I’ve been a label snob since junior high school. Like most teens, I had to have the latest trends and generic brands would not suffice. Now 45, having designer everything continues to be an important aspect of my life. I recently purchased a pair of Armani sunglasses for $138.00 on eBay. I was elated that I had gotten them for such a good price – they retail for $230 – but when they arrived, my first thought was “they are plastic and metal. Why did I spend this much for sunglasses?” Granted, they are very stylish and say “Armani” and “Made in Italy” on the inner temples, but I could have gotten a similar pair for less than half the price and no one would have known the difference. I began to examine why I, or for that matter anyone, feels the need to buy designer products.

The most obvious reason consumers crave designer brands is advertising. Magazines are, more often than not, 50% advertising and 50% editorial content. Advertisers are smart and place ads in magazines where their products are most likely to be desired. Fashion is dictated by designers and their ads depict their products as being hip, chic, and stylish, thus creating the perceived notion that if you wear their products, you will be hip, chic and stylish. In other words, we buy into the notion that we are what we wear.

Perceived quality is another factor in consumer’s designer brand buying habits. We feel the more expensive an item is, the better made it is. While this can be true in regards to fabric and stitching, unless you are buying couture – hand made – every item produced for mass consumption is made in a factory. Example: Calvin Klein has the majority of their ready-to-wear manufactured in Korea. Still, clothing purchased at Nordstrom will generally be higher quality than clothing purchased at Walmart. On the other hand, accessories such as plastic sunglasses, earrings and bracelets are generally not higher quality – they just have brand recognition.

The more you make, the more you spend. This holds true for most people, and while not everyone who falls into a higher income bracket is designer obsessed, chances are they are not buying inexpensive clothing. In other words, if they aren’t buying Armani or Chanel, they are probably still buying Brooks Brothers or Nordstrom label clothing. But the fact remains, if you can easily afford and want a Gucci handbag, chances are, you have one.

Designer wear has long been associated with social status. The World Wide Web is bridging the gap between the classes. With the increase in internet shopping, now those once out-of-reach of the middle class items are now more readily available on such sites as Overstock.com, Bluefly.com and even eBay which fuels the desire for designer wear even more. According to the Nielson Global Report, the “bling factor” is what is driving consumers to start or continue to buy designer wear. Their study shows that 52% of online shoppers believe that people buying designer brands are doing so to project a higher social status.

Celebrities also drive the desire for designer wear. If you’ve ever watched the red carpet at the Academy Awards, the first question that is asked of the movie stars is, “who are you wearing?” Advertisers are very aware of the impact that Hollywood has on consumer buying habits and use famous actors to sell their products. Swag is another way designers and other high-end retailers get the word across to the public about their products. Before most any award show, celebs who will be presenting are showered with gift bags containing everything from Ipods to designer accessories. These bags of swag can reach a value up to $100,000. Why do they do this? It is an inexpensive way – in comparison to a magazine ad – to advertise.

The future of the designer brand pull on consumers is bright. The proof of this is designer electronics. According to the Nielson Report, 35% of those surveyed said they would buy a mobile phone co-branded with a luxury label and 29% said they would purchase a designer laptop. Prada and Armani have already jumped into the cell phone market and sales are rivaling the iPhone.

Buying designer is not a bad thing. In fact, it drives an important factor of our economy. If no one bought designer wear, the demand for new trends would diminish greatly. Designer apparel and accessories dictate fashion which is then emulated by lesser known brands and sold to the masses. Even if you are not in the position to buy exclusively designer, having a few pieces speckled throughout your closet will add a high end touch to the overall aesthetic to your wardrobe.

Dress shabbily and they remember the dress; dress impeccably and they remember the woman. Coco Chanel

>Written by d/visible contributor Tony Engelhart.

This entry was posted on Monday, December 22nd, 2008 at 12:59 pm and is filed under Business, Fashion, Branding. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can leave a response, or trackback from your own site.