What is luxury?!

Having researched extensively in to how people personally perceive ‘luxury’ and what people class ‘luxury’ to mean nowadays, there is ultimate proof that everyone dictates luxury in different ways. Luxury seems to have gradually evolved in to lots of established personal meanings, and it has also proved a difficult challenge to pin down just one generalized modern meaning. However, it appears as you delve deeper in to the subject of ‘luxury’ it soon becomes apparent that the appeal [of luxury] is so deeply rooted in human nature.

But do luxury products and services make us feel better? Today products’ have the theory and ability to make us happier and more comfortable in some ways, and ‘studies identify a variety of categories in which extra spending would promote longer, healthier and happier lives for all’. Though, understandably ‘luxury’ does not always involve and rely on the expense paid – but it entails the services we offer as designers, and receive as clients. A large part of quality service and ‘luxurious’ experiences comes with gaining trust and providing loyalty, and not just focusing how designs are demonstrated aesthetically and technically.

A luxurious interior can be created just by completing and exceeding a client’s wishes – creating the perfect aura or colour palette etc. Purchasing expensive fittings to create a ‘luxury’ setting is unnecessary, the chosen items merely need to work and feel right in the environment. Simple details like adding unexpected touches, balancing elements and transitions within spaces can also create a luxurious experience and impact. Even flooding areas with light can be interesting - shadows can be thrown in spaces creating striking silhouettes. Most importantly, items and possessions can be opulent in appearance yet be very inexpensive. As Tricia Guild has said, 'a room can possess grand ballroom proportions, yet be uninviting and dull.' Luxury within design involves a great deal of thought, time and subtle surprises. 

So can purchasing a luxury product or service cause us to feel luxurious? By exceeding a product or service luxury has in some cases been proven to provide us with a ‘spiritual edge.’ Luxury appears to have a deep meaning which is closely linked within human thoughts.

What is ‘luxury’ and how can it help us as designers? There is huge clash of opinions concerning ‘luxury’, but everyone appears to expect an exceptional service as part of a luxury product, ‘customers expect service to be at the same level as the creations brands are promoting’. Conceivably ‘luxury’ comes down to the happiness that the products or services we offer, provide. ‘Customers value some products as much as what they symbolise as for what they do’. Significance is in how consumers will come and go, while finances will fail and thrive yet ‘luxury’ forever endures.

I believe luxury should be considered within the design process, and part of the provisions we offer. But are you worth the luxury?

Ps. If anybody would like a copy of my research questionnaire regarding luxury, please email - the results are actually incredibly interesting :)

Social Responsibility in Design

Designer’s are responsible for a huge variety of steps which impact everyone, from the initial design process through to the production and then on to the client. Designer’s today need to show compassion when creating their products. It is easy for designs to have unwanted effects, for example relating back to the ‘size zero’ phase, the designer’s weren’t intending to introduce a disease like anorexia to a huge number of people, they were merely thinking of the best way to display their fabrics, clothing and finished designs, without considering the consequences. 

It is easy to discover that each designer has individual ways in which they deal with social responsibility and ethics within their companies. It has become apparent that money is a huge issue within the production of fabrics. An unnamed designer of a major retail chain said “I think more time would probably be needed to produce things ecologically and ethically” this seems to ring true for all retail sectors, whether it’s fabric or food.

Status Sells and Exploitation in Design

Internationally successful and recognised products are perceived as either ‘top quality’, ‘fashionable’ or ‘expensive’. Therefore most designs and finished products are sold for a vast amount of money compared to average high street store prices. Yet, are the expensive price tags acceptable to pay for a label? 

A designer's success and reputation are factors in the high prices; however, quality and cost of materials are also contributing factors. 

Receiving status awards, such as OBE’s (Officer in The Most Excellent Order of the British Empire), may have an effect upon the pricing of their produce because they have been acclaimed for their products excelled quality and their triumphant design decisions, so become much-admired. Is it down to the principle of awarding the designer’s for the designs they themselves came up with, or is it just greed?

Are communities in third world countries seeing the vast amount of money we see on the retail prices of the finished fabric? This is very much undoubtful and there is much exploitation within the production and industry in general. However this question seems to have a different answer depending on the fabric designer. 

