180 000 PLN for car, 49 000 PLN for picture, 8 000 PLN for watch, 1 400 PLN for shoes – that's a minimal amount of money you have to pay for luxury goods. Who can afford it, what are luxury goods and what makes them stand out? The answers to these questions have been analyzed by the creator of LuksusPortal.

Luxury goods or... what?

According to a report presented in 2012 by KPMG, luxury is "any welfare that bears brand recognised widely on the luxury goods market or which, due to its nature (uniqueness, high price, etc.), takes on a luxurious atmosphere". Philip Kotler, author of Marketing, names luxury as consumer goods with very high price. The creators of Marketing. European Handbook published in 2002, pointed out that the products are simply a collection of benefits that are supposed to reach the consumer. There is one example of those ‘benefits’: "The little Fiat may fulfill a daily need for transport, considering the low price and fuel economy, while Mercedes means comfort, luxury and prestige. When there are desires and resources, a demand for products which provide maximum customer satisfaction rises" - and a maximum satisfaction provide just well-known brand products with high-quality, not available for everyone, simply called: luxurious. Marzena Kułaj-Groń, creator of the Luksusportal.pl claims that "luxury is designed for those who are seeking only top quality, waiting for exclusive and elite service. Everyone may have his or hers own definition of luxury, but brands such as Cartier, Louis Vuitton or Maserati will always be its watchwords on which others will be only inspired by".

How much do you pay for luxury?

A million dollars – two words that are clearly associated with wealth and which recall the picture of being in clover for the rest of life. So, what can you afford for those six zeroes? DKNY brand has entered into the Guinness Book of records with the most expensive perfume in the world worthy about $1 million. And it’s not the smell you pay for, but for vial, its base and packaging designed by Martin Katz. To implement this package used diamonds, 14-100 CT white gold, sapphires and other precious stones. What else you can buy for a million? Of course, everything ... but if you want something special, you can choose between, for example, the most expensive vodka in the world from Blackwood Distillers - 40%, a bottle adorned with 24 carat diamonds and unique, one-of-a-kind bra from Victoria's Secret – for example, the one from the 2011 collection. It was made of 3400 pearls, white and yellow diamonds and aquamarine stones. For those who like to spend money on more durable things we recommend a two-room apartment in London, an apartment in Hong Kong of about 76m2 or a flat in New York of about 60m2 - of course, all located in the most exclusive neighborhoods. ' Quick shopping' and a million dollars released, so maybe it's not so much?

Now, the specifics – who is the symbol of luxury?

Maserati for sure. Each of their cars combine sport style and luxury. Brands such as BMW, Jaguar, Porsche, Audi, Mercedes are perceived by the majority of Polish society as famous and producing luxury products. But people living in the West would immediately ask about Infiniti and Aston Martin, therefore we can say that goods and defined a little bit differently in every country. For example, Eve Minge, known all over the world Polish designer, is recognized as a symbol of prestige by majority of Poles. We may ask: why is that? Well, she succeeded in fashion world and because of that she is well-known, things she creates are beautiful and produced in very small quantities. Another person is Fejkiel - a young designer of handmade shoes. Isn't it luxurious to walk on one of the most expensive streets in Poland (Floriańska street in Cracow or New World in Warsaw) in the shoes which no one else has and will not have? As KPMG report recounts, "the lowest percentage of luxury brands (...) in the case of hotel services " - this situation has changed and continues to change as we are able to see increasing number of four- and five-star hotels in Poland. Some of them are presented here: http://luksusportal.pl/pl/hotele-i-apartamenty/prezentacje.

It would be useful to summarize.

But how can you sum up something that is such a subjective topic? It is certain that definition and understanding of each product, no matter whether it is a luxury good or that of sudden need (water, food), depends on many factors, such as social, cultural, psychological and individual. But if you do not know what products and services are luxury, we recommend one portal that is trying to make them easier to define: www.luksusportal.pl