Imagine this: against your better judgment, you purchase a Gucci bag off ebay. It’s $150, so it’s not so cheap that you suspect a Chinese knockoff, the G’s all look properly aligned, there’s a label of authenticity, and the seller explains that she’s just trying to do some spring cleaning to pay for college. She even has a return policy if you’re unsatisfied.
You get the bag in the mail and it’s of excellent quality, and you proudly cart it to fancy malls and stylish events. It probably is about the same size and shape of what you could find at Kohl’s for $25 but the fact that it’s Gucci makes you feel on top of the world. Until: your Carrie Bradshaw friend pulls you aside and gently tells you that Gucci never made a hobo bag with that silver strap, not even during its early ‘80s slump. Suddenly that same well-sewn bag plummets in worth in your own eyes, relegated to gym bag status. Is this at all familiar?
Everyone knows that what we pay for in retail is image. The actual costs of materials and production are comparatively miniscule. It’s why we prefer Coke over its generic counterpart, an American Apparel plain t over the same t at Target. It’s the magic of clever branding. There comes a point though, when it reaches a level of ridiculousness. In fashion, the discrepancy between what we would pay for something designer and the same product non-designer is substantial, largely because there is almost no issue of functionality and its worth is dependent on image alone (yes, yes, I know that Citizens jeans last longer than Gap's...).
If someone told me that the ipod I’ve been using for 2 years was somehow not actually Apple, I’d live with it. It still plays music and they’ll fix it for me at the Apple store, so who cares? Sure I paid $200 for it but it does the trick brand or not. A pair of pumps also has the same function whether they’re from D&G or DSW, but there is a whole new level of outrage regarding authenticity. Why are [some of us] so unable to see things for what they are?
Pt 1: Calling (kate) spade a spade... why do we shell out for image?
August 3rd, 2008 at 06:51 pm
August 3rd, 2008 at 07:28 pm 1217791737
I've never been one to follow fads or trends. If I see something that appeals to me - great! If it just so happens to be the "in" style, oh well, that's nice.
I don't see the point in spending several hundred dollars for a sweater - just because it has a Neiman Marcus name brand on it - that you could get for maybe $30 at Macy's or Kohl's.
August 3rd, 2008 at 08:07 pm 1217794024
I'm guilty of shopping at American Eagle and Abercrombie, and even browsing Gucci's website (although I never bought anything). But, as a counter point, I usually only paid full price for the jeans (which I still say are better quality than you'll find at Walmart)... and always bought the tops that were on sale or clearance.
An upside of where I lived growing up was that you could shop at Dillard's, Abercrombie, and Express, and be a fashion god. And if you did happen to buy a knock-off Gucci bag, nobody would ever know.
August 3rd, 2008 at 08:12 pm 1217794344
August 4th, 2008 at 03:27 pm 1217863663
August 5th, 2008 at 12:25 pm 1217939129
The only exception I want to throw out there is jeans. I only buy them from American Eagle, but that's because they fit so much better. lol. I try to get them on sale, though.