Obviously it is clear Anne Quinn (a fabric designer who uses felt) isn’t exploiting anyone, she’s working from a sustainable material and finishing her products by hand, herself. Her products aren’t sold for a massive price, they are sold at a price which arguably justifies the fact that they are partly handmade and extremely time consuming to make, as well as being aesthetically very pleasing. 

It appears big brand names like Versace don’t seem to have a lot of care for where their materials come from, and don’t give off a very fair-trade image.

Versace, who’s reputation is so huge they don’t seem to be willing to do much for change – they already know their products sell and for a great deal of money and thus see no reason to change their ways regardless of carbon footprint or social inequalities.

But large designer brands aren’t always selfish, for example, Gucci have had a partnership with UNICEF since 2005, “Gucci has intensified the company’s commitment to UNICEF and to saving and improving children’s lives by expanding the annual campaign and introducing significant new initiatives to support the partnership.” In February 2008 they raised in just one night, $2.7 million together with UNICEF.

I am sure no designer’s deliberately choose to exploit anyone for labour, they are merely doing what as a company they need to do in order to gain profit and survive the market in these tough financial times.

‘Luxury’ and ‘Designer’ are becoming more and more entwined in •Advertising •

‘Luxury’ and ‘Designer’ are becoming more and more entwined within the design industry, the meanings of both words are almost emerging together to equate to the same thing. People are keen to purchase ‘designer’ and ‘luxury’ products because of the status it can create, even more so if the products are affordable to them. 

Luxury goods today have a new significance as marks of esteem, and acquiring them has become essentially easy. Luxury has formed in our evolution; we crave beautiful surroundings and possessions, and yearn beyond the basics of life. Patrizia Pressimone, director of architecture at the Paris department store ‘Printemps’, stated, 'Luxury is not measured in dollars - it is measured in details.'

Perfume is a product which is increasingly forever popular, and the television advertisements are becoming more eccentric and sensual. Perfume provides us with pleasing scents and appealing aromas, which equate to a luxurious sensation. Perfumes have been forever linked with luxury. ‘Pretty glass bottles were prisms through which everyday consumers could glimpse a life of luxury’. Perfumes link back to the Ancient Egyptians Era, where they discovered glass to protect their perfumes and scents. These products are not necessarily a necessity in our lives; there are much cheaper alternatives and other beauty products available on the high street. Yet most high end, successful and ever-popular ‘eau de parfum’ designer’s such as Chanel, Yves Saint Laurent and Tom Ford, include a designer price tag to match their reputations.

Is the production and price of ‘designer’ fabric ethically justified?

Eating disorders are on the rise, 

children as young as six are on diets, third world countries making fabric for richer countries is becoming more prevalent among their young people and even closer to home in England, high earning companies are paying minimum wage of employees regardless of income. Is there a link between the idolisation of designer's status and their products prices, and should we take a deeper look into the production and identities of the designers, and whether they have a negative impact on our generation and whether the glory they receive and pricing of their products is ethically fair - particularly in the textile design field.

Different people define the word ‘designer’ in different ways but I think of it as a product designed by someone highly qualified who as a result has became well-known – which in itself arguably justifies the products ‘designer’ price tag. I don’t think of it necessarily as an exclusive item, because I would still class Cath Kidston’s products and designs as ‘designer’ even though within the last few years her designs have became mass-produced and available to almost anyone. Within this context the word ’designer’ is being used as an adjective within the main context, rather than a verb as it is commonly used in most cases. 

Designer’s today are responsible for a great deal, they need to determine how their products will have an impact upon the world before they are created. Purpose, goals and outcomes all need to considered. This therefore means professional designer’s work involves a great deal of guess work, luck, and overall general experimentation and consideration for a whole range of possible outcomes and impacts which their designs may occur before they are even produced.  

The oxford dictionary defines ‘ethical’ as being related to morals, mainly concerning human conduct by promoting being honourable and morally correct within practise by a professional standard. In contrast, being ‘unethical’ would be acting generally immoral, and occasionally corrupt. For example it is not uncommon for large clothing companies to produce garments in third world countries in order to keep production costs down. 

