- What is luxury? Luxury tends to be associated with excess and unnecessary belongings. In a consumer society such as that of the West where the majority of people enjoy basic necessities, people strive to rise above others. Although luxury items are opulent, they always have a demonstrable value. Luxury can manifest itself in different ways and objects of desire differ from person to person. Although the parameters of what is considered to be luxurious vary greatly, luxury items are always of excellent quality and are exclusive limited editions which tend to be the most technologically advanced within their category. Elegance and distinction have various interpretations, but in all cases, the degree of excellence and quality in the materials and objects is what distinguishes genuine luxury from opulence that is lacking in content.