Luxury for the masses - Distinctions for all

“New luxury is not about aristocrats. It’s about average Joes on the street who want to buy premium price products that have real technical, functional and emotional benefits” (M. Silverstein, quoted in Meyers, 2004)

Developed and fast developing countries (i.e. Brazil, India, China etc) are sharing a significant growth of sales for luxury goods. Developed countries are experiencing this growth during years of almost recession and increasing social uncertainty. Fast developing countries are experiencing this growth as a side effect of an extraordinary growth of GDP and income per capita.

What these perspectives have yet to examine is how individuals’ seek distinction by consuming luxury goods. More importantly, they have yet to examine how the success of luxury goods is reframing the definition itself of luxury goods and, consequently, of the boundaries of the luxury industry. In this line of argument, more investigations are deserved on 1) the social premises of the consumption of luxury goods, 2) detailed, empirical analysis on the transformations within the luxury industry and 3) detailed case-based analyses of the transformation in strategies, organizational forms, processes of leading companies in the luxury industry.