Every few months, the internet collectively gasps this time, it’s over Prada’s $775 (₹38,000) safety pin brooch. Yes, a safety pin. The kind you can buy for ₹5 at your local store. But here’s the thing that’s exactly the point.

While the world mocks, the rich quietly smile. Because what most of us see as absurd, they see as art, exclusivity, and identity. For the wealthy, luxury isn’t about function; it’s about statement. When Prada releases a ₹1.2 lakh Kolhapuri or a ₹38,000 pin, it’s not just selling a product it’s selling a symbol.

Let’s be real when was the last time anyone was impressed by practicality? Status today is built on rarity, audacity, and the story behind the absurd. Owning something others can’t comprehend or afford becomes the new definition of being “above ordinary.” It’s not just about the item, it’s about what it represents: power, privilege, and the confidence to wear something that challenges logic.

So while some may laugh at the idea of a luxury safety pin, Prada understands one timeless truth luxury is not about need, it’s about perception. And perception, for the elite, is everything. Without these symbols of status, maybe we wouldn’t take “the rich” as seriously. Because, let’s admit it exclusivity creates aspiration, and aspiration drives admiration.

So before we mock a Prada safety pin, maybe we should ask ourselves if you could afford it, would you buy it? Would you spend on a statement that says, I belong to a world you can only dream of?

Because in the end, that’s not just a pin that’s power, pinned perfectly.

–KHIZRA KHAN