Can We Call “Polyester“ Luxury?
Something doesn’t add up.
As an editor, I’ve lost count of the times
I’ve had to curate lists for magazine spreads:
The 10 Perfect Little Black Dress, The Ultimate Tuxedo Jacket,
The Most Elegant Cocktail Gowns.
Sounds glamorous, doesn’t it?
And yet, while sifting through these “luxury” pieces,
I can’t help but notice a pattern:
Some of these dresses and jackets — priced at €4,000 or more
— are made of polyester.
Yes, polyester.
That same synthetic fabric that clings to you in
humid weather and pills after a season.
The kind of material you associate with fast fashion,
not exactly runway names.
1. The Contradiction at the Heart of Luxury
Here’s what troubles me:
how do we reconcile the concept of luxury with synthetic fabrics?
Luxury is supposed to be about craftsmanship, rarity, and quality.
And yet, here we are,
paying for labels rather than materials.
Nothing new here.
Take a viscose dress with a €3 490 price tag.
It might look stunning, but viscose is essentially rebranded rayon
— a material invented in the early 20th century to mimic silk,
but without the luxury feel or durability.
Polyester is even less poetic:
derived from petroleum, it’s cheap to produce,
widely available, and hardly eco-friendly.
But somehow, when these materials are shaped into a perfect silhouette,
stamped with a fancy etiquette
(we’re talking about Avenue Montaigne griffes),
and placed in a marble-clad boutique,
we’re willing to call them luxurious.
2. The Polyester Problem
This isn’t just about money; it’s about meaning.
Luxury has always been about more than a price tag —
it’s about value. Cashmere sweaters, silk dresses, tailored wool jackets:
these pieces carry a tactile, emotional quality that synthetic materials simply don’t replicate.
When did we become okay with paying top dollar for polyester? Is it the allure of the etiquette? The craftsmanship of the design? Or is it that we’ve been conditioned to equate high price with high value, regardless of what’s inside the garment?
