{"id":400139,"date":"2026-04-15T17:56:13","date_gmt":"2026-04-15T17:56:13","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ie\/400139\/"},"modified":"2026-04-15T17:56:13","modified_gmt":"2026-04-15T17:56:13","slug":"how-post-luxury-became-the-latest-wealth-fad-the-irish-times","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ie\/400139\/","title":{"rendered":"How \u2018post-luxury\u2019 became the latest wealth fad \u2013 The Irish Times"},"content":{"rendered":"

Once upon a time a brand of car, holidays to particular destinations or a logo-ed handbag could signify something about your finances. But when the entire cast of the Only Way is Essex drives a Range Rover<\/a> and holidays in Marbella, the signals get a bit scrambled.<\/p>\n

For those in the know, what now signifies luxury is shifting away from heavily branded things and name-droppable destinations towards a kind of luxury you can\u2019t always see, experts say. Welcome to the world of post-luxury status, a trend that\u2019s quietly reshaping spending.<\/p>\n

What is post-luxury status?<\/p>\n

So what does the trend of post-luxury status look like, and what does it mean for our money? Well, it\u2019s a shift away from the flashy displays designed to broadcast wealth, towards more subtle, more experience-driven or values-based ways of signalling status. That\u2019s according to experts such as brand strategist and former lecturer in the University of Melbourne Eugene Healey, who writes about the topic in his Considered Chaos Substack account.<\/p>\n

While once a car, a watch or a perma-connected work grind might loudly signal status, post-luxury status symbols are much more coded. Think inconspicuous consumption. And in this world, it\u2019s a case of: \u2018If you know, you know.\u2019<\/p>\n

From things to experiences<\/p>\n

Status in the post-luxury world is expressed through experiences rather than off-the-shelf things, experts say.<\/p>\n

\"\"\u201cBack yourself\u201d: Aimee Connolly shares her story of 10 years in business<\/p>\n

\u201cLuxury now happens in moments, not in objects,\u201d says Dean Creevey, assistant professor in marketing at Maynooth University<\/a>\u2019s School of Business. <\/p>\n

\u201cIt\u2019s less focused on the accumulation of wealth and possessions.\u201d<\/p>\n

In the world of post-luxury status, some with excess cash are using it on holidays and leisure rather than high-end goods.<\/p>\n

And it\u2019s not so much about a holiday to an expensive destination either, but rather having a unique or authentic experience that shows a certain level of knowing or taste.<\/p>\n

For those who can afford it, that might mean swapping a pricey family holiday at a five-star all-inclusive Disneyland Florida resort to exploring Thailand with your kids.<\/p>\n

\"StandoutStandout cars such as this Lamborghini have become a symbol of conspicuous consumption. Photograph: Michael M Santiago\/Getty Images <\/p>\n

\u201cIn the last 10 to 15 years, there has been this transition to lived moments, lived experiences and how much those experiences can help us achieve self-actualisation,\u201d says Creevey.<\/p>\n

Indeed, tourists in general are becoming more interested in doing things rather than just looking at them, according to research.<\/p>\n

By 2030, most travellers will be millennials<\/a> or Gen Z<\/a>, and these groups are fuelling the growth in demand for experiences, says the World Economic Forum<\/a> (WEF). Travelling to live events such as music festivals and big sports events is becoming increasingly popular.<\/p>\n

Two-thirds of 18- to 35-year-olds say they find live experiences more fulfilling than buying an item of the same value, according to research quoted by the WEF.<\/p>\n

Some 62 per cent plan to spend more on experiences, rather than possessions, over the next 12 months, according to data from Eventbrite quoted by the WEF.<\/p>\n

\"HighHigh ticket prices didn’t deter thousands from buying tickets to see Oasis last summer. Photograph: Big Brother Recordings <\/p>\n

Sports tourism is on the rise \u2013 it was worth more than $609 billion in 2023, according to the WEF. After football, tourism to festivals and concerts was worth almost $6 billion last year, according to Business Research Company figures quoted by the WEF.<\/p>\n