Recently Primark were in the press due to a scandal which revealed their use of slave labour in India, this case quite clearly shows immorality and corruption within the managerial team. Being truly ethical involves being environmentally responsible during the production and distribution of finished fabrics. Carbon footprints and factory pollution should be considered, also the type of fabric produced could be considered to be either organic handmade or sustainable.

Recent concerns to do with global warming and general mistreatment of people have led to smaller and ethically just companies to compete with large retailers. They tend to place their unique selling point on the ethics and morality of their businesses. One example of this is ‘Gringo London’ who as a business support fair-trade. Their goods are ethically sourced and made by artisans in the developing world, helping them to lead a much better life. However certain brands recently have began producing garments that look to be of fair trade standard, yet are still sold at designer prices.

Appearing to buy ‘fair trade’ is now as much as a fashion statement as it is considered the right or just thing to do. An example of this would be the Spanish company, ‘Deჷigual’ whose designs appear to be of a bohemian and ethical style, but yet retains a designer price tag; their new collection however, is handmade so this may justify part of the pricing. Ethics is becoming more of a factor in fashion and design and became a major selling point. The ‘Ethical Fashion Show’ held in France which promotes ethical production, including recycled, handmade and natural fabrics. Also whether designer’s themselves take part in social projects and fair-trade. The ethics is to support under privileged communities throughout the world. As mentioned, smaller independent companies seem to be more involved within ethical design. 

Minimum wage is another ethical issue considering the cost of most designer brands and so usually can afford to pay their staff more.

Companies closer to home such as ‘Harrods’, pay their employees minimum wage, despite the fact that their profits are huge and they can easily afford to pay more. Even though Harrods seem to be exploiting cheap labour, the prestige is attractive and they will never be in short supply of customers thanks to their well marked and well recognised label, as well as being considered a British Institution. Similarly to the pricing of upholstery fabrics and products, customers will still continue to pay for expensive products because of the designer’s reputation. Looking at designer’s income, turnover and profit can give an indication of ethical pricing, as well as the cost of raw materials.

Britain has always relied upon other countries for production in the past, for example India has always supplied many raw materials such as cotton. Thus it would not be alien for this to happen again. When the UK had the British Empire and consequent control over a number of other countries the industrial revolution changed how we produced products and fabrics significantly. During this time new types of machinery made it possible to produce new styles of man-made materials and fibres which in the past had been impossible to produce. This meant that people were making synthetic materials closer to home, rather than buying natural handmade textiles from third world countries. But today UNICEF still estimates 158 million children aged 5 – 14 work via child labour throughout the world. This statistic alone could mean that retailers of the world aren’t taking adequate action to intervene within the production of their products.

It is questionable if ethically Fabric Designers' are really considering the way people will look at their fabrics. The ‘size 0’ (UK 4) trend must have been partially helped by fabric designers themselves. There is without a doubt a problem with unprincipled advertising. Last year Primark were attempting to sell children’s sized padded bikinis for £4 which were promptly removed from the shelves after general public outrage and a statement from The Children’s Society condemning Primark for “premature sexualisation and unprincipled advertising”. Social responsibility comes with the ‘designers’ name and reputation, advertising and responsibility can make or break a designer’s reputation. Regarding the size zero trend, were the fashion and fabric designer’s choices in models the right decision, or were they not portraying the right image and role models for younger people? However in 2006 designer brands, Versace, Prada and Armani agreed to ban skinny models from the catwalks, this was prompted by the death of two models and came into force for all designers in Italy during Milan’s fashion week 2007. However anorexia cases are drastically increasing according to a number of statistics, and channel four programme ‘Embarrassing Bodies’ reported a shocking 125% increase in anorexia within males in the last ten years.

Within fashion trends change quickly, seasonal collections and products frequently alter. For upholstery fabric it’s more likely to choose function over fashion when designing them – you can’t afford to change your sofa as often as you change your dress for example. Upholstery fabric needs to be different, often timeless and functional, but designers want to create a pleasing aesthetic design also. There are standards also which need to be considered within the EU before you can even consider selling your designs, all upholstery and curtain fabric needs to be fireproof and display the correct warnings etc.

