鄧永鏘（DavidTang）中國會、上海灘創辦人
WhatwouldyouthinktheQueenofEngland'sideaofluxuryis?Itwouldn'tbelivinginBuckinghamPalace-orhavingumpteenfootmenaroundherordiningwithsolidsilveror24-caratgoldplates.Onthecontrary,weknowshechoosesTupperwareforherbreakfast;andatherScottishcastle,shelovesmuckinginwithherhusbandoverthebarbecuewithoutanybutlersaround.Indeed,HerMajesty'ssenseofluxuryisprobablyadayspentonridingandcomingbacktodoingthecrossword.YetnoneofthesewouldberegardedasremotelyluxurioustosomeonelikeValentino,say,whoobviouslywouldregardluxurymorebywayofgivingatremendouspartyinagrandpalazzoinRome,anddiningwithsumptuousfoodandfinewines,andbeingsurroundedbyadmiringsupermodelsandcelebratedwivesandmistressesdrippinginrocksandpreciousstones.
Theseopposingexamplessuggestthatluxuryisarelativeconcept.Evenamongstthesamekind,wewouldnoticediscernabledifferences.Theotherdayontheaeroplane,IwatchedaprogrammeinwhichBillGatesandWarrenBuffetappearedtogethertoanswerquestionsfromuniversitystudents.AsIlookedatthem,Icouldn'thelpthinkingthatalthoughbothofthesemulti-billionairesdressedequallycasually,BillGateshadbuilthimselfanenormoushousewithhundredsofrooms,whilstWarrenBuffethadnotmovedfordecadesfromhisverymodesthome.Theyobviouslyhavedifferentideasofthekindofhouseinwhichtheylive-andbothofthemcouldaffordliterallyanythingtheywanted.
Yetthewayinwhichluxuryispeddlednowadaysisquitehomogeneousanddoesnotseemtotakeintoaccounttherelativismofluxury.Ifproductsaredifferent,theirfacadesofpresentationseemtobeverysimilar.YoumightarguethataLouisVuittonshop-frontisdifferentfromthatofChristianDiorisdifferentfromthatofGucci,butifyousawthemtogether,asonedoesinonesamestreetallovertheworld,aMartianmightbeforgiventothinkthattheyareallmoreorlessthesame.Certainly,thedaysinwhichonesawindividualshopswithdistinctcharmorcharacteristicsarenowreplacedbywhatIcanonlydescribeas"standardlayout".Theexcuseofthedesignerisostensibly"toentrenchthebrand"-tobrainwashthecustomersintobelievingthatiftheysawthenameenoughtimes,theywouldbecomehooked,andthatlikeadrug,theywouldbecomeaddictedandendupbuyingmoreandmorefromthesame.Thedesireto"brand",aspeopletalkaboutadnauseam,seemstobeamarketingtruthuniversallyacknowledged.Thissubliminalprocesshasseeminglycometoreplacethetraditionalconceptofbuildingbetterandbetterproducts.
Myobjectiontothismodernageofluxuryisthereforethequasi-blanketapproachtowardsover-designwiththeover-useofmaterialswhicharebythemselvesregardedasluxury.WhenIgointoanArmanishopandthenaGuccishop;oraHugoBossshopandthenaCalvinKleinshop,Icannothelpfeelingthesimilarfixturesandlightingsandthesameneatlinesofminimalism.Evenalltheattendantsareinvariablyinblack,thinandfit,preciousandbeautifullyeffeminate.WhenRoppongiopenedinTokyo,averysophisticatedcityindeed,IwashopingthattheuniquesenseandstyleoftheJapanesewouldnotsuccumbtoalineofmonotonousshop-frontsandshops-butthatiswhatthatwholeareanowlookslike,asdistinctfromthetraditionofsplendidandkaleidoscopicunitsofindividualshopswithgreatindividualities.PekingandShanghainowprovideevenclearerexamplesofsuchhomogeneousness.Shop-frontaftershop-frontofwhatseemstometobeanarrayofexcruciatingboredomofunimaginativeretail.Soonerorlater,thisone-dimensionalapproachtoshop-designandmarketingandretailingeneralwillcollapsethroughtedium.Ifnothingelse,thatgreataspectofluxurycalledindividualityisfastdisappearing.ThemassesarenowsimplydispensedwithwhatImightcall"thesameoldstuff".
Butthenwhatdoyouexpectwhenbusinesseshavebecomebiggerandbiggerinsize?Byvirtueoftakeoversandmoretakeovers,theworldisshrinkingnotsomuchbyglobalizationasbycorporateacquisitions.It'snowallbigbusinesses.Marginsremainimportant,butvolumehasbecomeevenmoreimportanttotheCFO.Thisone-fits-allapproachtoluxuryclearlystandsinoppositiontothepropositionthatluxuryisarelativeconcept.
Whatwemustbegintothinkis"bespoke".Wemustbegintothink"individual".Wemustpaymoreattentiontotheconceptofrelativity.Forme,luxuryultimatelyresidesinartandnotthevulgarworldofcommercialese,andthatitisonlythecombinationofartandcommercethatwouldfinallyproducelastingluxury,aswehaveseeninallthosewonderfulartifactswhichproudartistsandcraftsmenhadlabouredovertimetofashion-atraditionwhichthelow-attention-spanofourmodernageandanalwaysimpulsivemarketingstreakhavecometodestroy.Andit'sgettingsad-allthatduplicationacrosstheworldofwhatpassesasluxury.Andit'sgettingmad-becauseofourindiscriminatingacceptanceofwhatpassesasluxury.Weareallbeingsuckedintoamaddeningworldofmarketingsuperficiality.Thatcontrivedlooksofwhiteandbeigeandblackwithchromeandboringlinearlineshascometobeacceptedasluxury.Soon,wewillallgetfedup.HongKongisalreadyrepletewithtediousghettosofthesame-oldshops;Chinesecitiesinthemainlandthesame.Ioftenfeellikescreamingout-cryingoutformoreindividualismandproudartistryandworkmanship.Thereisnowsolittleof"wow".WhenIwalkthroughthegleaminggraniteofshopping-malls,IgetboredtotearswhenIshouldbeexcitedbytheprospectsofserendipitieswhicharenowharderandhardertofind.Weshouldallsitbackabitandponderalittlemoreandtrynottorushforwardwithseasonallines,andconsidermakingthingsmorelastingandmorebeautifulandmoreexquisite.Luxurycannotberushed.Butatpresent,it'srammeddownourthroat!