The theoretical part of this bachelor's thesis deals with the ambiguity surrounding the definition of luxury and then systematically outlines its historical development against the backdrop of broader societal changes as well as the philosophical thought and related literary works of the time, from antiquity to modern times. Furthermore, it acquaints the reader with the concept of luxury brands, summarizes their distinctive qualities with the objective of creating a comprehensive overview of the characteristics that make up their essence or sheds light on their operating principle in the context of marketing. Moreover, it explores luxuriousness as their more qualitative and subjective facet through the use of models describing its perceptio...