· Are the communities which in some cases produce these designer materials in third world countries seeing the vast amount of money we see on the retail prices of the finished fabric? Are these countries being exploited? Because there generally is quite a large mark up on most fabrics.

· Does the price per meter of the finished fabric equate to the quality, are the branded products the best design decision?

For better or for worse, fashions sells.

Fabric is everywhere in today’s world, be it the textiles in furniture, bedding, clothing, cars or carpets. The UK’s clothing and shoe market alone had an estimated value of approximately £46.05bn in 2009. ‘Luxury’ fabric is something that most people would more than likely expect to have a particular level of quality, exclusivity and durability. As well as meeting the public’s biased opinions on what a luxury product must entail it is important for the fabric maker to take responsibility and incorporate all fire safety regulations and a care label which is nowadays essential and requested by law. Textiles within design schemes prove easy options to combine colour and texture, as well as providing sculptural qualities.

Today there is an abundance of features in fabrics which are available for us to purchase and utilise. It is important to choose the right materials, particularly if creating an interior with a luxurious element attached. With an unlimited budget it would be obtuse to use a dull, second rate fabric such as muslin. By getting material choice right it will contribute to controlling an impressive finished interior.

Wedding dresses are a particular and obvious item of clothing/fashion/fabric a woman would equate to a luxury product. A ‘luxury’ wedding dress nowadays will cost considerable amounts of money and will generally be the priciest garment a woman will wear in her lifetime. There is a Designer Wedding Show held once a year at Battersea Park in London that claims they will ‘share your passion for design, style and luxury’. A luxurious wedding dress is usually an important component for any bride-to-be, and needs to attain individuality as well as being fit for purpose and beautiful to make the bride herself feel ‘luxurious’ for her big day. By carefully grouping embellishments to the fabric and adding little delightful details to a lower priced wedding dress an exceptional romantic boutique style dress can be created. Brides are continuously looking out for ‘the perfect dresses’, and handmade bespoke luxury wedding creations.

However particular individuals would consider ‘vintage’ to be a luxury. It is believed to be eco-friendly and luxurious in some people’s view to reclaim old material and rediscover old vintage fabric and clothing. They bring to life, dated and old fashioned designs to create customized frivolous pieces. The website, ‘Luxury Vintage’ proves just this, and classes their products as ‘previously owned treasures’. Purchasing products like vintage fabric would mean the end user will be wearing unique garments no one else is likely to own. This links back to how luxury is related to rarity in recent time. Therefore the stimulation of recovering old possessions and making new use out of them can become a luxury – making old clothes or fabric breathe a new breath of life provides a fusion of style between a miss-match of modern fashion trends and vintage flea market finds. Similarly in modern interiors, if you add an antique item within a modern set environment it will become an inconspicuous yet a complementary sensitive detail.

‘Fabrics [today] are produced by the piece, which usually ranges from 30 to 80 yards of fabric depending on the weight and difficulty in production of the goods. It is most common to purchase fabric by the metre. If you purchase handmade luxury fabric which isn’t mass produced, you are more likely to be able to find suitable sizes to predominantly fit your particular needs especially if the fabric is handmade or hand printed. It would be important for designers to source perfect, fit for purpose materials from further afield if working with a client’s high luxury budget, or even unlimited funds.

Fashion arguably is the most important factor and component considered within textiles design and production. Fashion sells and selling equals money, it’s that simple. There is reasonable evidence to suggest that designer’s will do whatever it takes to up their companies’ (and therefore themselves) reputation. In society these days it’s important for any kind of designer to work relentlessly to retain high standards just as closely within the production of their products as it is to please the end users.

There is also a vital balance which can help ethical production within the industry regarding the country of fabrics’ origins. People and craftsmen of the world would not have jobs abroad in third world countries. It’s important that they are employed by large European retailers for their fabric production process. However designer’s can be seen to be unethical by not using fabric production locally, this is an obvious way to save air miles, carbon footprints and generally support local green production.

