Ubiquitous Luxury

We live in times where just surviving is a luxury. Luxury is an experience, it’s not necessarily ownership. Time is the biggest luxury.

What is luxury for one may be uber luxury for someone else. What is uber luxury for someone may not even qualify as luxury for somebody else.

Luxury has been elitist. Luxury thrives on scarcity and pricing. Luxury creates exclusivity. Luxury is materialistic and experiential.

Brands are looking to redefine what luxury is. I asked a wealthy billionaire to name five brands that spelt luxury to him. His list: Alfred Dunhill, Hermes, Tom Ford, Bottega Veneta, Goyard and Bally. All these brands are accessible, yet retain their charm amongst the ones that appreciate luxury.

We at BW Businessworld have always done the pre-Diwali issue as the annual luxury issue. Our issue is luxurious in content and nuanced in trends. Our experienced luxury editor Smita Tripathi has possibly put the best luxury editorial product of 2016. It’s a holistic product that looks at both the business and lifestyle of luxury. Senior editor Ashish Sinha looks at the growth of SUVs. Among luxury cars, the SUV segment is growing the fastest and growth is expected to be 18-20 per cent over the next three years. Luxury is becoming the latest battleground for startups. Special correspondent Monica Behura looks at the rise of startups in the luxury goods market such as Envoged, Luxurystation and StyleTag.

Read about growth in the luxury beauty products market; trends in luxury real estate and how kitchens are becoming socialising hubs costing up to a crore.

This BW Luxury Special helps you choose luxury, invest in luxury and experience luxury. It has a story by Tripathi on the most coveted luxury bags — investing in a Chanel or Birkin is better than investing in real estate or gold according to a new study. I asked her, really?

We give you an inside look at some of the most luxurious presidential suites in the country — feel like a maharaja or a President when you spend a night here. Is liquid gold — rare whiskies — the new frontier for investment? Do you liquidate this gold is a good question to ask. Correspondent Arshad Khan guides CEOs and entrepreneurs on the super bikes they should own and ride. Also read about the cars which must grace your garage if you are a billionaire.
Tripathi gives you her list of the ‘objects of desire’.

Our BW Hotelier executive editor Bikramjit Ray gives his pick of the top five must-try restaurants in the country.

Tripathi talks to CEOs and leaders of iconic international brands on their plans for India. Read about why US-based accessories manufacturer Coach, has finally come to India; how South India is a significant market for Rolls-Royce; why watch brands Baume & Mercier and IWC Schaffhausen consider India an important market.

In this issue we bring you opinions and columns from the very best. Read Kishore Singh’s column on art, Magandeep Singh on unusual wines, Nishant Padhiar on must-have gadgets, Tarun Tahiliani’s take on luxury fashion, Abhay Gupta on the changing face of luxury, Nikhil Mehra on what brands need to do to attract customers in India, Ankur Bhatia on luxury travel, Varun Behl on real estate and Manisha Rao on luxury trends.