{"id":11999,"date":"2026-05-30T11:00:00","date_gmt":"2026-05-30T09:00:00","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.valeriebarkowski.com\/?p=11999"},"modified":"2026-07-06T11:01:42","modified_gmt":"2026-07-06T09:01:42","slug":"what-the-word-luxury-means-to-me-today","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.valeriebarkowski.com\/en\/what-the-word-luxury-means-to-me-today\/","title":{"rendered":"What the word “luxury” means to me today"},"content":{"rendered":"\t\t
\n\t\t\t\t
\n\t\t\t\t\t
\n\t\t\t\t
\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t

We live as we work. For me, the two have always been the same thing. <\/p>\n

I understand true luxury<\/strong> through what I do, what I choose, and what I refuse. Thirty years of high-end textile creation<\/strong> between Marrakech, India, and Egypt have taught me one thing: the greatest sophistication is the kind you cannot see. Like a hand-stitched hem. Invisible. That is precisely why it must be done. <\/p>\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t

\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t
\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\"true\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t
\u00a9 Vincent Nguyen<\/figcaption>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/figure>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t
\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t

True artisanal luxury: the effort that disappears<\/h2>\n

For the Bandit Queen collection in India, I designed a bedspread in white cotton voile. Entirely hand-pleated. 0.5-centimeter pleats across the entire surface. Forty days of work. <\/p>\n

To understand what it was, you had to touch it. To look at it closely. The material resembled an aquatic plant \u2014 living, seasonless, trendless. <\/p>\n

Also for Bandit Queen, tablecloths and napkins with painted edges. The question of the hem arose. A machine-stitched hem would have ruined the idea. My client accepted the hand-stitched hem \u2014 the extra cost, the smaller volumes. The model remained pure. That was what mattered. <\/p>\n

Maximum effort for a minimal result. Sophistication does not announce itself. It reveals itself to those who take the time. <\/p>\n

When I buy a white shirt, I look at the fabric, the buttons, the cut, the seams. I do the same with what I design and what I produce. A friend said it better than I could, to someone asking her the brand of my cap: I don’t know, but it’s certainly a beautiful cap \u2014 with VB, it’s always minimal visibility, maximum effort.<\/em> <\/p>\n

Without knowing it, she was defining artisanal luxury<\/strong> as I practice it.<\/p>\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t

\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t
\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\"true\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t
<\/figcaption>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/figure>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t
\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t

Slow design: two projects, a single thread<\/h2>

The embroidered Ambassador<\/h3>

In India, a persistent idea: to embroider an entire car. An Ambassador \u2014 an Indian icon, vintage lines, somewhere between prestige and daily life. One evening in Jaipur, I mentioned it to Yaddu Singh, a hotelier and friend. He said: let’s buy a new one. He finances, I design. Deal closed over dinner. <\/p>

Full-scale templates, calculated perforations, every stitch at five millimeters. The interior received the same care: embroidered mirrors, khadi on the ceiling and doors, block-print fabric on the seats, hand-felted rugs. Six months of work. A pure creative act. <\/p>

-> Find out more<\/a><\/p>\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t

\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\"true\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t
\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t

The linens of the Steam Ship Sudan<\/h3>

More recently, I designed the bath linens for the Steam Ship Sudan in Egypt. A 19th-century boat. Hand-woven jacquard fabric. On the edges, long fringes \u2014 each composed of a precisely counted number of threads, joined one by one by an embroidery stitch. To the eye, it is sober. If you stop, you see the work. <\/p>

An embroidered car in Jaipur and a towel on the Nile. The same language. That of slow design, <\/strong>where what is seen the least is what required the most. <\/p>

-> www.voyageursdumonde.fr<\/a><\/p>

<\/p>\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t

\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\"luxury\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t
\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t

Alone, young, and saying no: instinct as ethical design<\/h2>\n

In the early 2000s, my brand had a meteoric launch. Immediately, people around me \u2014 professionals I respected \u2014 asked me to do more, to renew faster, to follow certain patterns. <\/p>\n

I refused. But I doubted. I was young, alone with my instinct against their experience. I had no arguments. <\/p>\n

Do you know many people who hit the brakes?<\/p>\n

Holding your line when everything pushes you to give in \u2014 that is also ethical design<\/strong>. Not a charter. An act. <\/p>\n

The clients who are still here twenty years later share a vision. They know what forty days of work means. A loyalty that is earned, slowly, through consistency. <\/p>\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t

\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t

Conscious luxury: consistency as a choice<\/h2>\n

Consistency between what we do and who we are \u2014 that is conscious luxury<\/strong>. We choose it for ourselves. It has a price. Every decision comes with its constraints. But I have maintained my integrity, and integrity is a real comfort, more lasting than others. <\/p>\n

Ethical design<\/strong> is a way of working that permeates everything, from the seams of a towel to the structure of a brand.<\/p>\n

