Why luxury houses are becoming their own film studios

Luxury and film have always been twin mirrors of desire. Both are built on illusion, beauty, and emotional escape. But as the way we experience stories changes, so too does the way luxury tells them. After years of bite-sized content and endless scrolling, we have reached a cultural saturation point. The fatigue is visible. Attention spans may be shorter, but our appetite for stories with depth and substance has not disappeared. Long-form storytelling is staging a comeback. Podcasts, newsletters, docuseries, fiction-led campaigns, and cinematic short films are giving audiences something to sink into. They offer more memorable moments, inviting people to sit with a story and feel the message of a brand. A study by Wistia found that videos between 30 and 60 minutes have the highest conversion rates (17%), compared with just 2% for short clips under one minute. It is a telling sign that offering people time to engage pays off. For luxury, this shift is welcome. No industry understands the value of patience, craft, and anticipation better. The big screen remains one of the few places that still commands attention in a setting built for focus and immersion. The question is no longer if luxury will deepen its relationship with film and entertainment, but how it will use this medium to shape its next act. From product placement to plot lines The luxury industry has always played a supporting role in film, often using product placements to set the scene for a character or environment. Every bag worn, drink consumed, or place visited offers a clue to who a character is, carefully shaping how audiences perceive them. It is visual shorthand at its finest. But luxury has begun to outgrow the supporting role. Brands are moving from placement to authorship, defining how the details in a scene become core elements of the plot. Wes Anderson’s relationship with Cartier is a beautiful example of this shift. In The Phoenician Scheme (2025), Cartier crafted a bespoke rosary at Anderson’s request. The piece is a visual anchor for the film, symbolizing the character’s appreciation for beauty. Moreover, it reflects the longstanding relationship between Anderson and Cartier, whose shared ethos lies in creating exquisitely beautiful things. Saint Laurent saw this shift early. When it launched its film division in 2019, it became the first brand to operate as a full-fledged creative studio. Its films, from Emilia Perez (2024) to Strange Way of Life (2023), avoid overt branding, expressing Saint Laurent’s identity through tone, texture, and moral tension. It was a radical move at the time, but it positioned the house as a creative voice in its own right. It is a bold step toward vertical integration in storytelling, a way to protect not only production but also narrative identity. LVMH has now institutionalized this approach with 22 Montaigne Entertainment, a creative venture launched in 2024 in partnership with Superconnector Studios. The division co-develops and co-finances film, television, and audio projects across LVMH’s 75 maisons, uniting storytelling under one strategic framework. Just as luxury houses brought their supply chains in-house to preserve control and quality, they are now doing the same with entertainment. Ownership brings influence, and with that, the power to shape how emotion, aspiration, and identity are portrayed. Turning brand campaigns into cinematic worlds Luxury’s big-budget campaigns have always borrowed from cinematic language. But now, brands are using campaign films to construct narrative universes, where each visual cue reinforces identity and deepens long-term cultural recall. Earlier this year, Chanel opened its runway show with a short film starring Penélope Cruz and Brad Pitt, a nod to the classic French film A Man and a Woman. The film referenced Chanel’s historic ties to Deauville, the seaside town that inspired the collection. These subtle cinematic gestures extend the cultural myth and legacy of the maison, shaping its own narrative universe through emotion, heritage, and character. More than referencing the past, these films focus on world-building for the future. Miu Miu’s Women’s Tales is perhaps the best example. Since 2011, the brand has invited female directors to explore themes of womanhood, identity, and contemporary culture in short films that subtly integrate its fashion codes. The series has become a cult phenomenon, positioning Miu Miu among the most artistically credible names in fashion and proving that fashion can serve as cultural commentary when guided by intent. The fourth wall of luxury “Phygital” has become a buzzword, but few brands truly bridge the gap between digital and physical worlds. The real challenge lies in creating continuity — building a world that feels alive across mediums rather than mirrored. Gucci’s latest showing at Milan Fashion Week embodied this ambition. In an unconventional move, the house released a lookbook titled “La Famiglia,” featuring stars like Alex Consani and Gwyneth Paltrow. Instead of models on a runway, the cast wore their looks to the premiere of Gucci’s debut film, The Tiger (2025), embodying their on-screen characters in real life. The collection was lived in, blurring the line between fashion presentation and cinematic premiere in a way that sparked cultural conversation. Meanwhile, the film reaffirmed Gucci’s commitment to narrative as a cornerstone of its new creative era and reminded the industry that luxury’s next evolution will be shaped by emotion and world-building rather than by logos and noise. The idea of film as a bridge between storytelling and experience is also transforming hospitality. HBO’s drama series The White Lotus has proven that entertainment can serve as a cultural engine for brands. The Four Seasons, the quiet star of the series, saw a 425% surge in website visits and a 386% increase in booking searches after the first season aired. The halo effect was immediate. The brand has since deepened its partnership with HBO, hosting themed events, screenings, and immersive experiences across properties. These cases reveal a new dimension of influence that blurs storytelling, commerce, and participation. Film-driven experiences break the fourth wall, inviting audiences to enter a brand’s universe rather than simply observe it. In this new paradigm, the story doesn’t end when the credits roll — it begins. Redefining the role of the storyteller Being a storyteller today is less about pedigree and more about perspective. It is about the ability to connect emotion and audience through authenticity and depth. The expansion of who gets to direct these narratives reflects a broader shift in what creativity means and who is allowed to hold the pen. Christian Louboutin’s appointment of Jaden Smith as creative director earlier this year captured this perfectly. On paper, Smith may not fit the traditional profile, but that is precisely the point. Louboutin does not need another designer. They need someone who understands what it feels like to live the brand and can translate that emotion for a new generation. Jaden’s background in art, music, and youth culture gives him a fluency that few industry insiders have. He represents a cultural bridge, bringing the maison into new territories of relevance. The same logic underpins Lewis Hamilton’s creative role in F1: The Movie, a production with a reported $300 million budget. As both co-producer and advisor, Hamilton brought not only the authority and knowledge of his sport but also a distinct taste level. His perspective merged both technicality and style, ensuring the film resonates beyond racing fans while maintaining a level of credibility that audiences trust. Designers are also crossing in the opposite direction to permeate the film industry. Jonathan Anderson’s role as costume designer for Luca Guadagnino’s Challengers (2024) shows how creative directors are increasingly shaping a film’s visual world. Every piece of clothing plays a part in revealing the characters’ inner dynamics. It’s a reminder that in film, as in fashion, design is dialogue. As more luxury houses enter the film pipeline, storytelling itself is becoming a business model. LVMH’s 22 Montaigne Entertainment allows creative talent to move fluidly across categories, turning designers, musicians, and athletes into cinematic storytellers. The traditional creative hierarchy is loosening. The future will belong to those who can move between mediums, translating emotion, narrative, and cultural code into any format the story requires. So what? Storytelling has become a strategy, and film is its most powerful stage. But this shift also demands new skills. Brands must now think like studios: developing original concepts, nurturing talent, and managing multi-format worlds where emotion, not exposure, drives engagement. A show is no longer just a collection; it is a scene. A campaign is no longer merely a placement; it is a plot line. The brands excelling today do more than entertain — they build worlds, inviting audiences not just to consume, but to belong.

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Why luxury houses are becoming their own film studios