Does it have to be Chanel?
The new luxury is the powerful action of defining what luxury means and how you are going to amplify and experience the joy, beauty, and satisfaction it adds to your life.
When I look up the definition of luxury, here’s what I find:
something desirable but expensive or hard to get, an indulgence
something that is helpful or welcome and that is not usually or always available
something adding to pleasure or comfort but not absolutely necessary
And while I won’t argue with these definitions, I refuse to accept them.
I believe that luxury is necessary, it’s not always expensive or hard to get - sometimes it doesn’t cost a dime - the new luxury that is.
When we define for ourselves what luxury is and looks like - it is always available.
The Old Luxury
The old luxury has gatekeepers that determine and control your access to it. They set a (usually high) price, a code of conduct, and it’s almost always exclusive to a select few.
What when carrying a $6000 Chanel bag on your arm as you saunter down Rodeo Drive gives you no joy?
What if you could care less if your car was a Range Rover or Honda Accord?
What if you find spending more to fly first class to be the most ridiculous thing?
When the traditional way doesn’t resonate or seems out of reach, how then do you experience luxury?
The New Luxury
Luxury means different things to different people. At any budget and any stage of your life, you can define what luxury looks like for you - making sure it’s authentic to who you are is how you make it accessible.
Maybe you’re into books and luxury to you means having your own library full of first-edition books, instead of owning a Chanel bag.
Maybe you love traveling - whether that means going to sumptuous hotels in exotic locations or taking off of work to go “off the beaten path” for weeks, months, or even years.
Maybe, it is owning vintage pieces and having a closet full of your favorite designers.
Whenever you do the things that make you feel really good, that’s luxury.
Sometimes it’s buying something, but most times it’s about an experience, your boundaries, and living your life at a standard set and defined by you.
Why does luxury matter?
This new luxury and the powerful action of defining what it means and what is essential to your wellbeing is going to amplify the joy, beauty, and satisfaction you feel every day.
Luxury means never holding onto things that no longer communicate to you the vibe you want or the perception you have of yourself.
When luxury is the standard, it creates a roadmap and code you must follow that alters the way people perceive you and the way you experience life.
So when you want to level up your life and the way you feel living it, you need to define what luxury is to you.
Perception is Everything
Chanel is Chanel because of its Founder’s legacy, the history, and the standards it developed over time. It built a reputation, got into the hands of the right people, and that led to the perception that it symbolizes luxury.
Buying a Chanel bag is one way to mirror that perception of luxury onto yourself - but it’s not the only way.
You don’t need to feel like you have to constantly strive for some expensive, even out-of-reach thing.
You don’t have to acquire things you think you're supposed to have that honestly don't resonate with you.
As Nailya Ordabayeva, associate professor of marketing at Boston College Carroll School of Management and co-author of a recent study on the psychological effects of buying luxury items, says, “Consumers are particularly attracted to luxury when they feel less confident and less powerful compared to others, and they anticipate to experience a boost in confidence and power by buying and consuming luxury.”
She also adds, “This aspirational image of consuming luxury may not materialize and yield the psychological benefits that consumers think it will bring. It’s important for consumers to honestly reflect on whether the item will represent who they truly are. If not, the item will end up unused, in the back of one’s closet or garage, because it feels inauthentic and untrue.”
So, it’s not about the items themselves - it’s about what feels authentic and true to you.
So ask yourself, how do you want to be perceived? And how do you want to experience/perceive yourself?
Do you want people to pay you confidently and sign up for your offerings without hesitating?
Then they need to perceive that you are premium, elevated, and beyond capable.
Do you want to be promoted?
Then your boss needs to perceive that you are an invaluable leader.
Do you want to feel completely satisfied and in love with your life?
Then, your environment, your style, and the things you do and use all the time need to communicate thoughtfully curated luxury back to you.
Luxury is something we all deserve. Luxury is personal and means different things to each of us. Therefore you must decide what it is for yourself and be your own gatekeeper of what luxury is and how often you indulge in it.
It could be Chanel.
