Editorials
March 13, 2026
Brunello Cucinelli store on Sloane Street in London's Knightsbridge. Image credit: William Barton, Shutterstock
By Mickey Alam Khan
For years we’ve heard that the term “luxury” doesn’t stand for what it was intended: exclusive, rare, high quality. Many folks want to dump the word but have no substitute. In reality, luxury has undergone a silent divergence, with three camps catering to distinct audiences.
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","iv":"36c7d06385dde0aaa563f49bbda2699b","s":"a6831459f841e033"}
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