Consumer-centric Notions of Luxury: A Practice Theory Approach

Academic perspectives on the meanings of luxury often link luxury to status or conspicuous consumption, assuming that luxury derives its meaning primarily from the traditional viewpoint, in which it is narrowly associated with... [ view full abstract ]

Academic perspectives on the meanings of luxury often link luxury to status or conspicuous consumption, assuming that luxury derives its meaning primarily from the traditional viewpoint, in which it is narrowly associated with generic economic and social displays of superiority, as attained through the rhetoric of wealth (Vickers & Renand, 2003). However, this traditional view of luxury fails to appreciate the cultural and emotional complexity of luxury consumption; this rather limited interpretation therefore risks rendering consumers as passive and primarily homogeneous entities.
This paper proposes that the term ‘luxury’ has little meaning until it is integrated with current and historical ‘practices’ in consumer culture. Thus, the study aims to conceptualise luxury from a consumer perspective, wherein meanings are understood to result from the ‘luxury consumption practices’ adopted by diverse sets of consumers.
Sixteen UK undergraduate and postgraduate students were selected to participate in two stages of data collection, involving collage construction, in-depth interviews and further fieldwork. The findings demonstrate that consumer-centric luxury can be associated with four main consumption practices (escapist practices, self-transformation practices, caretaker practices and status-based practices), which fundamentally changes our understanding of luxury from its groundings in conspicuous consumption to an ephemeral and immaterial concept.