When we go shopping for clothes or bags etc., we can usually differentiate those shops that are designed for the middle-classed people, and those for the higher-classed people through the combination of its retail prices and the amount of people observed in the shop at a given moment in time (although don't be deceived by some people in the expensive shops who are just there to browse since they only have like 200 bucks, and with that kinda money, you can barely buy a belt there).
The expensive brands that I'm talking about are well known all around the world - Louis Vuitton, Burberry, Ralph Lauren, Hugo Boss, Chanel etc. Most of their creators have had a tough life and finally pursued their dreams and made a hell load of money. I remember once reading an article about Louis Vuitton, whose dream was to make a living in Paris. He was quite poor so he had to walk all the way there himself. In the end, after doing odd jobs and working with the French royalty, he began designing luggage bags and then the products started expanding into all the things that we see in a LV shop today. (Now, wasn't that a nice little background story?)
Let's first compare the prices between the average shop and the more expensive shop. The women's leather shoulder bags at http://www.handbagchic.com.au range from $50 to $250. The ones from http://www.louisvuitton.com/au/flash/index.jsp?direct1=cata range from $1000 - $3000. I guess it's fair for rich people to buy it since it's rather affordable for them, but for the common people like me, it is extremely expensive.
So why do middle-class people buy these branded things? The bags basically all serve the same purpose. They all carry women's daily accessories. They all have straps that go around your shoulder. They all have compartments to put little things in. The LV bags aren't magical. You can't pull out an elephant from it. You can't turn it into an umbrella when it rains. You can't do much else with it apart from show it off to the people around you. But is it really worth it? Is that one branded bag really worth 20x the normal retail price of a normal bag? (Yes I know I exaggerated in the title, but that, again, is not the point). Do you really want people around you to think "Hey, that girl looks rich with her LV bag. Oh wait, never mind, she looks like she can't afford food now"?
If you become rich in the future, go ahead and buy these designer things - you'll have enough disposable income. But right now, save your money for more important things. There's no point in you wearing a Ralph Lauren shirt when you're told by the landlord that you can't afford next week's rent. And, if you still continue to buy these products, remember these two points:
1. You're more likely to be targeted by thieves
2. Buy the items that have the brand securely written on the product - as soon as your Chanel metal label falls off your $1500 handbag, its probably going to look like its worth $50.
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I'm also going to add a little bit more here. I'll also never understand why the people who attempt to forge and make fake branded items usually misspell the brand - Rouph Lauren, Bruberry, Gocci. If you're gonna do this kind of thing, at least get it right. Please.
It has been brought to my attention that this is for copyright purposes. So, new thought: "I don't understand why people would buy something so blatantly fake."
People buy it because they believe that they're getting a level of quality for it which is called a 'perceived difference' between products. The brand doesn't necessarily make the quality better, but they build up a reputation to make it seem so.
ReplyDeleteThe reason why it's so popular is that people like to be seen with the expensive brand. Owning something branded makes people look rich (as you pointed out) and therefore successful, it's seen as glamorous, and the big one is that ownership is like admission to a club. Notice the people that own the Apple-branded junk think that they belong to an exclusive club for having it.
The misspelled brands are either cheap Asian forgeries (where their understanding of English lets them down) or it is done so they don't get picked up for copyright infringement (Bruberry is not Burberry, so they can't get done for it).
But they still use the same symbol/label, just with a misspelt name. They fail 50% then :P
ReplyDeleteI don't understand is why they would buy something that is so obviously fake then =]
ReplyDeleteHahaha... and girls that buy this often get the reverse effect : I usually think they're fake goods =]
ReplyDeleteBECAUSE THEY'RE PRETTY.......
ReplyDeletelol but seriously yeah it's as the first poster said, it's to get that perceived air of glamour. For many people having that 1 luxury item is enough to make them happy and maybe even make them feel like their life is worth more than it is.
Also as you pointed out it is the middle class people who buy these goods, not the lower class. It's highly unlikely that the person buying an LV bag is the same one who is unable to afford his rent. They are probably sacrificing other luxury items like Sky TV or something.
Let people buy what they want :)
I know some people who complain about being poor after spending their money on designer goods. And as for the rent thing, have you not seen Confessions of a Shopaholic? :D
ReplyDeleteconfessions of a shopaholic is about addiction to shopping in general, not about designer goods.
ReplyDeleteBut what she bought was only designer goods =]
ReplyDelete