Author, academician and luxury commentator to launch his 11th book in Somerset, UK. Prof Brahma is a Dean & Professor at NSHM Media School, India, Visiting Research Fellow at Bath Business School, Bath Spa University, UK and a Fellow of the Commercial Education Society of Australia. He is a PhD, DBA and D.Litt. He is a TEDx Speaker, two-time Sahityakosh Samman Awardee and his other books include ‘Bharat, A Luxe Story’, ‘Aesthetic Leadership in Luxury’, ‘Quiet Luxe’, and ‘Mythic Value of Luxury’. 

‘The Luxe Trilogy’ is your 11th book. What is it all about?

‘The Luxe Trilogy’ is an authoritative, research-based writings spanning across two decades covered in three distinctive books tracing the journey of luxe from dazzle of the Maharajas to the darkness of the Inferno’s nine circles of hell. The essence of the trilogy comes from my writings on luxury, spanning over two decades, exploring the various facets of luxury from the perspectives of Sociology, Philosophy, Anthropology, History, and Economics, capturing its evolution in India, that is Bharat. It is the 11th book of luxury commemorating my journey as a luxury columnist and commentator. The trilogy is a multi-disciplinary exploration in understanding the true meaning of luxe.

You have dedicated The Luxe Trilogy to Dr Bibek Debroy. Please tell us more about it?

In 2019, I had just launched ‘Luxe Inferno’ and my senior Bibek da (Padma Bhushan Dr Bibek Debroy) asked me to pen ‘The Luxe Trilogy’. He had written a note in the form of a foreword for the trilogy after listening to my idea of how I had conceived the book, long before it was complete. I was working on the trilogy along with another book ‘Bharat, A Luxe Story’, which I launched last November in Somerset, UK.  

‘The Luxe Trilogy’ came into existence because of Bibek da’s inspiration. Over the years, after every new book release he kept reminding me to go back to the trilogy and complete it. He has kindly written in the foreword: “If there is one person who is eminently qualified to write about luxury, it is Mahul.”

And finally, ‘The Luxe Trilogy’ will be launched in Somerset later this year by Professor John Strachan, Pro Vice Chancellor of Bath Spa University, UK. Professor Strachan has also penned the foreword for the book. He wrote: “This is a culmination of a series of insightful and persuasive mediations on our culture and I wish it very well.” 

Please elaborate a bit on the structure of the trilogy and share a bit about the essence of the three books.

The three books take the tale of luxe forward with a heady cocktail of fact and fiction inspired by the history of Bharat but not limited by it to ensure that the reader’s journey is never linear, never predictable, never boring. From Cartier’s Patiala Necklace with 234.5 carat De Beers diamond to custom-made Louis Vuitton bags for keeping masalas to converting Rolls Royce Phantoms to garbage trucks, it captures the centuries-old love affair between the Maharajas and global luxury brands. It captures the role of aesthetics in leadership, especially when the world is moving towards a new-age revolution of quiet luxury. The trilogy narrates a quest for the true meaning of luxe, beyond the myopic ‘price tag’. The three books of the trilogy essentially are curated to capture the true essence of luxe.

The three books while in existence separately, together weaves the complete story of luxe unveiling its true and contemporary meaning.  

Luxe Book 1

The book is essentially an authoritative, research-based anthology of essays exploring various facets of luxury from a multi-disciplinary perspective, revolving around India, that is Bharat, to find a deeper meaning of luxury. From Cartier’s Patiala Necklace with 234.5 carat De Beers diamond to custom-made Louis Vuittons and Rolls Royces, Bharat has been the epicentre of branded luxury. The book traces the evolution of luxury in Bharat with the passage of time and change of perspective of Indians, redefining the mythic value of luxury. It traces the passage of Bharat, all set to become USD 10-trillion economy, from the dazzling loud luxury to new-age revolution of quiet luxury.

Luxe Book 2

This book is based on my writings on aesthetic leadership in luxury and aims to unveil a new facet of leadership based on aesthetics that dominates the luxe industry. It explores how aesthetics is pivotal to the multi-billion-dollar “quite luxury” market comprising the uber-rich consumers who are classified as Connoisseurs and Aesthetes. This book is a research-based manual for a CXO as well as a luxury brand to transform into an Aesthetic Leader. It points out the rising criticality of aesthetic leadership in luxury, from European fashion giants to technology biggies like Apple, especially on the onset of quiet luxury. The book is a comprehensive narration of the story of aesthetic leadership in luxury along the various strategy contours of art, beauty, design, creativity and of course, aesthetics.

In the book, I have cited an interesting case study from India on aesthetic leadership of two brothers Ketan and Jatin Chokshi of Narayan Jewellers and how they managed to establish the prowess of aesthetics and global design at a very young age in a nearly century-old brand, creating mythic value of luxury for their brand.

Luxe Book 3 

The third book charts the journey of luxe through the proverbial nine circles of Dante’s Inferno to the Paradiso. This book has a more philosophical exploration of the true essence of luxury, exposing its darkness behind the veil of dazzle.