The Harbingers of “New Luxury”
Render by: Zac Feltoon
Luxury may seem effervescent – its definition has certainly changed over time. But one thing luxury has always been synonymous with is quality: the texture, the durability, the knowledge that you’re getting what you’re paying for.
But who IS really paying?
New Luxury takes quality and moves it one step further. It’s not enough for a product to feel and look luxurious, it also needs to afford you the luxury of knowing that product was created with quality. Luxurious for you, for those who made it, and for the planet. As the climate revolution takes form, more and more celebrities, fashion designers, tech moguls and influencers are taking a sharp and distinct turn into the elegance of impact. Low impact. People seeking a feeling of gliding sweetly across the earth rather than stopping across it. People seeking products that communicate their values to the world - their wealth of character. This is the essence of New Luxury.
Beauty is being redefined as beauty beyond what you can see. Is a bag beautiful if it’s manufacturing caused toxic fumes to be released into the atmosphere? Is a light fixture beautiful if its materials were unsustainably mined – causing erosion, flooding and destruction to the local communities? Waste, weather seen or not, never feels luxurious.
There are a number of modern brands coming out with New Luxury items, like Avre with their recycled polyurethane shoes, there is Flor who makes their stylish rugs out of used upcycled materials like old fishing nets, or Catbird with their recycled gold and conflict-free jewelry.
Today it’s worth focusing on one brand in particular that goes above and beyond: Pollima. Pollima is not only a sustainable brand, but they are also a carbon negative one. What is carbon negativity? It means that their products actually store carbon that was pulled out of the air. They make beautiful furniture using byproduct waste, not only reducing their impact, but reducing atmospheric carbon dioxide in the process. That’s like Christian Louboutin red-souled shoe of luxury – iconic.
The particularly exciting thing about Pollima is that they are a New Luxury brand that brings the customer into the experience. They want you to have a say in how their company is constructed, how their products are made, packaged and disposed of. Joining their newsletter feels like joining their board of directors, where you get to have a say in where they operate, how they source materials and how they ship their final products. Having a choice and having a voice in the products you buy, enacting sustainability, may just be the next level of luxury to come.