Minimalism – The New Luxury
For a growing number of us, our values are shifting. Luxury now means freedom. Overfilling houses so that there is hardly any room to breath is becoming less and less trendy. Minimalism is slowly forging a new vision of luxury.
A “less is more” aesthetic isn’t exactly popular in the celebrity world but somehow, Kim Kardashian has already discovered the appeal. In an interview with Vogue, it was revealed that Kanye West and designer Axel Vervoordt collaborated to transform the couples austere Hidden Hills Mansion into a minimalists’ dream estate. To which estate and minimalism are used in the same sentence goes to show that it is a strange and perplexing world that we are living in.
Admittedly, I sometimes feel uncomfortable when I observe trends that I was privy to in the early stages, go mainstream. For example, I first became a minimalist years before there was a documentary about it on Netflix. Everything that I owned fit inside of a 30-inch long, red backpack. What’s even more uncomfortable, is a Kardashian actualizing the vision of my dream home, to the tune of $60 million dollars.
I know, $60 million dollars is a surreal amount of money to spend on anything minimal. My feelings of trend discomfort are completely vainglorious. Of course, anyone navigating away from material excess during these times of rampant consumerism should be praised for creating a positive impact in the world at large.
The habit of consumerism encroaches upon us if we are not careful.
By choosing to invest in timeless items of superlative quality rather than low-cost production clothing, we can prolong the lifespan of possessions, which in turn minimizes emissions and waste. Beyond just a climate crisis issue, workers are often forced to work in unsafe conditions with very little pay, making the low-cost mass production industries, a human rights crisis as well.
There is nothing inherently wrong with material desire and satisfaction. Everyone has the right to choose what brings them happiness. The problem lies in unconscious consumerism turning it into just another addiction to fill a void. And filling a void with shoes doesn’t really work. Today’s Amazon culture makes it extremely easy to fall into this trap with one-click shopping.
Minimalism is about having the luxury to live life intentionally.
Living life intentionally is a path to freedom. Freedom from the trappings of the consumer culture we’ve been subjugated through pervasive media and marketing efforts. Freedom from the guilt that we are increasingly adding to the global and ecological problems that humanity faces. And of course, freedom to enrich our lives with experience. So let’s stop striving to fulfill someone else’s vision of material success, and start to define our own.
“Too many people spend money they haven’t earned, to buy things they don’t want, to impress people they don’t like.”
-Will Rogers