Always the same quest. This way of doing things is within me \u2014 I cannot do otherwise. <\/p>\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t

\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t
\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\"true\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t
<\/figcaption>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/figure>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t
\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t

What true luxury means<\/h2>\n

It is the freedom to think, to move, to create without dictates.<\/p>\n

True luxury in everyday objects<\/h3>\n

Strawberries that taste like those from my childhood \u2014 and knowing where to find them. Silence at night. Not setting an alarm in the morning. Dining in a place where the products are good, carefully chosen, and skillfully cooked. Dancing when arriving at the studio. Having a choice. The crystalline sea with its schools of fish, its vegetation, its mysteries. A real book in your hands. <\/p>\n

Closing the door for two months<\/h3>\n

And this, which I have chosen but not yet realized: closing the company for two months in the summer. The studio, the boutique, the e-shop, the riad, the consulting \u2014 an entire ecosystem. Rediscovering the flavor of the long summer holidays, the kind when you threw your schoolbag into the back of the closet for the two months to come. <\/p>\n

An island. The sea. Paper, a pen, pencils. The scent of a fig tree. The horizon. Infinity. <\/p>\n

Nothing else.<\/p>\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t

\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t
\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\"true\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t
\u00a9 Delphine Warin<\/figcaption>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/figure>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t
\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t

FAQ<\/h2>

Is slow design compatible with a modern life and business?<\/h3>

It all depends on what you call modern. If modernity is doubling your turnover every two years, then perhaps not. But it’s not certain either \u2014 the V.Barkowski brand has existed for over twenty-five years, the collections continue to sell, made-to-order, at a slow and steady pace. I could sell more \u2014 trade fairs, mass visibility, all that exists. It’s not what I’m looking for. For me, a modern company is based on respect for life, people, and materials. Slow design<\/strong> is entirely compatible with that. Compatibility is consistency. <\/p>

Does Val\u00e9rie Barkowski work with hotels and brands?<\/h3>

Yes. The bed, table, and bath linen collections for the Steam Ship Sudan in Egypt, the Bandit Queen brand in India, collaborations with architects and decorators \u2014 these projects are an integral part of the work. Each collaboration starts from a common vision and a shared requirement for craftsmanship and materials. To find out more: valeriebarkowski.com\/consultancy<\/u> <\/p>

How does a textile art direction collaboration with V.Barkowski work?<\/h3>

It all starts with a conversation. A project, a place, an intention. From there, a creative proposal is born \u2014 materials, techniques, finishes \u2014 developed with the artisans of the Marrakech studio. Each collaboration is made-to-measure, from design to delivery. To find out more: valeriebarkowski.com\/consultancy<\/u> <\/p>

How long has V.Barkowski been creating custom home linens?<\/h3>

Since 1996. The first collection was developed over three years, sold for the first time in 2000, at Caravane, in Paris. Thirty years of studio work in Marrakech, limited edition collections, and pieces handmade to order. Custom orders are available via the e-shop<\/u> or directly in the boutique. <\/p>

Consistency between what we create and who we are \u2014 is it a choice or a constraint?<\/h3>

A choice. A stance. <\/p>

Read also: What is ethical design today<\/i><\/a><\/span><\/p>\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t

\n\t\t\t\t\t
\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

We live as we work. For me, the two have always been the same thing. I understand true luxury through what I do, what I choose, and what I refuse. Thirty years of high-end textile creation between Marrakech, India, and Egypt have taught me one thing: the greatest sophistication is the kind you cannot see. …<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":14085,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_jetpack_newsletter_access":"","_jetpack_dont_email_post_to_subs":false,"_jetpack_newsletter_tier_id":0,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paywalled_content":false,"_jetpack_feature_clip_id":0,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paid_content":false,"footnotes":"","jetpack_post_was_ever_published":false},"categories":[229],"tags":[451,417,392,421,416,391],"class_list":["post-11999","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-dna-and-archives","tag-ethics","tag-experience-unique","tag-luxe","tag-piece-unique","tag-savoir-faire-artisanal","tag-slow-design"],"jetpack_featured_media_url":"https:\/\/www.valeriebarkowski.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/05\/vrai-luxe-valerie-barkowski-bandit-queen-art-direction-table-linen-banner-new.jpg","jetpack_sharing_enabled":true,"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.valeriebarkowski.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/11999","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.valeriebarkowski.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.valeriebarkowski.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.valeriebarkowski.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.valeriebarkowski.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=11999"}],"version-history":[{"count":14,"href":"https:\/\/www.valeriebarkowski.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/11999\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":14172,"href":"https:\/\/www.valeriebarkowski.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/11999\/revisions\/14172"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.valeriebarkowski.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/14085"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.valeriebarkowski.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=11999"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.valeriebarkowski.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=11999"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.valeriebarkowski.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=11999"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}