Monday, November 12, 2007

Mainstreaming of Luxury Brands - Part 2


Have just read a review about a very interesting book by Dana Thomas called, "Deluxe. How Luxury Lots Its Luster." This is a book I have on my Christmas wish list and seems to have alot of the same ideas I have about the mainstreaming of luxury brands. I love the book cover where the exclusive PRADA name is branded as a McDonald's meal! Here is a short description of the book:


-Dana Thomas, a journalist who has covered style and the luxury business for The Washington Post, Newsweek and The New York Times Magazine from Paris for the past fifteen years, digs deep into the dark side of the luxury industry to uncover all the secrets that Prada, Gucci and Burberry don't want us to know. Traveling from the laboratories in Grasse, where the ingredients for Christian Dior and Prada perfumes are produced, to the crowded factories in China, where workers glue together "Made in Italy" bags by the thousands, Thomas explores the whole of today's high-end shopping experience to answer some pressing questions: What is the new definition of luxury when advertising for this lifestyle is targeted mainly toward the mass market? What are we paying for when quality has given way to quantity? Can integrity survive in a corporate culture driven to meet regular growth and profit projections? Is luxury still the best that money can buy?

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