Why Are Your Luxuries Important?

Before understanding why luxury products are of importance we must first understand what they are. People often just assume that something is of a luxurious nature without actually taking the time to consider what makes it so. The general idea is that the higher end brands like Gucci and Louis Vuitton are luxury brands because they are expensive and their products are bought by the affluent but it goes much deeper than that. To the well heeled, a Louis Vuitton bag or shirt is a basic standard. For someone who is used to spending upwards of £1000 on a daily basis these kind of items wouldn’t be considered a luxury purchases. In the same way that for the average consumer a pair of £50 shoes from ASOS would not be considered a luxury purchase. The fact is that luxury is circumstantial. There is no benchmark or system of regulation that dictates when something is or is not a luxury item. This is as good as it is bad because many times we will witness the use of the word in a place it should not be. For example, in the local supermarket when buying toilet roll. The word luxury is often used to boost sales by conveying a sense of quality and because unsuspecting consumers don’t fully understand what luxury is they fall victim to the ploy. Contrary to popular belief, it doesn’t even have anything to do with the quality of the goods. In reality luxury is about emotion. It’s about how something makes you feel. For example, when you walk into a store and you try on those £300 shoes and you feel like you could walk a million miles that’s luxury. Even if the shoes cost £30, if they have the power to invoke that kind of emotion and you know that it wouldn’t normally be an everyday purchase then to you that’s a luxury.

Now, all superficial reasoning aside, the reason these types of products hold importance to the average consumer is because of this very emotion. A primary example is a wedding day. The reason a man will spend so much money on having a suite made to measure is because when he wears that suit he feels invincible. That suite becomes his armor effectively boosting his confidence and making for a smooth running day. This applies to anything considered a luxury. That “special feeling” is such a necessity and should never be overlooked. It’s not everyday that everyone can afford to by everything but the day you do find that one item that sets your heart racing, don’t ignore it. There’s a reason for those palpitations. That is your luxury…

Everything's for sale...!

I am a firm believer in the fact that everything is for sale. Everyone has their price and there is no amount of trouble you can't buy your way out of. For example, Saturday evening I went out and didn't come home until about 7pm on Sunday (fathers day). Effectively I had been absent for over 24 hours and when I came strolling in like some filthy alley cat my father said to me "Niyi, where the hell have you been?" to which I replied "I went out last night and then I went out again today." Now before he was even able to respond I quickly got in there with "Happy Fathers day by the way" while handing over this...

Conversation over!

Now repeat after me...

Everything is for sale. Everyone has their price and there is no amount of trouble I can't buy my way out of.

Click here for your Dunhill Fix

A Quote I Found Today

I would much rather just ignore humility than use it as an arrogant caricature

 

An official Niyi Crown quote.

In my own Element

The Monday just gone was a bank holiday for us over here in the UK and in all honesty I can't say I was happy about it. For those of us that are self employed this means a whole extra day added to the 28 day invoice that we sent in order to get paid. It's not convenient at all. In fact, public holidays in General are of no use to me, I decide when I get time off work. Public holidays just delay my getting paid.

Anyway that's not what this post is about. On Monday, I went and lost my tattoo virginity. It was an interesting experience to say the least. A lot of my friends had told me that it doesn't really hurt. This is a lie! The pain is diabolical... To tell the truth it's not really a pain, it's more a sever and unrelenting discomfort. My tattoo only took about 30mins and the pain after that can be compared to falling down on concrete and grazing your skin. It's like a warm stinging sensation.

Check out my ink...

In case you're wondering what it all means just think back to secondary school. Remember the Periodic Table of Elements? Well these are the most important in my world. Platinum, Gold, Silver and Carbon. Why did I get these permanently etched into my skin? Well besides my love of jewellery it's also a gentle reminder that no matter how many material possessions I manage to acquire at the end of the day I'm still just a bunch of atoms and when I die I'll revert to our basic element which is carbon. Carbon also happens to be the same thing Diamonds are made of. Just goes to show how special we are.

P.S
They are not in order of atomic mass as they would be on the periodic table. I've placed them in order of value based on the cost of extraction... Hurray for science

Palladium Boots: Then and Now

Lets take a short trip into the past, I'm thinking about 1920. A company called Palladium was founded as a manufacturer of aircraft tires for the aviation industry. Fast forward to 1939 and business is booming what with the world being at war and everything. Over the next 6 years Palladium are practically raking it in that is until about May 1945 when the war ended. Over the next 2 years the Demand for Palladium tires slowly began declining so they head guys at the company decide that rather than going bankrupt they'll put their expert knowledge in rubber and canvas to another use. And thus Palladium was reborn as a boot maker.

Known for being hard wearing (the soles of the boots are made using the same rubber as the tires) and for providing the French Foreign Legion with their signature Pampa boot, Palladium have somehow managed to make themselves even more relevant in terms of style and practicality.

Available at Size?

