Have it your way

What is the difference between a watch that only 9,999 other people in the world own, and one that only you do? Or between a premium suit picked off a rack, and one made to your exacting physical specifications? There is a small matter of price. But what else? Why does a select group of luxury consumers, all over the world, seek not just the highest quality, but also minute, sometimes tortuous, levels of personalization?

The answer may lie in the history and DNA of some of today’s most popular brands. Brands such as Louis Vuitton and Vacheron Constantin owe their reputation today not to international networks of boutiques and showrooms, but to founders and craftsmen who, decades ago, made precious objects to order, by hand. This is what luxury really meant: things made only for you, on your terms.

Today, many of these pioneering luxury brands have diversified into making high quality at high scale. But some of them retain a kernel of their bespoke past—exclusive workshops that create luxury the way it used to be. Indulge presents a survey of bespoke services from brands both old and new.

Write to us at indulge@livemint.com