> ## Content Index > Fetch the complete content index at: https://www.spacesmagazine.africa/llms.txt > Use this file to discover other available public pages before exploring further. # The New Luxury in Fashion? Reading. - URL: https://www.spacesmagazine.africa/the-new-luxury-in-fashion-reading/ - Published: 2026-10-09T15:00:00.000Z - Updated: 2026-10-12T13:45:55.000Z - Author: Anette Baker - Tags: Fashion It was an unexpected sight at a Valentino show...not a handbag ...not a celebrity ...but a book donation. At a time when conversations around literacy and shrinking attention spans have become increasingly urgent, fashion appears to be embracing literature as a form of cultural currency and luxury. The moment raises an interesting question: If fashion can influence what we wear, can it also influence what we read? 0:00 /0:17 1× For decades, fashion has been one of the world's most effective cultural engines. Trends that begin on runways often find their way into homes, social feeds, playlists, and everyday conversations. But increasingly, fashion's influence appears to be extending beyond what we wear and into what we consume intellectually. The relationship between fashion and literature is hardly a new one. Designers have long referenced literature into their collections. Fashion magazines have historically functioned as cultural publications, introducing readers to writers, artists, and new ways of thinking. What feels different today is the growing visibility of books themselves as cultural objects. A book donation at a fashion show may seem like a small gesture, but it speaks to a wider shift. In an era characterised by endless scrolling and shrinking attention spans, reading has become something of a quiet rebellion. To sit with a book for hours requires a level of attention that modern life rarely demands of us. Yet there is growing evidence that people are craving exactly that. Book clubs have experienced a resurgence. Independent bookstores are once again becoming gathering spaces. Reading lists have become a fixture of celebrity interviews and creative profiles. More and more, books are being viewed not only as sources of knowledge, but as extensions of taste, curiosity, and style. This is perhaps why Valentino's gesture felt so noteworthy. It suggested that culture extends beyond garments and accessories and into the ideas that shape how we see the world. And while a luxury fashion house is unlikely to solve literacy challenges, it can help make reading visible. It can remind audiences that books remain relevant, exciting, and worthy of attention. It can place literature back into spaces often associated with aspiration and influence. ![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/85/39/8539220a-facb-4bd9-81c1-fde9c6ed0f13/content/images/2026/10/SaveClip.App_834237724_18635172160001629_6369480047168708079_n.jpg) ![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/85/39/8539220a-facb-4bd9-81c1-fde9c6ed0f13/content/images/2026/10/SaveClip.App_834678197_18635172187001629_3400269225864606459_n.jpg) ![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/85/39/8539220a-facb-4bd9-81c1-fde9c6ed0f13/content/images/2026/10/SaveClip.App_836739421_18635171968001629_2000593580500352976_n.jpg) Valentino SS27 Show A designer bag is nice. But so is a library. So, inspired by Valentino's reminder that books can be just as aspirational as fashion, we started imagining what we'd do with **R10,000 and unrestricted access to Amazon's virtual bookshelves.** The result? A wildly ambitious reading list featuring African literature, photography monographs, fashion tomes, design classics, and enough cultural criticism to keep us busy for the foreseeable future. ![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/85/39/8539220a-facb-4bd9-81c1-fde9c6ed0f13/content/images/2026/10/2-2.png) ![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/85/39/8539220a-facb-4bd9-81c1-fde9c6ed0f13/content/images/2026/10/4-4.png) ![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/85/39/8539220a-facb-4bd9-81c1-fde9c6ed0f13/content/images/2026/10/7-2.png) ****Design, Culture & Inspiration: Our Coffee Table Book Picks** ![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/85/39/8539220a-facb-4bd9-81c1-fde9c6ed0f13/content/images/2026/10/5-2.png) ![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/85/39/8539220a-facb-4bd9-81c1-fde9c6ed0f13/content/images/2026/10/6-2.png) ****The SPACES Culinary Bookshelf Must Have** ![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/85/39/8539220a-facb-4bd9-81c1-fde9c6ed0f13/content/images/2026/10/9-4.png) ![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/85/39/8539220a-facb-4bd9-81c1-fde9c6ed0f13/content/images/2026/10/Books-Instagram-Post-website-1.png) ![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/85/39/8539220a-facb-4bd9-81c1-fde9c6ed0f13/content/images/2026/10/3-5.png) ****Contemporary Classics & Literary Discoveries** ![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/85/39/8539220a-facb-4bd9-81c1-fde9c6ed0f13/content/images/2026/10/10-2.png) ****For the Artists.** Perhaps Valentino was right to place books at the centre of the conversation. They offer something that fashion, for all its beauty, cannot: the opportunity to live many lives, travel across continents, question assumptions, and encounter entirely new ways of seeing. Trends come and go. A great book stays with you. And if luxury is ultimately about enrichment, then a well-stocked library may be one of the most luxurious things a person can own.