The Future of Luxury

A house in Belgrave Square will soon go on sale for £90million (which is approximately $900 gazillion, for those of you following the plummeting US Dollar). But this doesn’t even set the record for London real estate. That honor goes to a Qatar sheik, who paid £100 million for a Hyde Park penthouse. Speaking of English real estate, the Beckhams have perhaps set the record for most expensive tree house, wrangling with local zoning authorities to get permission for their children to tromp about in a $187,000 lux-fort.

But don’t worry, you too can have a “luxury” tree fort, too (for $50,000 from Neiman Marcus), which brings us to our theme of the day: mass luxury. What does luxury mean in the 21st Century? When all the rest of us can feasibly afford bejeweled iPhones, snakeskin Razr mobiles, golden Zunes, and blingin’ MacBooks, what’s exclusive anymore? A MacLaren baby stroller? No way, every Volvo-driving mom in the suburbs has one of those. How about a bullet-proof baby stroller?


(Disclaimer: Don't worry, no babies are harmed in the recording of this YouTube video, but it is the most insane thing you've ever seen)

Even luxury objects themselves have taken on characteristics of popular culture, kitch and camp. Witness the $100,000 Pepsi can, glam Mr. Potato Head, diamond Christmas tree (Steven Quick jeweler will make you a gold one), and Big Boi's $50,000 diamond-set Nike Air Force Ones.



Spending even astronomical amounts of cash isn’t even any guarantee. Perhaps luxury is experiences? A $20 million vacation to space, anyone? Want even more cache? How about a $30 million trip to the moon, care of Google? Even the new owner of the record $7.3 million vintage Rolls-Royce can’t drive there.

But then again, any crass lout among the nouveaux (ultra) riche can buy their way into such upper-echelon markers. Last year, the number of world billionaires grew by 35 percent, and the number of world millionaire households grew 16 percent to 9.6 million. What’s an aspiring magnate to do when just everyone is eating Yves Saint Laurent designer caviar?

Perhaps material luxury is so 20th Century, to be left behind with all the other gauche manifestations of conspicuous consumption? The traditional luxury industry may just be terrible for the environment. Perhaps the new luxury is conspicuous giving? Is saving the planet the newest status symbol? Certainly if the organic ubiquity of Whole Foods, celebrities smugly wielding hybrid Priuses, and haut eco-couture are any indication, then new exclusivity is the vanguard of conscience. No one can cast you the evil eye when your millions are preserving delicate rainforest ecosystems.

Maybe the only true luxury anymore is attention. Unlike diamond Mr. Potato Heads and rocket flights to the moon, attention truly is limited by the number of eyes and ears to fall upon every one of us jockeying frantically for their favor. So, help me feel luxurious, dear reader, and read on!

-For another interesting meditation on the future of luxury, check out my colleague Eric Garland's newest cover story in The Futurist magazine, "The Experience Economy: The High Life of Tomorrow."