The price and production of fabrics in some cases can be ethically justified, but in certain cases cannot. By focusing on individual designer’s there are considerable differences between the way each company is focusing on being responsible, both ethically and otherwise. What does seem definite however is that fashion is the way forward within the textiles industry because, for better or for worse, fashions sells.

Edra - Italian furniture design.

Edra are a relatively unfamiliar company to the average person, although an extremely successful up-market Italian furniture design group. Edra as a company include a collection of craftsmen and world renowned designers. 

The company was created in 1987. Edra provides their clients’ with truly iconic, bespoke, and exclusive, well thought-out designs. On their main website description their products are described to be in ‘a class of their own’, and are made up of a ‘priceless combination of natural and man-made’ material which enables them to offer an ‘unrivalled excellence’. Edra deem that as a company their designs are matchless and incomparable to any others work – they report to be continuously pushing materials to their extreme, and extensively researching in to materials to create innovative fabric designs and furniture creations that people have not thought up before.

Edra’s pricing of products appear to be relatively high, but because the products provided are so remarkably individual it would be almost impossible to find another product similar, or in fact cheaper. Many of Edra’s designs and collaborations are show cased among the world’s most famous museums such as MoMa in New York, USA and in France at Paris’s Beaubourg. Edra’s creation’s exclusivity could be considered as a luxury, by owning an Edra product you possess a made-to-order artistic furniture design and creation.

Edra’s product range appears to be not merely about comfort and function, but the focus clearly remains on attention to detail and unique structure which fits and works in harmony with the human body. They express they have developed a new kind of ‘contemporary comfort’.

As a company Edra have worked in collaboration with the successful crystal creators, Swarovski, to create their ‘diamond collection’ furniture range. This triumphant teaming created Edra chair designs enhanced with a deluxe sheen by entirely encrusting the furniture with Swarovski crystals, these however also had a ‘diamond’ price tag to match.

There are fourteen main designers whom work at or have worked in partnership with Edra in the past, all are described to be extremely highly qualified and experienced, although some are more well-known than others. The skilled designers associated with Edra include; art director Francesco Binfaré who has collaborated in the past with Le Corbusier, Masanori Umeda who was a previous design consultant for well-known design company, Olivetti, and lucrative architect Massimo Morozzi. A design studio having such a high involvement with very well regarded and highly-skilled design professionals it would be acceptable to consider these finished furniture creations as ‘luxurious’.

Brief History of 'Luxury'

The history of ‘luxury’ begins back in roman times in 400 AD. In 476 AD there was thriving pleasure and luxury that drove the dissolution of the Roman Empire. The pleasures of food and sex reflect the civilization and economy development of a society. For example, Roman bathing spas were an innovative way of displaying pure luxury. ‘Amber, ivory, incense, pepper and silk were the priorities of the Roman trade’[vi] owning a luxury product like these provided the owner with state of power. In 1453 Europeans began having contact with the Muslim world, and had acquired a taste for the spices, silks and other luxury goods of Asia. In 1912 the luxury liner Titanic set sail from South Hampton, England.

Looking back at the Ancient Egyptian tombs’ is a clear indicator of how luxury dates back to expressing personal prosperity and prominence. Egyptian’s were buried wearing and surrounded by their most precious jewels and luxurious belongings – to symbolise their power and importance. Clearly, the Ancient Egyptian’s lives showed hierarchy and a highly sophisticated society and culture. Royal tombs contained magical objects to assist the kings and queens in their new life, the increased belief of an ‘after life’ insisted on them including ritualistic objects[vii], as well as numerous regular items within the burial chambers – this enabled the Egyptians to take their wealth with them into the after-world.

‘Luxury as we know it today is rooted in old Europe’s Royal Courts.’ And today, designers are attempting to bring back luxury from the past by renovating Victorian and Edwardian buildings to their original grand designs. For example Bloemfontein’s most prestigious four star luxury hotel which was renovated in 2004. The Victoria and Albert museums in London show objects previously owned by the wealthier members of society and have re-constructed interiors in place. It is possible that revamping old buildings to their classic graceful decoration could subsequently bring back a particular energy or old memories of the era and equate to a luxurious stay at the hotel. Older buildings attain character and traditional charm. By respecting the original architecture designer’s can bring revived former luxurious buildings back to life. By accentuating an interiors original charm it is possibly to create a ‘luxurious’ feeling within.

