Eco Luxe! Do you know what it is?

Eco Luxe! Do you know what it is? (here are some nuggets from a past Master Degree dissertation - MSc International Business)

Let us first talk about Luxury. 

Luxury

Luxury is a concept that is commonly found today in management jargon and academic literature. The word is widely used in reference to firms, products, brands and even businesses- such as yachting, private jets, gems and jewels. Often, the luxury tag is affixed to any good or service with some degree of symbolic value -meaning a value for customers that go beyond functionality -and that is relatively high priced. Even if wealth is an important driver for luxury consumption; however it is not the engine. Luxury is, in fact, a cultural concept loaded with an individual associated with a personal pleasure and a social meaning (mainly related with a public statement in relation to other products or services. The world of luxury products for many years was reserved only for the selective and exclusive audience. It was made impossible to experience it or to get in for someone from outside. Marketers of luxury brands have created such an environment where clients could feel exclusivity and enjoy the timeless quality, traditional values, history and heritage of the luxury products. Many researches have been conducted to find the main characteristics and meaning of luxury. One of the main functions of luxury is its role of a social marker.

Luxury is something that cannot be easily defined. “The interpretation of Luxury has become completely individual. No one can define luxury for others anymore” said by Aaron Simpson, CEO Quintessentially. This is true as it is become something that is mysterious and elusive. Luxury is defined by Collins English Dictionary (2012) as ‘Something that is considered an indulgence rather than a necessity’ and fashion icon Coco Chanel stated, ‘Luxury is a necessity that begins where necessity ends.’(Gabrielle Coco Chanel, 1883-1971) as cited in Uche Okonkwo, Luxury Fashion Branding, Trends, Tactics, Techniques. Chanel seems to have known what she stated as these words spoken by her remains so true as ever in our current world. Something that is indulgence for one can be necessity for another. Therefore luxury can be very subjective pertaining to an individual. It is important for human beings to have a general wellbeing than mere survival. Luxury does contribute to this. ‘It may sound uncanny but the appealing brand features luxury fashion represents contribute to our general well-being’ said by Uche Okonkwo 2007.

Eco Luxe

My Interest has been drawn to Eco Luxe or Eco Luxury - The New Luxury

Eco-Luxe means ecologically-friendly luxury. Some say that ‘Eco’ (design based in environmental sustainability) and ‘Luxe’ or luxury, cannot exist simultaneously and are contradictory. This may be true in the older definition of ‘excessive consumption’, however, the way people define luxury is changing. Today’s definition moves away from heavily marketed mass-manufactured brands put together in massive factories in foreign countries to local hand-made products created by artisans with love and reflecting the local culture. People want to relax in the knowledge of where, how and by whom their products were made. Today’s luxury is ‘guilt-free’ and tells its own story.

The new ‘luxury’ returns to products of quality that provide a unique experience of ‘immersion’- embracing the natural environment and the unique culture of a place, it operates in the face of globalisation and its mono-culture. It is not necessarily showy – it’s all about details. Today’s luxury indulges the soul not the ego.

Eco-beauty. When it comes to beauty, we can ask as ourselves “how do the products I buy and the companies I support, contribute to the Earth’s well being, as well as my own?” Are these products good for me and good for the earth? Are these products cruelty-free, meaning the ingredients are not tested on animals or harmful to one’s health and the environment? Is the packaging eco-friendly and biodegradable? The answers to these questions are about wellness, for yourself and the earth. Signature Veda is truly emerging with this in mind.

The terms eco-luxe, eco-beauty and eco-friendly have become more than marketing terms, these are being embraced by eco-conscious consumers around the globe. It’s a new movement that is returning to quality and responsibility. It is not about ego but about ones beliefs.

Today’s consumers are turning to eco-luxe products, ranging from cosmetics to diamonds to cars that are beautiful, luxurious ⎯ and eco-friendly.

“O inanimate objects, have you then a soul that attaches itself to our soul and forces it to love?”– Alphonse De Lamartine, French Dramatist poet and novelist.

The question of what luxury products truly are is only normal when you understand the concept of luxury. Luxury is rooted deeply in a culture. In buying a luxury product such as a Pashmina scarf from India, you are buying not just a product but a little bit of the essence of that country of origin. A luxury product corresponds to a deep desire and choices are personal. The desire for luxury products are based on hedonism and aesthetics and not on overindulgence. It is about being for oneself and others and not about having. The right time of luxury is the time of celebration and giving of gifts (Kapferer & Bastien, 2009, p.26). The craftsmanship is a key character of a luxury product, it can be considered as an object of art.

I am inspired by luxury, the new luxe/ luxury and eco Luxe and I intend to reflect it in product lines of Signature Veda.