Neue Luxury is a global dialogue on luxury in the 21st century.

Fear is at once the most restricting and liberating of human emotions. It controls our conscious decision making, separates the courageous from the cowardly and influences the trajectory of our lives. In this, our most courageous issue to date, we explore the multifaceted nature of fear and its ability to transform individuals, shape society and even liberate a civilisation.

Our memories are arguably the most powerful aspect of our identity. They hold authority over our self esteem and help us to navigate the content of our character. Upon reflection, our memories can become an obsessive celebration of the past, intricately influenced by our present imagination. In this, our most evocative issue to date, we explore the notion of memory and seek to understand how our remembered past and present imagination oscillate in our consciousness, tantalising our senses and forcing us to identify and assess the world around us.

Desire is intrinsic to the human experience and central to the notion of luxury. How could one live without this innate yearning? It is what catapults, moves and stimulates us. Heterogeneous by nature, desire can represent many things — a longing, a passion, an indulgence, a search or a drive, to bring to life that which we can only imagine. And while some may take this elegant neurological dance for granted, we have done our best to stimulate your senses by way of the many thoughts, people and notions presented in our seventh issue.

As an expression of character, belief, values and environment, the notion of identity is as complex, slippery and amorphous as luxury itself. Independent and yet interconnected, we each strive to discover, challenge or assert our identity through multilayered networks and unique rituals that engage and challenge ourselves and those around us. Our sixth issue explores the nuances and complexities of identity while high-lighting the makers, artefacts and ideas that make it possible to change our view of the world.

Influenced by culture, philosophy, science and religion it is evident that our understanding of and relationship to time has sought the assistance of many agents over the centuries—from the movement of the astronomical bodies and the flow of water, through to artificial constructs such as the ancient Egyptian Merkhet or the Chinese Clepsydra invented during the Song Dynasty. With unending curiosity, humanity has marked each new discovery, each new invention with a further challenge to interrogate and quantify our relationship to time.

Obsession is a strange beast. Heterogeneous in nature and more often than not stigmatised as being a negative affliction, condition or disorder to which we have no agency and to which we are in some way bound or subjugated. For some, obsession can be liberating, a modus operandi of sorts that provides an effectual mechanism to sharpen resolve, channel effort or help clarify intent. For others, obsession can be a burden of unease, compulsion, obligation, apprehension and fear.

How does artisanship and the hand made shape our understanding of – and engagement with – luxury artefacts and experiences? In this issue we survey the incredible work of American sculptor Barry X Ball while contrasting his process, intent and oeuvre with that of Australian artist John Wolseley. We speak with Thierry-Maxime Loriot about his curatorial vision for The Fashion World of Jean Paul Gaultier: From the Sidewalk to the Catwalk and buckled up for a scenic tour through the bespoke world of Aston Martin, Rolls Royce and McLaren.

Having long been considered by Europe as an exotic outpost of potential, Australia has always sought to embrace its European heritage while advocating the virtues of American style commercialisation. Issue two explores the luxury of collecting, collections and collectors in the 21st century. We discover the internment of art and ideas at Expérience Pommery, discuss notions of madness and identity with Kaya Sorhaindo of Berlin-based fragrance house Folie à Plusieurs and discovered the extraordinary initiative that is and will continue to be, the MPavilion.

What is luxury? How do we define, understand, communicate and engage with it? Luxury is a slippery word, its etymology is constantly challenging us with its meaning over time. As cultural and commercial agendas change, so do the values and characteristics of luxury and what it represents to an individual,  a culture and even a civilisation. In this, our inaugural issue, we have devoted our attention to those visionaries challenging our understanding of luxury through their contributions to fashion, architecture, contemporary dance, art, music, food and wine.