Remember that scramble for tickets to see Taylor Swift and Oasis? Astronomical ticket prices couldn\u2019t deter devotees who were determined to be part of a \u201cmoment\u201d with their Swiftie or bucket hat-wearing tribes.<\/p>\n

Luxury of time<\/p>\n

Luxury and monetary value were once interconnected. But price in the post-luxury world isn\u2019t the only measure of value.<\/p>\n

\u201cEveryone is just so busy all the time; if you can engage in things that are costly in terms of time, that\u2019s where an awful lot of luxury signalling is going on,\u201d says Creevey.<\/p>\n

This can be around having the financial headroom, or enough control of your own diary, to spend time on things other than paid work.<\/p>\n

This could mean anything from hosting and cooking from scratch elaborate meals for friends to completing a PhD.<\/p>\n

\u201cIt\u2019s about: I have the time, freedom and flexibility to do something,\u201d he says.<\/p>\n

\u201cGoing back to full-time education can be a signal that you don\u2019t have to work, you can afford to do it, you have the time, the freedom and the flexibility to do it \u2013 time is the ultimate luxury,\u201d says Creevey.<\/p>\n

Being wasteful with time is another post-luxury flex \u2013 that\u2019s according to Eugene Healey.<\/p>\n

Self-optimisation has been aspirational since the 2010s \u2013 \u201c5am rise, journaling, cold plunge, grind … these behaviours were celebrated as being high status and profitable too,\u201d writes Healey.<\/p>\n

Capitalism convinced us that \u201cconspicuous grinding\u201d or the \u201cperformance of perpetual productivity\u201d signalled wealth, he says.<\/p>\n

A \u201cbig\u201d job, with travel, long days and late nights \u2013 meant you were \u201ccrushing it\u201d, right?<\/p>\n

\u201cWhat\u2019s emerging now is a pendulum swing towards a new aspirational leisure class: people whose value isn\u2019t tied to what they do, but how effortlessly they exist,\u201d says Healey.<\/p>\n

Time is so precious; the ultimate status is to be wasteful with it, he says. This could look like anything from long leisurely meals to turning down opportunities based on your values.<\/p>\n

The people who can afford to do this, or be \u201cpost-optimisation\u201d, include those with inherited wealth, or those whose social capital guarantees opportunities, without constant hustle, says Healey.<\/p>\n

Everyone else is still grinding because they have to, he says.<\/p>\n

Selectively online<\/p>\n

Remember when a BlackBerry was the ultimate status symbol? Being among the first to have one of these devices indicated you were important enough to need to be contactable at all times.<\/p>\n

But since Big Tech has commodified our attention and our data, those in the know are opting out of being always online, says Healey.<\/p>\n

\u201cIn this culture of overexposure, the greatest privilege is to be invisible,\u201d he says.<\/p>\n

\u201cIt shows you have the capital \u2013 social, economic, cultural \u2013 to be selectively online in ways that benefit you, without feeding the machine more than necessary.\u201d<\/p>\n

Rather than getting recommendations from influencers, you get them from \u201cactual friends, with actual taste\u201d, says Healey.<\/p>\n

\u201cYou can still know the cool places to eat, the right places to shop, the right brands to wear because you have genuine proximity to influence.\u201d<\/p>\n

This ties into the culture of \u201cif you know, you know\u201d where some spaces are consciously guarded against commoditisation, he says.<\/p>\n

This might mean being a member of private, closed Substack groups, WhatsApp groups or social-media<\/a> accounts.<\/p>\n

Broadcasting your life online, having millions of followers with thousands of comments and \u2018likes\u2019 on your posts might just be starting to get old.<\/p>\n

Parenthood<\/p>\n

Deciding to have more than the average number of children, which in Ireland is 1.34 per family, requires a certain amount of financial stability and optimism about future prospects. That\u2019s why having a bigger-than-average number of children has, in some ways, become a status symbol.<\/p>\n