People throughout history have in some cases tried to discourage ‘luxury’ within our society, religious and moral campaigners for example. However there was a declaration of historical materialism, which was believed to allow ‘all forms and contents of culture to emerge out of the prevailing economic revelations.'

Preconceptions of 'Luxury'

Understandably people have commandeered a number of preconceptions of luxury, the main and reoccurring one being in relation to money, which is becoming a dominating cliché.

Luxury’s context as the years have gone by has become to a great extent indescribable. There is a fixed and limited idea that you need to part with a great deal of money to purchase a luxury product or service. Along with the thought that you need to be particularly wealthy to even contemplate purchasing a product characterized as luxurious. Luxury in general is very subjective, yet in my opinion a very important and integrated component of today’s modern world especially for us as designers.

However, there are numerous products at discount stores like ‘Poundland’ who sell ‘luxury’ branded boxes of chocolate for merely One UK British Sterling Pound. The chocolate could be cheap but packaged differently to appear of more value, or they are indisputably rare, authentic branded chocolates, which are more expensive elsewhere making them a bargain?! By using exclusive gift wrapping services and packaging in shops worldwide, this gives the opportunity for the shop keeper, company managing director or product designer to give their products a special ‘status’. This then has the concept to majestically make their products become more appealing to a wider target group. By concealing products in boxes with countless ribbons, gift tags, assortments of tissue paper and other embellishments particularly fabricates and increases a product’s image and intensity to appear more ‘luxurious’ than it actually may be.

The high street retailer, La Senza is a good example of this. Their well-established gift-wrapping services are probably one of the best complimentary services any person can receive these days in the mass-produced fast-pace retail and fashion sector, making their products appear to be more of a boutique or high end status, even though La Senza is extremely reasonably priced and affordable to virtually every working person. The luxury gift-wrapping service they offer really sets them apart from other stores, making the luxury of purchasing their products to be more of an enriched experience and appearance, rather than just plain ‘designer’ merchandise. 

‘An increased awareness of how people process visual information can help designers to create meaningful messages that are understood on both a cognitive and emotional level.’ Designers need to be aware of everyone’s opinions, beliefs and preconceptions – otherwise we cannot provide clients with what is required emotionally and psychically, let alone technically. Designers could consider that ‘luxury’ needs not be an expensive product, but could just be part of the vital services offered. By exceeding expectations and providing a satisfying and enriching experience for all cliental a designer’s services’ will heighten ‘luxuriousness’.

'Luxury' Within Design.

In a world that is becoming increasingly obsessed with celebrities, money and image itself, ‘luxury’ is no doubt a topic worthy of investigation. The word ‘luxury’ can be considered in a variety of ways. It is not always materialistic, or acquisitive; it can also be considered to be mere comfort, time, security and contentment. Comfort is luxurious to many as it can imply well-being and peace. Time can be thought of as a luxury from the perspectives of an array of people as our time is numbered and continuously shortening; therefore it is something that, although we do not necessarily realise it, is worth more than money or material possessions. The language of ‘luxury’ is endlessly evolving, and our thoughts are being developed to redefine ‘gluttony’ to ‘addition’ and ‘egotism’ to ‘elegance’. There is an irregular divide between ‘need’ and ‘want’, and ‘necessity’ and ‘luxury’ within our culture. Now, in the twentieth century lower priced items have put ‘luxury’ products and services temptingly within our reach, and luxury ‘flexes easily with the times’ while we as individuals are in pursuit of the ‘ideal’ and owning more possessions and iconic brands than ever.

