Luxury has always been about abundance - of whatever is rare: Before mass production, it was about flawlessness, when meat was expensive, it was steak and today, luxury is space, time, depth of understanding, and connection.
We live in an era where everyone is rushing, doomscrolling, and juggling multiple roles, but few have time to master any one thing. Brands feel increasingly faceless and generic. In this landscape, the real aspiration isn’t just owning something expensive—it’s getting closer to someone who has truly mastered their craft.
The new luxury is about tapping into expertise. It’s the joy of borrowing someone else’s knowledge, being invited into their world, and experiencing their deep obsession firsthand. You don’t need to be the expert, but you want to be part of the experience.
This shift is clear in specialty coffee. High-end cafés used to be about consistency—delivering the same “perfect” espresso, cup after cup. But the real cutting-edge cafés today are about one-of-a-kind moments, where baristas experiment with new techniques, machines, and ingredients in front of you.
The focus isn’t just on the product but on the performance. Customers are drawn to cafés where they can interact with a real person who is on a mission to push boundaries.
Japan’s Unintentional Luxury
Japan, without even trying, is the perfect example of this new luxury. For centuries, it has nurtured fastidious craftsmanship, from knife makers in Sakai to master soba artisans who spend decades perfecting their craft. The country’s obsessive experts now answer modern luxury’s biggest desire: authenticity and depth.
Take sushi. Before, high-end sushi was about the exclusivity of ingredients—toro, uni, caviar. But today, the experience itself is the real luxury. Diners don’t just go for the food; they go to watch a master at work, see them make micro-adjustments to the rice and temperature, and hear them explain why they’re serving a specific cut first. The interaction is the product.
This trend is happening everywhere:
- Fashion: Brands like Visvim or Kapital aren’t just selling clothes; they are inviting customers into their philosophy of craftsmanship.
- Watches: Independent watchmakers are thriving as buyers want to meet the person who hand-assembled their piece.
- Bars & Restaurants: Chefs, mixologists, and baristas are no longer just behind the scenes—they are part of the main event.
The paradox? Japan is simply doing what it has always done, but now the world is catching up.
The Future of Luxury: Deep, Not Wide
For years, brands have tried to scale luxury, making it mass and anonymous. But the future belongs to nerds who have gone deep, who obsess over one thing, and who let people into their world. In a time when AI is generating generic experiences, the rarest thing of all is a real human with real expertise.
Sven Palys - Follow
Cultural Intelligence / Brand Strategy / Art Incubation
