Just before I log-on, I pop down to the local independent café for a quick macchiato. With some easing of the pandemic lockdown, the place has tentatively re-opened its doors for takeaway drinks. As I patiently wait in the orderly line, it occurs to me that the luxury of a professionally brewed coffee by a barista using the house dark-roast, slightly zesty natural coffee beans, far outweighs the time I have to invest. In fact, it adds value to the occasion.
"We’re referring to it as the age of post-opulence". This is the message I get when I ask Rolls-Royce Motor Cars to arrange a digital interview with Alex Innes. As head of the very pinnacle of luxury design at Coachbuild for the last three years and at the marque for eleven, I feel he is the best person to discuss what the post-coronavirus luxury landscape may look and feel like. And so, a Zoom interview is promptly arranged.
Just before I log-on, I pop down to the local independent café for a quick macchiato. With some easing of the pandemic lockdown, the place has tentatively re-opened its doors for takeaway drinks. As I patiently wait in the orderly line, it occurs to me that the luxury of a professionally brewed coffee by a barista using the house dark-roast, slightly zesty natural coffee beans, far outweighs the time I have to invest. In fact, it adds value to the occasion.
"We’re referring to it as the age of post-opulence". This is the message I get when I ask Rolls-Royce Motor Cars to arrange a digital interview with Alex Innes. As head of the very pinnacle of luxury design at Coachbuild for the last three years and at the marque for eleven, I feel he is the best person to discuss what the post-coronavirus luxury landscape may look and feel like. And so, a Zoom interview is promptly arranged.
Just before I log-on, I pop down to the local independent café for a quick macchiato. With some easing of the pandemic lockdown, the place has tentatively re-opened its doors for takeaway drinks. As I patiently wait in the orderly line, it occurs to me that the luxury of a professionally brewed coffee by a barista using the house dark-roast, slightly zesty natural coffee beans, far outweighs the time I have to invest. In fact, it adds value to the occasion.
"I absolutely agree," says Innes, animated on my laptop screen as I describe the scene. "The little things we’ve taken for granted have become the rarities and the luxuries. Dare-I-say, there is some positivity to having been given this extra time to be with our families - for me to spend time with my daughter," he continues. "The trend was already shifting, but still, this coronavirus has been a real drive for change. So much that we took for granted is now out of our direct reach. When things begin to ease and we go back into the swing of things, it will be good to access these memories and not take things for granted again."
