The birth of a new leisure class: post luxury consumers’ behavior

The birth of a new leisure class: post luxury consumers’ behavior

Does a world after luxury exist? And if so, are we on the verge of entering it in the next few years?

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I recently came across the Instagram page of Eugene Healey (@eugbrandstrat) and was immediately captivated. His analysis of the modern world starts as a market investigation on modern consumers’ trends, to give brands some insights of what the evolution of the general taste of the public will be.

One of his most fascinating analyses consists in the diagnosis of the death of luxury as a status symbol.

For the longest time, the most obvious way of discerning among the social classes was through luxury products: designer clothes, expensive cars, sumptuous houses. Ownership of certain objects was associated with wealth.

But for some time now, things have been changing. We are witnessing an “oversaturation” of luxury, that springs from the over availability of luxury images and content on social media. Wealth is not surprising nor fascinating anymore, as we are used to seeing it every time we open social media. Constantly digitally available, even if physically scarce.

Dupe culture has made this phenomenon worse: fast fashion brands have appropriated any trend, even the quiet luxury one, claiming them as their own and making it available to the general consumers.

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As a result, Eugene Healey theorizes the birth of a new upper class, one that will come after the loud and visible current one, and poses the question: what will the new status symbols be?

The answer is simple: in a world where physical things are becoming more and more democratized, we must overlook the tangible and step into the intangible.

In a series of short Instagram reels, he presents six -potential- post luxury status symbols: connected privacy, wasteful time, having children, niche expertise, creating community and quality sleep. While I agree on most of them (on different levels), what is interesting about all of these is their underlying implication.

Wealth will be increasingly less associated with objects, and increasingly more with time and relationships.

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The idea that time is our most prized asset has been around for the longest time; though recently the focus has been on how to exploit it to the fullest. We are constantly bombarded with tight routines and schedules that show us how to make the most of every single moment of the day, where even rest is clocked.

In this frenetic and overly fast paced world, the true luxury is being able to not care about time. And even to spend time in unproductive ways, maybe cultivating a niche interest.

The second major focal point is the cultivation of relationships, the possibility -economic and physical- of being away from distractions with loved ones, being able to foster a sense of community. As absurd as it may seem, the real new trend of this new luxury class is the return to a slower and more conscious way of life, far from the blinding blue lights the ever ringing notifications of our phones.

The new rich is to be present and free from any type of constraint.

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The real question is: how long until these new status symbols become trends, and brands start to exploit them until they are no longer a sign of wealth? How long until the cycle starts over again?

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