LUXURY OR THE DILEMMA FOR THE CONSUMER CULTURE

Prof. Lubomir Stoykov

Lubomir Stoykov Editor-in-chief of “Fashion Lifestyle Magazine”

The topic for the luxury is among those topics, for which – as for fashion and for football - everybody has an opinion, and everybody can be right for himself. What is luxury? Whether the addiction to it strengthens the domination of the consumer’s culture in the contemporary people? What is the common between luxury and fashion? And what is the difference between the material and the spiritual luxury?...
„All that is different from shelter and food is luxury” the great Christian Dior has once said. In this way he tried just to protect people from wrong interpretations of the luxury only like an infinite wealth, over abundance, satisfaction of all kind of caprices etc from one side, and from the other – to give bigger importance of the category „luxury” in sense of taste, of passion to the beautiful life, of wish to live in quality and stylish way. The luxury in a great degree is a unique combination between the high material and spiritual values strengthen from the signs of the originality, the genius, the difference. The participation of one of the emblem designers of our time – Karl Lagerfeld in the construction of the island of the fashion („Isla moda”) in Dubai is significant just for this side of the luxury, considered as unity of expensive materials and remarkable ideas. At this fairy place man can not only passively consuming goods and services at staggering high prices, but also to have the privilege to be at one of the most significant fashion events in the world (like this is planned this grandiose project).
Luxury has its material and spiritual dimensions. A big part of the Bulgarian nouveau riches for example, are deformed in the contest to possess the most expensive cars in the world, the most luxurious yachts or palaces in „mug baroque” style. Buying expensive luxurious toys, they thing that they buy a self-confidence and prestige, showing off with their „success” at the media and forgetting that to enjoy really at what they possess, it is necessary an adequate culture, an aesthetical taste, an intelligence, an erudition and...a clear conscience. This is in complete counterbalance at the other rich people – real rich people in the world, as for example one of the richest people Bill Gates who has found the balance and the harmony through slide-rule charity activity and a precise „filter” to the banal temptations of the material civilization. Recently after he quit „Microsoft”, he decided wholly to devote to a humanitarian altruistic activity.
The money and the wealth are the traditional keys to the luxurious style of living – the bright estates, the super expensive brand cars, the jewels, the clothes haute couture and the wasteful holydays to magnetic destinations – as a whole to the madly high standard of life. But can we buy everything with money? Why among the most expensive things the multi-millionaires indicate the calmness, the natural joy from the existence, the real love, the friendship and the loyalty and...a lot of other things? Maybe because some of them achieved the insight that with money can’t be compensated the lack of culture, of taste, of intelligence, of common sense and of virtues as honesty, devotion, modesty, manliness and talent.
Is it the luxury in the appearance obligatory relevant to the most expensive brand clothes? Famous celebrities and respecting with their talent actors and singers as Robert de Niro, George Kluni and Bono from „U2” don’t like the brand clothes, nor yet the expensive “man toys”, they dress in more simple way and they avoid the flashy appearance. However, this doesn’t disturb them to be among the most respected person at the planet, because they are big talents. This doesn’t mean that they don’t have their concept about the luxurious style of living. This doesn’t mean that they don’t understand what the luxury is. Besides, everyone is in his right to have its passions – one to the works of art, other to the brand clothes, third to the quality and with a collector’s value drinks, fourth – to the retro cars etc.
There is nothing blamable in the striving of the ordinary man for the luxurious objects about the house. There is nothing blamable in the fact one man with modest financial possibilities to be economical of his means and in one magnificent day to buy the dreamt by him luxurious object – car or motorcycle, a suit or a jewel, a watch or even a pair of shoes. One likes „Armani”, other „Versace”; somebody is dying for „Prada” and for „Bluemarine”, and other is dying for „Chanel” and „Dior”; there are admirers of „Cavalli”, as there are admirers of „Dolce and Gabanna”. This just reveals certain worldly strategy, personal passion, individual taste and ritual manner of living. But transformed in end in itself and brought to vulgar showiness, the luxury reveals its ugly face and transforms in counterpart of the consumer existence. Because its principle is: consumption because of the consumption of itself! This is because the symptoms of the luxury are the mad expense, the greedy engorgement, the grasping waste and the corrupted amusement.

Read: 91363 times                                                  © Fashion Lifestyle Magazine, issue 13, August 2008