FEEL MORE LUXURIOUS: RETURN TO THE OLD SCHOOL
Nostalgia is big business in an age where looking back informs the future
In a time of such uncertainty and worry over the future, many have found comfort in embracing nostalgia. Finding solace in a romanticised past is an understandable coping mechanism, and has fuelled our reconnection with our history, through cultural revival and simple, analogue living.
If people haven’t been dusting off their N64 for a spot of Super Mario Kart or searching the attic for long-forgotten records, they’ve been ‘comfort viewing’: returning to classic shows, reading their favourite books, and sharing old memories - or journalling to chronicle new ones.
Signs of our return to old favourites are everywhere, according to The Art of Feeling More, a report published by Lexus in collaboration with trend forecasters WGSN. The British Phonographic Industry (BPI) recently reported that 4.8 million vinyl records were sold in the UK in 2020, an almost 10% increase on 2019's figures. Vinyl sales have increased for the 13th year in a row, and are at their highest level since the early nineties, indicating a consistent focus on enjoying slower, luxurious technology in an era of streaming immediacy. On top of this, in April 2020, Hulu viewers watched nearly 11 million hours of 1980s sitcom The Golden Girls, and in April of this year a sealed copy of the 1986 Super Mario Bros. NES game sold at auction for €560,000. It seems that looking back can set you up for the future.
This feeling of nostalgia extends to food, with smell and taste strongly linked to memory and experience. Benedetta Parodi, Italian cooking star and host of Bake Off Italia, puts great importance in the comfort found in food, along with her own memories of her childhood: “I really enjoy sharing time with the people I love, both in the restaurant and at home.
I love to cook for others: for my family, for my friends. The great thing is that they always give me great satisfaction, eating the things I prepare with pleasure. It’s impossible to choose my favourite early food memory, but if I had to name one, it would perhaps be my grandmother’s gnocchi alla bava.”
Nostalgia doesn’t necessarily mean old fashioned. Looking back can inform the future, providing connections while improving standards. It’s certainly true for the all-new Lexus NX where both drivers and passengers experience the almost extinct feeling of having your every need met. Designed with traditional Omotenashi values at its core and built with Lexus’ DNA of supreme quality, comfort and experience, the NX recreates the inimitable hospitality you would expect from a Japanese host paired perfectly with Lexus’ signature ultra-modern tech features. From the 64 colours available in the personalised ambient lighting to driver greetings and mobile phone wireless charging to the state-of-the-art Mark Levinson speakers, the driver experiences a combination of two worlds that complement each other perfectly– the prioritisation of classic customer care values blended expertly with contemporary and customisable technology.
The Art of Feeling More report is available online at https://www.lexus.eu/discover-lexus//lexus-news/lexus-stories/the-art-of-feeling-more/#hero
Learn more about the new NX in https://www.lexus.eu/car-models/all-new-nx/