The cost of living<\/a>, housing and childcare mean many here are delaying having children until they are better set up, or are deciding to have fewer because of cost pressures.<\/p>\n

Recent research by Laya Life<\/a> put the average cost of raising a child to age 21 at \u20ac15,324.20 a year \u2013 an increase of 39 per cent in the last 10 years.<\/p>\n

In the decade to 2023, there was a drop of more than 20 per cent in the number of babies born in Ireland, for example.<\/p>\n

Paying for food, housing and living expenses for a bigger-than-average household is costly. Childcare<\/a> fees for parents going out to work averaged \u20ac930 a month nationally in 2022.<\/p>\n

To be able to live comfortably with a larger family signals two good incomes, or one big one.<\/p>\n

\u201cHaving a big family requires several forms of privilege,\u201d says Healey.<\/p>\n

These include financial security, the money to pay for childcare and \u201cenough accumulated career capital to take parental leave without it being career suicide,\u201d he says.<\/p>\n

Maintaining your pre-parenthood lifestyle after children \u2013 still having the time, energy and money going out to restaurants, for example \u2013 can also be a sign of the funds or the support you might have, says Healey.<\/p>\n

The luxury of balance<\/p>\n

Kim Kardashian, David and Victoria Beckham and Ballerina Farm influencers Hannah and Daniel Neeleman are among the families with large broods who make balancing family time and financial success appear effortless.<\/p>\n

Having enough quality time with children is a luxury not all families can afford.<\/p>\n

The marketing for some family destinations packages quality time to sell it back to us.<\/p>\n

\u201cWe know that life moves too fast,\u201d says the Cherish every Moment advert campaign from one well-known family resort in Ireland.<\/p>\n

\u201cWhen you\u2019re busy dealing with the everyday, it can be hard to find time to focus on loved ones in a way that feels meaningful. [This place] is an escape from the everyday, where you can experience precious moments together with the people you love.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cThat\u2019s not a very desirable position for society to be in if having family time \u2013 not being rushed off your feet keeping things afloat \u2013 is seen as the ultimate luxury,\u201d says Creevey.<\/p>\n

Luxury shaming<\/p>\n

In a cost-of-living crisis and a climate crisis, is it any wonder there is a move towards quieter, less conspicuous forms of luxury spending?<\/p>\n

\u2018Luxury shaming\u2019 is the negative judgment or disapproval of those who, despite the economic and environmental mood music, broadcast their consumption.<\/p>\n

Think of the wrath recently heaped on Dubai-based social-media creators showcasing yachts, Lamborghinis and bottomless brunches, despite geopolitical realities.<\/p>\n

Once upon a time, luxury brands wanted to be perceived as overindulgent for the sake of it, beyond mere function; the excessiveness of the thing was the point, says Creevey.<\/p>\n

But in the context of social, political and environmental challenges, this kind of luxury can reflect badly on the consumer, he says.<\/p>\n

\u201cIt creates a negative perception of them, which is the opposite of what they are trying to signal with their luxury consumption.\u201d<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"Once upon a time a brand of car, holidays to particular destinations or a logo-ed handbag could signify…\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":400140,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[5],"tags":[72,9687,943,631,24797,61,60,15486,176640,90541,2415,5144,58,45379,42415],"class_list":{"0":"post-400139","1":"post","2":"type-post","3":"status-publish","4":"format-standard","5":"has-post-thumbnail","7":"category-business","8":"tag-business","9":"tag-childcare","10":"tag-cost-of-living","11":"tag-for-you","12":"tag-generation-z","13":"tag-ie","14":"tag-ireland","15":"tag-lamborghini","16":"tag-land-rover","17":"tag-laya-health","18":"tag-millennials","19":"tag-money-matters","20":"tag-social-media","21":"tag-world-economic-forum","22":"tag-your-stories"},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ie\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/400139","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ie\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ie\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ie\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ie\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=400139"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ie\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/400139\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ie\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/400140"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ie\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=400139"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ie\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=400139"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ie\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=400139"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}