Throughout the millennia luxury goods used to be available exclusively to wealthy elites and sometimes reserved entirely for them on the basis of customs or sumptuary laws. Presently, thanks to the re-definition of the notion of luxury as a result of the victory of brand over product, which occurred in the 19th century (when brand became the major determinant of the luxury character of a product), and then thanks to the processes of luxury accessorisation, the goods marked with a luxury brand logo are purchased by hundreds of millions of people all over the world1.
