13 Dec 2010

The cult of beauty


One of the reasons I chose luxury as my Masters subject is because above all, luxury is in my opinion synonymous to the pinnacle of beauty. I am doing a more extended project on this topic for my portfolio, so I'm going to post a few of the more intriguing pictures I have come across and a few words on aesthetics and how it resonates in luxury.

IMAGE, LOOK and STYLE are still the most influential factors that shape the way the most sophisticated and discerning customers perceive and buy into luxury brands.

The fine line between consummate craft and consummate image in building luxury brands has been challenged by Dana Thomas in her recent book, "Deluxe: How Luxury Lost Its Luster." She contends that even venerable luxury brands with a tradition of excellence are losing their grip on the tradition of craft which used to be the cornerstone of every luxury brand. As the industry moves from family-run businesses to multibillion-dollar global corporations focused on growth and profits, will the tradition of handcrafted, bespoken goods become extinct?

What impact do aesthetics and creativity have on the industry? How are creativity and aesthetics as corporate values changing? How have the most successful brands balanced craft and image to achieve global prominence? And last, but certainly not least, what has become of taste - corporate and individual - in a world of “commodified” beauty?