Luxury Commoditized!

If luxury is becoming a necessity, what tipping point is needed for it to
become a commodity? From renting art at an affordable price to co-
owning yachts and private jets without the hassles of maintening them.
Sound like something you'll only read about in your spam mail? Well,
clubs like Privada in Mumbai, Club One Air and the Art bank in Delhi
make it all possible for you to ride the high wave of luxury.
For all those savvy millionaires or even if you are just another person
waiting on the sidelines, it may finally be time to become a member of
the luxurious lifestyle. Art lovers or if you are just looking to be a part
of the art boom without understanding the finer nuances of it, the art
bank in Delhi may just be what you are looking for. Also if your
favourite artists' works are way out of your budget, the art rental
scheme provided by the bank caters to just that.
Set up by Adeshwar Puri in October 2007, in Delhi, the Art Bank rents
out art in the time span that varies from three months to a year and the
rental prices range from Rs 500 to Rs 5000 a month depending on the
size of work, the artist and the period of rental. When the rental term
expires, one can actually acquire it permanently by buying it or return
the art work. "We have a database of 70 artist, including Maqbool Fida
Hussain from which clients can choose. Our database is only growing
and we have even tied up with private collectors," says Adeshwar Puri.
The bank has over 2000 art pieces in stock.
If art is not your forte, perhaps travelling in luxury is. Owning a
personal jet was limited to the elite few. But now with Club One Air,
you can actually partly own your own flying machine. The club offers
what they call Aircraft fractional ownership which provides all the
benefits of a privately owned jet or helicopter, at only a fraction of the
cost, and without any ownership responsibilities or liabilities.
"Private jets have access to many more airports in India, and with
helicopters having the ability to land almost anywhere, you get
unmatched connectivity to every corner of the country as compared to
regular commercial airlines" says Joydeep Sen, general manager club
one air.
Flying private saves time and allows you to run your business, personal
or professional within the country and overseas. You could actually be
omnipresent in more than three cities in a day by choosing your own
timings and arriving or departing at any time of the day or night. Their
fleet comprise of aircrafts and helicopters especially suited for Indian
weather conditions and smaller airports with short runways and limited
facilities. Depending on the percentage of your share and the aircraft
you buy, you would be entitled to a certain number of hours of flying
each year. If that's not enough, you can be a part of its Statesman Card
Program that involves pre-purchase of fixed number of flying hours as
per your annual requirement.
And if flying is not for you, then it's seaward bound. Buying a yacht
brings with it a considerable amount of time and money required to
manage and maintain such a boat. But Club Privada, India’s first
luxury boat club offers you the opportunity to access a fully crewed
and maintained luxury yacht and the lifestyle that comes with it for a
fraction of the traditional cost. "Membership right now is based on
invitation only," says the clubs' director. The membership offers a two-
tiered programme - Privada Gold and Privada Platinum that gets you
exclusive access to to its fully serviced and crewed luxury yachts for a
specific number of days per year for the duration of your membership.
The route includes Murud Janjira, the Elephanta caves, Kashid,
Ganapatipule, Shriwardhan and Goa.
With personalised culinary preferences on board, Club Privada comes
well equipped to cruise the coastline whether its for business or for
pleasure. It has a fleet of four boats-three Larson Cabrio 350 and one
Azimut 50 - and caters to clients across the board- party people,
corporates and families. Current membership includes a discreet list of
industrialists, builders, hoteliers and bankers.
"People are realising that instead of owning an asset you can just buy
the experience, making luxury more affordable," says Joydeep Sen.
There is an accelerating phenomenon on the luxury-spend spectrum.
Jets, yachts, vacation homes, autos, vineyards, golf clubs, you name it.
Selling variety, convenience and utility, without the hassles of
ownership. For the uninitiated, the old lexicon of luxe is only a rental
away.