Research
Research interests
- Embodied Luxury: The Body, Capability and New Forms of Luxury ValueLuxury Wellbeing: Wellness, Ritual, Longevity and the Emotional Dimensions of LuxurySustainable Luxury and Innovation: Technology, Responsibility and the Future of LuxuryThe New Luxury Consumer: Behaviour, Expectations and Cultural ShiftsOmni-Channel Strategies in Luxury Retail: Integrating Digital and Physical WorldsReimagining the High Street: Luxury’s Role in the Future of Urban RetailConstructing the Space of Luxury: Environments, Atmosphere and Brand ExpressionDesigning Branded Spaces: Identity, Immersion and Consumer ExperienceAirport Luxury Retail: Transient Spaces and High-End Consumer Engagement
Current research
My research examines how the meaning and value of luxury are changing, with a particular focus on wellness, the body and innovation. I am developing the concept of Embodied Luxury: the idea that, in some high-end settings, luxury value lies in what people can feel, do and sustain through their bodies, as well as in what they own. Drawing on luxury theory, consumer culture and the sociology of the body, this work explores how wellness hospitality, longevity clinics, premium sport and athleisure turn health, capability and self-development into forms of luxury. It also considers who can access these experiences and the growing pressure to optimise.
My article “Embodied Luxury: From Possession to Human Capability” is forthcoming in Luxury Studies Journal, and I am writing a book on embodied luxury and the optimised body for Routledge’s Luxury Masterclass series. I have presented this work at the In Pursuit of Luxury conference in London and have papers accepted or submitted for the Global Luxury Conference in Dubai and the Monaco Symposium on Luxury. My wider research covers sustainable luxury and innovation, which was the subject of my keynote in Bangkok in 2025, and luxury retail. My doctoral research examined the airport luxury brand store.
I share my research with a wider audience through The Thing About Luxury, the podcast I founded and host.