Across 5,800 affluent and high net worth respondents in nine markets, 75% expect Asian luxury brands to match international luxury brands in prestige. Agreement reaches 90% in Japan but falls to 62% in China, even as interest in local and regional luxury brands rises across every market studied.

In Agility Research & Strategy’s Wave 1 2026 TrendLens study, 75% of affluent and high net worth respondents agree that Asian brands will match international luxury brands in prestige.

Agreement peaks at 90% in Japan, followed by France at 82%. China ranks last at 62%, 27 percentage points behind Japan, despite growing interest in regional luxury.

Among Chinese respondents, 62% agree that Asian brands will match the prestige of international luxury brands, 22% are neutral and 16% disagree. This does not show that Asian brands have already reached equal prestige. It shows that most expect future parity, although the view is less strongly held in China than elsewhere.

Interest is a separate measure. Across the nine markets, 78% say their interest in luxury brands from their own country or region has increased during the past two years.

A majority reports an increase everywhere, from 68% in the United Kingdom to 88% in France. Japan records 87% and China 76%. The figures answer different questions: 78% describes rising regional interest; 75% describes belief in future prestige parity.

Consumers can become more interested in regional names without placing them in the same prestige tier as established international houses. In China, interest is expanding, but status is still judged against a demanding international benchmark.

Putting the China-Japan gap in context

TrendLens also asked about six possible changes in luxury: whether top global brands such as Hermès and Chanel will keep dominating internationally; local and niche brands will overtake larger international brands; Asian brands will match international prestige; luxury spending will grow over the next two years; people will spend more on experiences than products; and AI-designed or AI-personalised luxury products will be widely accepted.

Across those statements, agreement ranges from 88% to 94% in Japan and from 51% to 67% in China respectively. The Asian-prestige result is close to each market’s six-statement average: one percentage point above China’s average and two points below Japan’s. It follows each market’s broader pattern.

This does not erase the gap between 62% in China and 90% in Japan. Japan records very high agreement throughout this section, while China records lower agreement across the same subjects. The comparison adds context but does not explain the difference or turn the figures into corrected scores.

A more competitive hierarchy

The wider results do not point to a simple transfer of power. Across the full sample, 83% agree that top global brands such as Hermès and Chanel will continue to dominate internationally. At the same time, 75% expect Asian brands to match international prestige, and 68% believe local and niche brands will overtake larger international brands.

These views can coexist. Asian brands can gain prestige without immediately displacing the best-known global houses. Local and niche brands can grow while a smaller group of international leaders retains exceptional recognition. The hierarchy is becoming more competitive, but today’s leaders do not disappear from it.

China’s results sharpen that interpretation. Among Chinese respondents, 66% expect top global brands to continue dominating, 62% expect Asian brands to match international prestige and 51% expect local and niche brands to overtake larger international names. Chinese respondents are not dismissing regional challengers, but neither are they describing an imminent reversal of the established order. Prestige parity looks more plausible than outright replacement.

Traditional luxury standards also remain important. Across the nine markets, 86% value brands that preserve craftsmanship, while 84% say logos and heritage still matter. When asked what shapes desirability, 26% selected local cultural values, aesthetics and heritage, the most frequently chosen influence. Regional credibility and established luxury codes are not opposites. Consumers can seek cultural specificity while valuing familiar signals of prestige.

For Asian brands, the implication is not to imitate international houses or rely on regional pride alone. The task is to make local relevance legible as luxury. Craftsmanship, heritage and recognisable brand codes are potential proof points, although the study does not establish that any one factor produces prestige. They are standards against which a prestige claim may be assessed.

China is the clearest test. Interest in local and regional luxury is rising, and a majority expects Asian brands to close the prestige gap. Yet China is less ready than the other markets to endorse that future, and only half expect local and niche names to overtake larger international brands. Brand teams should not treat attention as authority. Regional credibility must convert cultural relevance into consistent evidence of quality, distinction and enduring brand meaning.

The story is not that Chinese consumers reject Asian luxury. Most do not. It is that they set a higher apparent threshold for declaring prestige parity. For international leaders, regional competition can intensify while established status remains powerful. For Asian challengers, the opportunity is substantial, but so is the case they must make. The hierarchy is opening up, not flattening out.