Anti-Natural

Anti-Natural: Engineered, lab-grown products -- specifically, meats and precious stones -- have become more mainstream in recent years. As biotechnology evolves, so too does the ability to engineer multiple materials in a wider range. These newly engineered materials tend to be those previously sought after for their scarcity in nature, the difficulty of attaining them, and therefore, their association with a sense of elitism.

Elite materials becoming more accessible signifies a turn toward efficiency and often eco-consciousness, but also a redefinition of luxury and status. Consumers today are much more open to redefining luxury than those in the past, as social media has created more of a focus on equality and open-mindedness. Today's consumer places less value on scarcity and exclusivity and is, therefore, less weary of engineered alternatives to status items.