Maison & Objet has announced the theme for the upcoming January 2022 show – “New luxuries: between Ãœber luxury and Lux populis“.
Show organisers have been inspired by how the world of luxury is evolving – one hand on haute-couture craftsmanship and high technology, and the other, on pop culture and inclusive values. Â
Vincent Grégoire, a keen observer of trends at the international style and innovation consultancy NellyRodi, explains this ever-increasing quest for luxury: “In a turbulent era, we need to stand out, to live emotions and experiences, to push back the limits of fantasy.”
Maison & Objet on Ãœber Luxe:
Precious, virtuous, exceptional! This über-luxury is a sign of the alliance between art craftsmanship and new technologies, when the latter push the prowess of the hand ever further and luxury is written, one foot in history and the other in the future, and where nothing is ever too beautiful.
The result: the Rolls-Royce Phantom Oribe, a car created in collaboration with Hermès and commissioned by a Japanese billionaire, the breathtaking Dujiangyan Zhongshuge library in Chengdu, China, a veritable ice palace orchestrated by the X+Living architectural firm and its brilliant founder, Li Xiang, and the success of designers whose limited-edition furniture borders on the artistic. In the world of decoration, always more visionary, designers develop materials with physicists, fabrics are decorated with silk threads, copper and LED, sofas, far from remaining simple seats, become connected. And the waiting lists are getting longer for these exclusive objects of desire.
The ultimate luxury? Reach for the stars and embark on a commercial space flight with Virgin Galactic or dream of spending a night in the first space hotel designed by an American start-up. It’s scheduled to open in 2027!
Maison & Objet on Lux Populis:
“Pop Culture and Pop’litical” is how Vincent Grégoire sums up this new trend in luxury, which draws its inspiration from the world of street culture, driven by a generation that has been fed on reality TV, Instagram, TikTok and gaming. Here, luxury is going wild with a little regressive flavor: the watchmaker Tag Heuer collaborates with Super Mario for a limited edition, Gucci imagines a capsule dedicated to the manga character Doraemon, Leblon Delienne revamps Mickey, the super star Virgil Abloh designs a collection of limited edition furniture in graffitied concrete, the “top chefs” seen on TV become the super stars of the kitchen like Jean Imbert returning to the Plaza Athénée.
But also Dom Pérignon orchestrates a collaboration with Lady Gaga, Louis Vuitton Homme unveils an advertising film with its new ambassadors, the Korean group BTS, superstars of K-Pop, limited edition sneakers are snapped up at gold prices, and the success of street artists Banksy and JR is not denied, yesterday in the street and today in international collectors living rooms. In short, luxury is like a colorful, joyful, but also committed party.
In line with these new trends, the January edition will concentrate its premium offer in hall 7, aptly named “Signature”, to bring together the most creative brands and publishers. This space will complement the ever-popular Craft sector in Hall 5A, and will feature several new events.
