguished avant-garde circle. Within a few years she opened her couture house and........

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