Luxury isn’t always defined by a price tag or exclusivity. It’s not always behind a velvet rope. There’s one particular luxury that everyone hopes for, and it feels more elusive than ever these days. That’s the luxury of time. Time to breathe. Time to slow down and savor. Time to create something with intention rather than false urgency. In a world obsessed with the speed of overnight shipping, instant downloads, and same-day everything, it almost feels like a nervous system reset to simply move slow.
And when something takes time and effort to make, to grow, or to experience, it becomes luxurious in the most fundamental sense. So this week in the journal, we’re rounding up some of the most luxuriously time-intensive items that embody the philosophy of slow luxury. They are luxurious because of the time they take.
Here are seven slow-made luxuries that remind us to live intentionally, consume deliberately, and embrace the beauty of that which can’t be hurried.
1. Handcrafted Kimono Robes — A Generations-Old Craft
Our handcrafted kimono robes are the epitome of slow luxury. They are crafted by timeless techniques, orally passed down from generation to generation. They’re rooted in family artistry and cultural heritage, so nothing about their creation is rushed. It all comes from a place of intention. Our Handpanted Silk Collection takes 7 days to craft from start to finish. So when you slip into one of our pieces, whether it's a women's black robe that drapes with sophisticated elegance or a plus size duster kimono robe that moves with soft, airy grace around your curves, you’re wearing the result of patience, craftsmanship, and care.
We make our kimono robes in small seasonal batches, and every collection is created months in advance. That’s the difference you can feel on your own skin: time, love, and tradition stitched into every inch. And that slowness is what makes each piece a luxurious heirloom meant to be worn throughout the different chapters of your life.Our artisans work the way their parents and grandparents did: hands to fabric, brushes to silk, with needles and thread, because some things simply can’t be automated.You can feel the beautiful time it takes.
Photo by Maria Del Rio
2. A Long, Slow-Simmered Meal
There’s rush-made food, and then there’s the kind your grandmother would spend all day preparing, letting flavors expand and deepen until the whole house smelled like home. The luxury of a slow braise or a simmering pot of broth isn’t just about taste, it’s about the ritual of making it. Time brings about real flavor. These meals don’t fit into your schedule; you fit your schedule into making these meals! It’s the ultimate act of presence, bringing you right into the moment and what it needs from you. Much like slipping into a long silky robe at the end of a long day, there’s something grounding and sensual in this kind of culinary patience. And on the other side of your patience is nourishment, tradition, and the feeling of being connected to the earth.
Photo by Nick Onken
3. Bespoke or Tailored Clothing
Fast fashion may be convenient, but it will never hold a candle to the magic of a garment made specifically for your body. Good tailoring takes time. You have to go into the tailor for measurements, fittings, adjustments, and those finishing touches. That specificity, and the time it takes to make it, is what makes good tailoring so luxurious. And once you slip into something that fits well, your clothing transforms into your confidence. We’ve seen many men in our kimono store trying on men's silk robes tailored to their frame for the first time. That moment when the fabric seems to perfectly fit around their form, feels incredible. Sometimes customers will hem one of our women’s black robes, for an even more bespoke and perfect fit. It’s the tiny details of craftsmanship and tailoring coming together to make something truly unique and self-expressive.
Photo by @theobjectenthusiast
4. Hand-Thrown Ceramics
The world does not need another mass-produced mug. What it does need is to remember that what is made by a human hand is irreplicable. That human touch is everything. And hand-thrown ceramics are a great example of this. Hand-thrown ceramics go through a long journey: shaping, trimming, drying, firing, glazing, firing again. Each step takes time, any ceramicist knows there are no shortcuts. The clay must rest. The glaze must settle. The kiln must reach the exact temperature. Every piece of pottery carries a timeline within it that can’t be pushed or rushed. When you wrap your hands around a mug that was made slowly and intentionally, it becomes more than an object. It becomes part of your morning rituals. Just like that plus size duster kimono robe that sweeps around your body during slow sunrise moments, your handmade mug is another way to feel connected to time and presence without feeling the need to rush too far ahead.
Photo by Ashley Streff
5. A Well-Tended Garden
Gardening is the ultimate practice of humility in regards to time. You cannot rush a seed! You cannot hustle a tomato! You cannot swipe left or right on nature and speed up her cooperation. A garden forces you to align your expectations with the cycle and pace of the seasons. And that’s what makes the harvest luxurious, not just the literal fruits, herbs, or flowers, but the process itself that it took to get there.Then, seemingly out of nowhere, one day, on nature’s timeline, you’re rewarded. Whether you’re tending a garden or caring for a long silky robe, or stirring a soup, you’re practicing patience, presence, and ritual in every case. Luxury is the slowness required to bring something to life.
Wrapping yourself in a plus size duster kimono robe or a beloved long silky robe, tending to your kitchen, or using your hands to make crafts that can last a lifetime are all ultimately practices in slowing yourself down. Self care isn’t just about doing, sometimes it’s the practice of not doing anything at all. Sometimes it’s about allowing time to unfold before you, without trying to rush. Give yourself permission to slow down this holiday season, and transform an ordinary moment into a luxurious one.
