Thoughts on 'luxury'
After working in high-end retail for almost two years, the concept of luxury is still baffling to me. I've always believed that luxury should be long-lasting and practical. However, after looking into the definition, it seems what I believe to be "luxury" is the complete opposite of what it means.
Luxury. Defined by The Oxford Dictionary as "A state of great comfort or elegance, especially when involving great expense." and "An inessential, desirable item which is expensive or difficult to obtain." (Oxford Dictionary, 2014) This definition demonstrates that price plays a significant part in suggesting something is of luxury, as well as exclusivity. Something which is not accessible to the general public, whether it's price or status.
However, I feel today luxury items are more accessible at different price points. There are distinct price and quality difference between high street and high end, but the prices on the higher end seem to have a varying price range, ranging from low to high.
Prendergast & Wong (2003) stated that price was not the key criteria considered when purchasing a high-end product, but more likely the quality.
After reading this and thinking about what people's shopping experiences and expectations are today, it seems the definition of luxury seem to be more ambiguous - and when you start bringing in social media, and online influencers into the conversation - it becomes a very long evening of lying in bed and staring into the ceiling.
These are the things I sometimes think about, and interested in looking into more.
If anyone's here - what's your idea of luxury?
Luxury. Defined by The Oxford Dictionary as "A state of great comfort or elegance, especially when involving great expense." and "An inessential, desirable item which is expensive or difficult to obtain." (Oxford Dictionary, 2014) This definition demonstrates that price plays a significant part in suggesting something is of luxury, as well as exclusivity. Something which is not accessible to the general public, whether it's price or status.
However, I feel today luxury items are more accessible at different price points. There are distinct price and quality difference between high street and high end, but the prices on the higher end seem to have a varying price range, ranging from low to high.
Prendergast & Wong (2003) stated that price was not the key criteria considered when purchasing a high-end product, but more likely the quality.
After reading this and thinking about what people's shopping experiences and expectations are today, it seems the definition of luxury seem to be more ambiguous - and when you start bringing in social media, and online influencers into the conversation - it becomes a very long evening of lying in bed and staring into the ceiling.
These are the things I sometimes think about, and interested in looking into more.
If anyone's here - what's your idea of luxury?
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