P.S

Last week I went to the launch party at The Old Blue Last in Shoreditch where I lost yet another brooch. I'm way to traumatized to go into the details of how I lost it. Just know that it was made using a vintage brass lion taken from a 15 year old belt, 24k gold coated stingray skin (yes the fish) and Swarovski crystals. I made it by myself by hand. The only consolation being that there are a pair of Palladium boots on their way to me as we speak.

A quote I found today...

Money can't buy class but it will pay for a decent interior designer.

An official Niyi Crown quote.

A quote I found today...

When life gives you lemons, ask for the receipt.

This could very well be the end...

Hello my dear readers, it has been a long time since I last addressed you and I do apologize for my lack of posts. To say that it is because I have been too busy would be a lie because as busy as I have been one is always able to make time.

As it stands I am in two minds. I am not sure if I truly wish to continue on this journey as your glamorous man. In my time away from blogging I have experienced many things, things that I do not wish to discuss. To say the fashion industry has tainted me and turned me sour would be a little extreme but I am slowly loosing passion. It's not so much the work as opposed to the work environment.

To cut a long story short, this could be the end...

Only time will tell.

Forever yours

Niyi Maximus Crown

Soulja Boy Tell'em

People seem to throw a lot of shade in the direction of Soulja boy, I think he's great. Excellent businesses man, creative musician and an all round fun guy. I've heard people say that he killed hip-hop with his nursery rhyme rap songs, they call his music childish and distasteful but what people forget is that when he first popped on the scene, he was a child. What more did people expect from a 17 year old? Well now that he is 19 nothing has changed. Even his jewellery collection reflects his youthful nature.

What do you see?


Yes...That is a remote controlled diomond encrusted Lamborghini pendant. Created for the rapper by the tallented Jason of Beverly Hills who you may remember is responsible for Chris Browns Oops necklace. When not being worn as a necklace it can be driven around till ones heart is content.



FUCKING AMAZING!!!!!

P.S
Also note the amazingness of his rings. I just thought I would point that out.

A quote I found today

There is nothing more dreadful than imagination without taste.

Modern Traditionalist

I am 20 years old. In the 20 years of my existence I have witnessed the evolution of menswear in the same way that anybody else would. I have come to realize though that in the past decade or so the rate at which menswear is evolving seems to have been sped up. I blame my generation for this but it is not necessarily a bad thing. What is a bad thing however is this...

Can you imagine walking into a shop to purchase a double breasted suit Jacket only to find that the one you have picked up seems to have a substantial amount of buttons missing? And as you hastily search for another it then dawns on you that they all have missing buttons? It would be devastating. You would have to look elsewhere would you not? The problem is, this doesn't appear to be a mistake. Not only does this appear to be intentional but it's a trend that seems to have followed through to the likes of Alexander McQueen and Prada. Even Lanvin is in on it. Quite frankly I am disappointed.

Since 2004 I noticed that the mens suit jacket was gradually loosing its buttons and I was all for it to begin with but I really do believe this to be a step to far. Honestly speaking, this is the nicest example of such sartorial abominations. This suit by Gianfranco Ferré as you can see is extremely well cut, almost like a diamond but unfortunately it's not flawless. There is just no point.

I take pride in the fact that my background is in tailoring however I am a little embarrassed to be associated with a generation that insists on defiling menswear in such a maner. Don't get me wrong, the first single button suit jacket I ever saw was from Dolce & Gabbana and it completely changed the way I viewed menswear. It was glamorous and yet still masculine, it was young and fresh but still to be taken seriously. My eyes were opened to a new silhouette, one that I would swear by even to this day but honestly I don't think I will be embracing this new style quite as openly.

I'm sure the single buttoned suit was greeted with exactly the same hostility when it first arrived but only time will tell weather this new shape will be as successful.

P.S
Here's what a real suit jacket should look like...

A quote I found today...

If you can't get rid of the skeleton in your closet, you'd best
teach it to dance.

A quote I found today...

Talent hits a target no one else can hit; Genius hits a target no one else can see.

A quote I found today...

Someday I want to be rich. Some people get so rich they lose all respect for humanity. That's how rich I want to be.

A quote I found today...

He who will not reason is a bigot;
he who cannot is a fool;
he who dares not is a slave.

A quote I found today...

Nobody ever worries about the hole in the roof when the sun is shining.

A quote I found today...

I may not remember your actions but I will remember the way they made me feel.

When I grow up I want to be a police man (In Italy)

OH MY SWEET BEJEEZEES!!!!!

The Italian police force have got it so good. This is their brand new ride. Ain't nobody gonna even think about trying to outrun them now...

AMAZING MUCH!

P.S
For those of you that don't know it's a Lamborghini.

A quote I found today...

Take care of the luxuries and the necessities will take care of themselves.

Something I stumbled upon...

This is old news. Very old news, but I don't care.

A few years ago Bentley were rumored to be producing an SUV to rival the Porsche Cyan.

If I am truley honest, I hope they don't go through with it. I think it's ugly, a revelation I find quite shocking in itself because I usually love Bentley.