A look back at 2013’s biggest trends and what to expect in 2014.

The LuxuryNext blog was created exactly a year back and through 2013, we evolved and grew.

2013 was an interesting year not just for us, but for the world of luxury. In India, the wheels turned a little slowly for the luxury industry. However, brands like Michale Kors and Ritz Carlton chose to enter the Indian market. The stupendous success of the recent Christie’s auction in Mumbai, which raised more than $15 million, pointed to the revival of the comatose art market in the country.

It was also the year when the Indian luxury market realized the potential of ecommerce with the launch of a new concept – Pernia’s Pop up shop, a high fashion store online that retails customised creations from bespoke and haute couture Indian designers and brands.

In the US, it was a year of revival of the luxury brands market with the luxury real estate showing huge growths in 2013. Globally, mid-tier luxury brands that offer ‘affordable luxury’ fared better this year compared to their higher-end counterparts. From a consumer perspective, the biggest show stealers in the market were affordable luxury brands like Coach, Tory Burch and Michael Kors and popular luxury categories included clothes, jewelry and cosmetics.

In our blogs, LuxuryNext tried to cover the world of luxury across all geographic areas, from the US to India and Europe. Through insightful features, columns, blog posts by industry insiders and interviews, we explored how the industry is evolving and the challenges luxury purveyors face.

With its spacious interior, versatility and faultless construction, the Louis Vuitton Neverfull tote might have seemed almost impossible to upgrade. Nonetheless, the French fashion house recently announced that the Neverfull will now come in Epi leather, in seven delightful colours. Each piece will feature a detachable pouch which can even be used on its own as a small clutch. Plus the interior is padded with the brand’s signature micro-fibre lining in a matching colour. Sturdy, roomy, stunning — is the new Epi Neverfull on your wish list yet?

Among our much liked articles were those on luxury, sustainability and CSR, revealing how luxury and responsibility can work in tandem with each together.

But the biggest achievement for us this year was to get interesting perspectives from our esteemed guest bloggers, many of them luxury industry experts from across the world.

The next year will be equally exciting. In 2014, expect to see growth of bespoke fashion, high-tech luxury, and the popularity of Instagram as a social media platform. At Luxury Next, we will introduce our readers to more interesting business aspects of luxury, latest trends and innovations, and many more interesting perspectives from all current and some new guest bloggers.

We look forward to a great New Year!