The most luxurious thing on the market right now is eternity. A garment that doesn’t fall apart, skin that doesn’t wrinkle or a body that doesn’t sag. The conversation of immortality in fashion and beauty has begun.

           The idea that time shouldn’t limit us is extremely appealing. Luxury skincare has seen a gigantic boom. The idea is to look 25 forever and never get old. There are legitimate health benefits to skincare, but what is motivating us to be so obsessed with our skin, our faces? I believe that there are certainly genuine health-conscious individuals, but what about vanity? There is no inherent moral issue with anything related to beauty. The motivations are the ugliest, most intimate part. Do people get their butts done because they genuinely want a bigger butt, or because they feel pressured by social media? It is no one else’s business. 

Derek Deng // Byrdie

           There’s this big conversation around convenience right now. How can we make everything as convenient as possible? How can we make life as convenient as possible? With a million-dollar supplement! The social status of someone is no longer dictated by labels or logos, but by the clarity of their skin and the measurement of their waist. Luxury has become even more intertwined with the body and time. 

Recently, biohacking has begun to shift towards bio-harmony. Elena Mattioli wrote about this for Myota Health, a wellness brand. She writes: “…shift from biohacking to bioharmony - where wellness looks like listening to your body’s cues, moving with intuition, and avoiding rigid rules associated with food.”

Myota Health sells various supplement powders, bars. The brand’s Gut Health and Fibre Bar package is on sale for $129 CAD (ordinarily $152). 

Myota Gut Health and Fiber Bar // myotahealth.com

           Today, it is a luxury to be healthy and to wear all-natural fibre clothes. The luxury of health lies in its inaccessibility. It takes a lot of money to be healthy, to wear nice clothes, and to be mentally stable. Are obsessive health and beauty sustainable?

           Clothing made of natural materials is wonderful for the environment because it can decompose. Sustainable fashion is interesting because much of it is sold at very high price points. Stella McCartney, as both a brand and a designer, has had a major impact in the field. She has offered up so many natural alternatives to plastic clothing and cruelty-free options for animal products. Whether it be recycled fur or new kinds of leather. Mylo is a mycelium (roots) based leather alternative. Mylo is also interesting because it is a more efficient resource than cow leather. Raising cows is expensive; harvesting mycelium is not. 

Filippo Fior // Gorunway.com 

The Frayme Mylo Shoulder Bag by Stella McCartney retails for 3,445 dollars and is currently out of stock on their website. 

stellamccartney.com 

Another interesting sustainable designer is Kevin Germanier, who creates bags and wearable art from recycled plastic, stones, and other materials. His work comes across to me as a hyper-intentional form of found-object art. 

He is currently selling his Trésorium Citrine bag for 780 euros.

kevingermanier.com

           I think that the shift to immortality as a luxury is extremely compelling. Does everything need to last forever? How much does forever cost? 

           I love the idea that everyone can be beautiful on the inside and outside (scientifically speaking) and wear clothing that doesn’t interfere with their biosystem. The fact of the matter is that the idea is naïve. Being healthy and being environmentally conscious are important. Is there a middle way down the road?