luxury is artificial poverty
I was browsing in the bookstore today and stumbled upon a book called Deluxe: How Luxury Lost its Luster by Dana Thomas. The book describes the transformation of old luxury brands such as Chanel and Louis Vuitton into mass-produced corporate commodities.
The writer is nostalgic for an old aristocratic age when luxury still signified quality, and not a mere brand name. Today, even the supposed luxury brands are mass produced. Corporate brands even deceive the consumer: a common practice is to manufacture most of a handbag or a shoe where it is cheap ( e.g. China). "Made in China" stickers are put on the products, but then are later removed. Then, a smaller portion of the product is manufactured in Italy (a bag handle, an insole) and inscribed with "Made in Italy" so the consumer assumes that the entire object is made by some skilled craftsman in Italy. So a $2,000 bag by Chanel could very easily be made by the same 15-year-old laborer in a sweatshop as a Wal-Mart $10 purse.
Though I have no desire to return to the former hierarchical class structure and the material symbols of distinction, I too admire elegant design and craftsman quality, and am disappointed that good, valuable products are hard to find in these assembly line days. We have a million copies, but nothing real. The loss of authenticity continues.
I am also saddened by the power luxury brands exert over us—Japanese girls who prostitute themselves so they can buy Louis Vuitton. A recent college graduate chooses to work as an investment banker, regularly working 100 hour weeks, in order to buy Gucci diamonds with her lucrative bonuses. Suburban mothers run up high-interest credit card debt to buy the latest Hermès scarf. And I catch myself desiring the products in the glamorous fashion magazine photo spread, or envying the aura of sophisticated looking women who shop in the Burberry and Coach stores near my workplace.*
~ Socrates
* Money aside, looking that way would take so much maintenance that I would probably have to spend 2 hours a day grooming and ironing in order to achieve it. You become that which you seek after.
** An alternative to luxury brands is esty.com, a website where tons of individuals or small organizations sell handmade arts and crafts, from jewelry to handbags to screen-printed t-shirts and clothing. 10 Thousand Villages, a non-profit, that sells fair trade products is also pretty cool, though you run the risk of your apartment looking a bit too "exotic".
2 comments:
Then there's yet another option: learn how to make it yourself.
It's not even an issue of whether big brands are quality or not (they aren't) --- something just as "good" or better (I'm talking about durability, which is different from design) can almost always be had for less when purchased from a local craftsperson.
But why not take it further: since skilled handcraft is almost always better quality than machine-made goods, why not spend some time learning how to make what you want? You screw up a few times, but then you start to have something that's really valuable --- a practical skill that helps to subvert and demystify the commercial obfuscation that commodity branding relies on.
To be concrete, I personally know people who make:
purses
sweaters
blankets
pillows
tables
chairs
hats
scarves
socks
underwear
bowls
plates
jewelry
bicycles
lamps
clocks
and the list goes on......
On a related note, there's actually a weblog called "Wardrobe Refashion" where people make a vow not to buy anything new though there are a few exceptions) and instead refashion, recycle clothing that they already have: http://nikkishell.typepad.com/wardroberefashion/
Post a Comment