What Is Luxury

A social marker in any society, that has to do with :

– Social stratification : social beings by nature, we have to know our place in society. Luxury drives that

– Decisions relating to the distribution of wealth

• Key defining criteria

– Qualitative, as opposed to quantitative (as premium manufactured goods are)

– Hedonism that may take precedence over functionality

– Multi-sensory

– High aesthetic aspect, a notion that is personal, influenced by social & cultural environment

– Must have a strong human content : hand-made, service delivered by human matching brand identity

• Luxury brands have to stay true to their roots

– Identities & values

– Origins, location

– No luxury brand can survive if it relies purely on clients only interested in symbols, not substance

Both concepts are very closely interlinked, it’s impossible to separate them completely

– At the dawn of humanity, many objects found in early tombs are both objets d’art & luxury items

– It’s very likely that art & luxury items came at the same time

• Common denominators

– Importance of aesthetics

– Increasing value with time

– Powerful sociological markers

– Sociological relativity : impossible to get a consensus, both never have to seek it, loosing magic & worth

• Major differences between luxury & art

– Luxury is rooted in real economy : it must quickly find a solid market, otherwise it will disappear

– It’s the driving force behind art in the economic world : patron of the art & artist’s means of subsistence

– Art is the aesthetic & social guarantor of luxury

– Contemporary arts helps to ensure that luxury brands with timeless products remain relevant

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