The Meaning Of Luxury
LUXURY & GOOD DESIGN ARE NOT MUTUALLY EXCLUSIVE
Sure the price tag may be hefty but that doesn't mean you're paying for great design.
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My wardrobe is a fairly even split between luxury pieces, independent designers and high street. I'm more than happy to buy high street for those normal, everyday things, but I prefer to splurge on good design. However, luxury doesn't automatically mean good design. The word "luxury", mostly thanks to social media (I'm looking at you Instagram), is widely overused and more often than not used out of context (your ASOS outfit might be cute but "luxe" or "luxurious" it isn't). Luxury, comes with a hefty price tag. Always.
Whilst I do own many luxury pieces I have always selected them specifically for their design. The design filled my heart with joy first and foremost and the brand, whoever that may be, never really matters. I have never bought an item just because of the label. It must be good design.
Today's luxury market, in my opinion, has become a farce. I see much lauded labels
like Vetements, for example, and I am left asking "why are your jeans worth £850?". The answer is, they're not. There is no conceivable reason why a pair of basic jeans should cost nearly £900, not even if they were hand stitched by mermaid virgins. In cases like this you're not paying for good design, your paying to tell the world you're wearing, and can afford to wear, the latest hip label. Even if I could afford to spend that on jeans, I never would.
However, good design doesn't always need to come with that luxury price tag, thanks to marketplaces such as Etsy. If I'm looking for something really stand out, I head there first as there is nearly always someone creating amazing pieces without the gobsmacking prices.
People such as Mina Kaye who's Etsy store, MariaQueenMaria, is filled with really good design at really good prices.
The label hails from Bulgaria and is filled with marvelously deconstructed pieces, as well as more design-led items such as the incredible quilted puff sleeved jacket that could easily be a avant-garde Japanese creation. Best of all, this gloriously unique piece comes with a mere £120 price tag. I mostly have my eye on the draped striped dress though, which costs only £104.
The wonderful thing about a designer like this, who isn't charging like the light brigade, is that she understands that you are more likely to come back and buy several more pieces if they are affordable. I'd personally rather have a wardrobe filled with her work than Vetements.
