- Any random object can become a luxury item if it is plated in gold or produced by a well-known, high-end designer.
- With the holidays approaching, Business Insider rounded up some of the most over-the-top luxury items currently on the market.
- The list includes everything from toothpaste infused with 23.75 carat gold dust to Swarovski crystal-covered bathtubs for babies.
- Visit Business Insider's homepage for more stories.
Toothbrushes, dog collars, trash cans, and fire extinguishers are all standard products that ultimately have no indulgent or elaborate qualities.
But if you plate them in gold? Or slap a designer name on them? They'll positively drip with extravagance; they'll become luxury items.
Business Insider rounded up a few over-the-top luxury items that are currently on the market, including a $920 (R13,500) Louis Vuitton keychain and a $7,650 (R111,000) Hermès waste basket, among other ordinary-yet-fancified objects.
Note that this list is only a small sampling of the exhaustive luxury market. It's organized in ascending order of price:
A single Saint Laurent branded condom is currently selling for €2 (or just over R30). The foil comes in multiple designs, including zebra print and leopard print.
Standard, non-designer condoms typically cost well under R14 when bought in larger packages, according to Planned Parenthood.
Source: Saint Laurent
A Goop-approved 1.2-ounce bar of dehydrated caviar wrapped in gold foil costs R1,450.
Source: Business Insider, Calvisius
A Mercedes-Benz branded dog collar will set you back €99.90 (or roughly R1,600).
Source: Mercedes-Benz
A Swiss luxury dental company called Swiss Smile released a fancy R1,700 toothbrush and toothpaste combination set. The toothpaste is said to contain 23.75 carat gold dust while the toothbrush is plated with real gold.
Source: Neiman Marcus
Another personal grooming luxury item is a famous R3,500 English hairbrush. The Mason Pearson hairbrush is handmade and has "premium-grade boar" bristles.
Source: Business Insider , Nordstrom
Prada is currently selling a single luxury paperclip. It retails for R3,500 and is meant to be used as a money clip.
Source: Prada
Another outlandish, Goop-approved holiday gift is a R3,650 handcrafted brass fire extinguisher.
"Because yes, even something as practical and purposeful as say, a fire extinguisher, can skew sexy," writes Goop in the product description.
Alas, the brass fire extinguisher is currently sold out. However, the copper and chrome models (each selling for the same price as the brass version) are still available.
Source: Business Insider, Goop
Burberry is selling a $320 cotton bucket hat. While it may look like any beach hat meant to simply protect your face from the sun, the seam is Burberry-branded.
Source: Burberry
Louis Vuitton just released a R4,600 holiday-themed keychain and "ski bag charm." It features a skiing wooden figurine wearing a mink fur coat. And yes, that's real mink.
Source: Louis Vuitton
Even umbrellas can become a luxury item. Dolce & Gabbana created an umbrella with an eagle head handle that retails for R20,400.
Source: Farfetch
In the market for a baby gift this holiday season? How about a handmade-to-order miniature bathtub, encrusted with 8,600 Swarovski crystals? The customized creation costs R76,000.
The company that handcrafts these tubs offers them in "every color on the Swarovski color pallette" and suggests that they can also be used for pets or as an elaborate ice bucket at parties.
Source: The Diamond Bathtub
You can find hat boxes on Amazon for under R430, but a new Gucci hat box with floral imagery layered over Gucci's signature print retails for R84,700.
Why gift anyone an iconic Hermès scarf when you can splurge on Hermès home decor — like this R111,700 solid maple wood waste basket — instead?
Source: Hermès
A customized, hand-embossed Monopoly board from a London-based luxury game-maker costs between R73,000 to R219,000, depending on customization options, and includes sterling silver playing pieces.
Source: Geoffrey Parker
A Smeg x Dolce & Gabbana stainless steel range from the collaboration's Divina Cucina Collection currently retails for R146,000. The home appliance collection also includes an R12,400 4-slice toaster and a tiny R21,900 espresso machine.
Source: Neiman Marcus
A R1 million sterling silver and 24k gold chess set from Tiffany is listed as an "Everyday Object" on the jewelry giant's website — alongside a R7,100 protractor and a R10,200 set of two ping pong paddles made from leather and walnut.
Source: Tiffany & Co.
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