The definition of luxury has been changing for ages. According to its etymology, the word comes from luxus, meaning excess in latin. In English, it appeared circa 1300 and had a pejorative taint with exclusively sensual meaning, but it has drifted away over time, leading to the definition that is used today of something nonessential or indulgent, as in a welcome change that is not always possible or available.
I grew up looking at luxurious brands as something classic, conservative, clean. For years, expensive shoes, bags and jewelry were the only luxurious objects I could think of, and only those designed by the biggest maisons around the world. Now I see that luxury can be spotted in any aspect of life depending on how you present it.Â
Virgil Abloh, former artistic director of Louis Vuitton menswear, and creator of the brand Off-White, was responsible for breaking down the barrier between streetwear and luxury. Quoting Darnell Libby Jame, fashion historian and curator, âIf you look at the past 40 years of fashion, you see this transition, and when Virgil comes into the industry, he really takes the ball running, cementing what many of us from the black community always saw as luxurious into [elite] mainstream luxury and Paris fashion. Essentially, his brand, among others before him like WilliWear or even Sean John, proved that luxury can be a state of mind rather than solely focused on price point and brand exclusivity.â
Bringing this idea of luxury to this project, we spent the day in the photo studio working in groups to produce a photoshoot, and later choose 4 pictures taken that day to express this luxurious approach. I worked with Ana again and she was my model! It was super fun and we worked really well together. I directed the photoshoot and she modeled brilliantly, being very expressive and giving her own insights as well. I was very pleased with the result, and decided to work by myself to edit the photographs.