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The business of luxury

September 18 2007: 11:03 AM EDT

(Fortune Magazine) -- Over the past decade, luxury has gone from occasional indulgence to daily ritual. Think about how your morning cup of instant coffee has evolved into a $4 custom-made cappuccino. Or that Oscar de la Renta's perfume now sells at Wal-Mart (Charts, Fortune 500).

Those are two small examples in a global trend of bringing class to the masses. Goods and services once available only to the elite - think cashmere and stock advice - are on the way to becoming commodities. Luxury goods and the companies that sell them have become big business - $220 billion a year, estimate the consultants at Bain & Co.

biz_luxury_logo.jpg
• The many faces of Ralph Lauren
• Luxury goes mass market
• Managing Marc Jacobs
• The hipster in the gray flannel suit
• Does bling beat the market?
Photo Gallery launchSee more photos
12 Sultans of style
From iconic designers to luxury group titans, power has never looked so good.
More galleries
• The dawn of the McLuxury age
• The rebirth of Brooks Brothers
• 5 Luxe limited editions
• Deluxe on a dime

In the stories that follow, Fortune takes a look at the figures, the figureheads, and the companies - from Polo Ralph Lauren (Charts) to Brooks Brothers to Cartier to Gucci - behind the boom. Top of page

Ralph Lauren: Inside the $4 billion Polo empire
Does bling beat the market?
Mass vs. class
Brooks Brothers: The new man in the gray flannel suit
Managing Marc Jacobs
The style council: Icons in the business of style
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