Luxury is extremely varied, based on not only social standing but also race, religion or even gender. For example, we as fairly well off Westerners take for granted elements such as the security and safety which we feel within our communities and everyday lives; is to someone of a poorer background an unobtainable luxury. A feeling of contentment is something which to many is an invaluable feeling and after a stressful day, one that not many would like to go without. Everyone in our society has their own individual luxuries which are exclusive to themselves, as well as their own perspectives on the meaning and significance of the word ‘luxury’. Luxury in general might seem to imply ‘exclusiveness’ and in some cases, refinement and sophistication. The phrase luxury is used extensively in everyday life and advertising; you have the chance to purchase a ‘luxury yacht’, ‘luxury car’ or ‘luxury bedding’ etc. The universal definition and characterization of the phrase ‘luxury’ typically gives the impression of money and wealth. In my blog the label ‘luxury’ will be used in the loosest of terms, owing to the difficulty of defining the word as a whole to suit everyone’s personal opinion of ‘luxury’. Overall there is an elusive, as well as somewhat ambiguous meaning, to the word.

The dictionary defines ‘luxury’ as an ‘Abundance, [and] sumptuous enjoyment. [...] A choice of costly surroundings, possessions, food, etc. A means or source of luxurious enjoyment, something desirable for comfort or engagement but not dispensable.’ All definitions equate ‘luxury’ to lavishness and extravagance. This, however, is not necessarily true based upon the previous opinions as well as those which resulted from my questionnaires (a detailed and thorough analysis of which will be featured later in this blog). In order to provide a definition in layman’s terms, I have also provided a definition from the online ‘Urban Dictionary’. Written by any one, the ‘Urban Dictionary’ provides a more realistic break down of the opinions of the public (or at least the internet using public) of the ways in which they personally define words as opposed to the actual official definition. I am sure you are aware the public have the opportunity to vote on the words definition with either a ‘thumbs-up’ or ‘thumbs-down’ in order to best determine the most appropriate contemporary definition. Another reason for my doing this is that often a word will be used by one social or ethnic group to mean something completely different to that of its original or technical definition. For ‘luxury’ there were three answers in total, confirming luxury nowadays means; [ii]‘To be on top of the world, an indulgence, something rare and difficult to obtain, easy-living’ or ‘something that is very expensive and brings great ease and comfort.’ All three of these meanings seem much more realistic given the modern world, compared with the official dictionary definition.

One aim of my blog is to determine whether designer’s ‘luxury’ products and services are linked in to essentially make you feel good, or ‘luxurious’. Can designers impose luxury into our everyday lives? Which designer’s represent luxury? Coco Chanel famously said, “Luxury is a necessity that begins where necessity ends”. Does where, and how you have been bought up intensify the meaning of the word luxury? Every individual’s background may signify a personal development of what they believe luxury to be. Yet some individuals do rarely have synonymous personal definitions of luxury.

Mandeville (1670-1733) a Dutch philosopher who wrote the famous and controversial poem ‘The Rumbling Hive’ , believed all men and women to be by nature self-interested, satisfaction seeking and vain, and believed that they search for luxury to fill in these psychological attributes.

It is important for us as designers to be aware of people’s preconceptions of ‘luxury’ as it has such a wide ranging meaning, people already have presumptions of what to expect of a luxurious product or service. Furthermore, it is important for us as designer’s to deliver and exceed people’s and client’s expectations. Many designers claim their designs, creations and adornments are luxurious, but their products surely do not equate to luxury in everyone’s eyes. More commonly and recently luxury has been tied in with the word ‘designer’. A product designer either wants to create a genuine luxury product that pleases the end user, or wants to class their product as ‘luxurious’ within advertising whether it is or isn’t in order to make more money and therefore capital gain and personal success.

Fabric throughout history has always comprised a certain reputation, for example delicate silks, satin, angora and crushed velvet usually represent indulgence and ‘luxury’ yet cotton, muslin and Hessian appear to represent standard and plain. By using silk curtains it could produce a tailored luxurious impression within an interior, as well as having the effect to soften the ambience of a hard-edged space. Each material in existence can have a principle purpose within a design scheme, hence if chosen rightly a textile can undoubtedly contribute to the enjoyment of any interior. As Tricia Guild founder of Designers Guild states, ‘the layering of pattern adds to the air of romantic luxury’.

Later in future posts I intend to take a deeper look into certain Designers themselves and their companies, and take a more detailed look of people’s personal reflections and opinions of the phrase ‘luxury’.