Be exclusive, not part of supermarket luxury

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Luxury doesn’t mean just being able to buy a super expensive watch. Luxury is about being invited by the brand which makes your time keeper, to the Salon International de la Haute Horlogerie, an event in Geneva where the likes of Cartier, Piaget and Vacheron Constantin to name a few display their latest timepieces. This ‘by invitation only’ event according to the IHT is, “A landmark gathering for fine watch collectors.” Most of the 12,500 guests, which include movie stars like Gwyneth Paltrow, are invited by one of their favourite brands which pays for their guests’ airfare and accommodation.
In a world where 50,000 people are toting the same Birkin (a so called “super exclusive” bag) like you, the word luxury is being grossly misused. So what exactly is luxury? “On a personal level I feel luxury should be exclusive, exquisite, and precious,” says Caroline Young, an International Creative Director who works with big Indian and international design houses. For her, “Luxury is not just bound to its monetary value.”
Today many high-end international brands have become overpriced supermarkets. Agreeing to this phenomena where “exclusive” goods are now available to all, Caroline says, “I see certain international brands shamelessly cashing in on their former glory and marketing to the masses, hence diminishing the exclusivity and becoming part of the ‘Supermarket Luxury’ phenomenon which seems to be increasing at an alarming pace. I am not snobbish about people but I willingly and proudly admit I am an aesthetic snob!! Hence I do not wish to carry the same bag as 20/30 other people at a gathering.”
It’s really cool to be the only person in the world to be wearing a certain Chanel, Dior or Alexander McQueen dress, but shopping only at haute couture shows where one-off ensembles can begin at `20 lakhs, can be a bit much. But the good news is that you can still live the good life without spending crores on clothes and shoes.
Yes, there is very little we can do about others also being able to afford the same Jimmy Choos, Cavalli dresses and Hermes “H” belts, but we can still enjoy exclusive pampering. How? Well, to begin with, you don’t have to go to the store, it will come to you. Sanjay Kapoor, MD Genesis Luxury which handles brands like Jimmy Choo and Botega Veneta says, “Home shopping services and wedding services are other such value additions which our clients can expect are available. If someone has a wedding in the family, we put together a trousseau collection from all our brands and take it to the client’s home for them to make a selection with their family in the comfort of their homes.” And if you don’t like what’s on offer special ‘made to order’ styles that fit in someone’s specific requirement and are not otherwise available in India are also possible. Sanjay says they even do special previews for select clients for limited edition products.
Luxury car brands too go all out to make clients feel special. If you want to buy a Bentley, Satya Bagla Managing Director, Exclusive Motors says, “Instead of the client coming to the showroom, a representative will come meet the client at the former’s convenience anywhere and at any time. Clients are also invited to Crewe, the home of Bentley in UK where they can come and see the cars being built by hand and meet the people making them.” Apart from this Bentley Motors often organises events where clients are invited to F1 tracks to drive every Bentley model available. So if you have the money learn how to live it up.