Last week's Wall Street Journal showcased a New York City boutique that makes a point of excluding any clothes with right-in-your-face logos.
We kind of like this idea since we think dressing as a walking advertisement is pretty lame (and ugly.)
But the article got us thinking about something else:
How do the designers who put out these products, usually accessories, actually feel about them?
We understand why they design them- there's a market for people who want to show off that they can afford, say, a Louis Vuitton (as in, LOUIS VUITTON!) bag or a pair of huge, crystal-encrusted Dior shades. And, whether it's ethical or not, companies want to collect the hordes of money that these people are willing to drop on "status" items that bellow their net worth to everyone they walk by.
But we find that the people who are truly into fashion- as in, style instead of trendiness- wouldn't be caught dead with either of the above, or anything like them, and consider themselves apart from the people who buy into this heavily branded fashion. And this group of people, of course, includes designers - although we did see John Galliano in a "J'adore Dior" shirt, once.
Do you think designers ever think twice about perpetrating a hideous trend? Or does money matter too much to care?
posted by rachael
Nov 19, 2007 3:00PM
I think designers are smart, and know that there is a market out there for these items. They're generally less expensive and appeal to those who cannot totally afford the luxury lifestyle, but want a small piece of it. I think it targets teenagers mostly, those high school girls who may actually want a chanel bag but instead save up all their money for those terribly tacky diamond CC earrings.
I'm not going to lie, when I was 15 years old, I worked at the Gap for a few months. I hated the job with a passion, and only quit after I had earned enough money to buy a LV pouchette and a pair of Miss Sixty jeans. That may have been 8 years ago (wow that sounds like a lifetime), but the same idea still exists with teenagers today. And if designers can tap into the market (and possibly take advantage of the insecurities of teenagers and their perpetual need to fit in), I think it is a smart business move. Even if it does promote a "hideous trend".