Student Name:
Vitoria Karmann
Project Title:
The Luxury Code
web & socials:
http://vitoriakarmann.wixsite.com
Description:
The Luxury Code is a research-driven exploration that redefines the concept of luxury branding through the lenses of consumer psychology, sociology, design, and marketing. Rooted in a simple question, “what makes a product feel luxurious?”, this thesis investigates the emotional, historical, and aesthetic codes that shape our perception of luxury.
The concept of luxury transcends price tags and craftsmanship; it exists in the way a product makes us feel, and, more importantly, in the way it allows us to be seen. By applying strategic elements of design, heritage, scarcity, and cultural capital, this research unveils how brands construct desire not from the product itself, but from the image it projects. It also explores how these strategies can be applied to products that are inherently non-luxurious to craft an elevated, refined identity.
This work examines the psychological journey of consumers who use luxury not just to reflect who they are, but to bridge the gap between identity and aspiration.
The Luxury Code questions whether we are truly buying a product, or the persona it promises. Ultimately, it offers a framework for transforming perception: one that brands can use to reimagine themselves, and one that consumers unconsciously follow to reimagine who they might become.
The concept of luxury transcends price tags and craftsmanship; it exists in the way a product makes us feel, and, more importantly, in the way it allows us to be seen. By applying strategic elements of design, heritage, scarcity, and cultural capital, this research unveils how brands construct desire not from the product itself, but from the image it projects. It also explores how these strategies can be applied to products that are inherently non-luxurious to craft an elevated, refined identity.
This work examines the psychological journey of consumers who use luxury not just to reflect who they are, but to bridge the gap between identity and aspiration.
The Luxury Code questions whether we are truly buying a product, or the persona it promises. Ultimately, it offers a framework for transforming perception: one that brands can use to reimagine themselves, and one that consumers unconsciously follow to reimagine who they might become.
