The resale market has allowed more commoners to obtain these bags, but one’s image is now intricately linked to the bag’s condition.
A 33-year-old fashion enthusiast, Jenny Walton, said HERMÈS Birkin bags never go out of style. She believes a worn-out bag conveys a particular cool factor rather than merely flaunting one’s wealth. Jenny snidely remarked that reality TV stars and their ostentatious displays of pristine HERMÈS Birkin bags are pretty tacky.
Carrying an HERMÈS handbag that looks beat up, like this Birkin bag with faded corners, can suggest it is not simply being worn as a marker of status.Resee
Celebrities like Candice Bergen, Julia Fox, Danielle Steel, and Mary-Kate Olsen have all dared to use HERMÈS bags with visible signs of wear and tear, making them seem more approachable and less focused on material possessions. It’s a subtle way of saying, “I’m so fabulously wealthy that I don’t even care if my $10,000 bag looks like a used-car salesman’s briefcase.”
The iconic Birkin bag, released in 1984, was conceived during a chat between actress Jane Birkin and Jean-Louis Dumas, the CEO of HERMÈS at the time. Jane needed a bag to carry around her children’s belongings, and Dumas obliged. Who knew that such a mundane conversation would lead to the creation of one of the world’s most sought-after status symbols?
As Mr. Marx eloquently said, “It’s just a bag. Who cares if it’s beaten up?”
Even the Haut à Courroies bag, originally designed for transporting saddles and riding boots, has found a new life among the fashion elite. A well-loved version of the bag, once owned by fashion editor André Leon Talley, recently sold for a whopping $32,000 at a Christie’s auction.
W. David Marx, a luxury culture expert, claims that luxury items must possess an air of nonchalance to function as status symbols. A beat-up HERMÈS bag suggests that the owner isn’t merely using it to flaunt their wealth but rather appreciates it as a functional item.
As Mr. Marx eloquently said, “It’s just a bag. Who cares if it’s beaten up?”
The art director Ryan Reineck said that his Haut à Courroies bag’s imperfections give it character and “a history.”Ryan ReineckJane Birkin carrying her namesake HERMÈS bag, personalized with keychains, in 2009.Francois Durand/Getty Images
After all, it’s pretty gauche to parade around with a new bag, desperately seeking validation.
If you’re fortunate enough to own a HERMÈS Kelly or Birkin, embrace the snobbery and irony of a well-worn bag. After all, it’s pretty gauche to parade around with a new bag, desperately seeking validation. Simply put, a scuffed-up HERMÈS bag epitomizes high fashion irony.
Fake Luxury Shoe Store Prank proves Luxury is just Perception
What makes a product luxurious? Is it the quality of materials used or the craftsmanship involved? Or is it simply the brand image and the price tag? A recent PAYLESS Shoe Store prank suggests the answer is the latter.
PAYLESS rebranded their entire store and the name and significantly increased their prices; the results are fascinating.
PAYLESS, a low-priced footwear retailer in the US, rebranded its entire store and name for a weekend to test how much people would pay for their shoes if they didn’t know they were theirs. They built a fake luxury store called PALESSI, filled it with avant-garde sculptures and displays, hired an entire team of sales associates, and filled all the shelves with PAYLESS shoes, jacking up the prices by as much as 1800%.
Potential consumers were scouted from the streets and the Internet for social media influencers and fashionable people who looked likely to attend the event. Attendees purchased overpriced shoes, some for $200, $400, and $600, and were taken to the backroom, where the prank was revealed.
Consumers have been paying hugely inflated prices, some of the pleasures that we get from things that we buy come from the money we spent on them.”
Inside the PALESSI shoe store.
The results were fascinating. People were willing to pay hugely inflated prices for PAYLESS shoes simply because they were marketed as luxury items under the for this occasion invented brand name PALESSI. It shows that people care much more about the brand image and prices than the product and its quality.
This is not to say that all luxury brands are guilty of this. Some have legitimate reasons for their prices due to the high quality of materials used and the craftsmanship involved. A brand’s exclusivity is also marketed as a status symbol representing wealth and success. In many cases, the high prices of luxury items result from the market’s supply and demand.
People care a lot more about the brand image and, in some cases, the prices more so, than they do about the actual product and the quality of it.
Compliments are great, but would these fashionista influencer types open their wallets for our shoes? The PAYLESS team watched from the room backstage as the first customer approached the register. All celebrated the first sale, but then they witnessed more and more shoes selling. Shoes sold for 250, 400, and even $600.
Before they left, we let them know the shoes were from PAYLESS. Anyone who bought the shoes got them from PAYLESS as a gift, but we proved they could sell for over ten times the average PAYLESS price. Now anyone can come into PAYLESS and get these shoes for as low as 19.99.
People care a lot more about the brand image and, in some cases, the prices more so, than they do about the actual product and the quality of it. Even though this is nothing new, it makes you think more about the situation. So if we look at it in reverse and start with a luxury brand, for example, GUCCI, take a few of their products. For instance, you’ll see that the watch logo t-shirt or the Ace trainers are not luxury items. They’re just priced very highly. But because of GUCCI’s brand image, they’ll get categorized as luxury products, and many buyers buy into that.
This won’t be the case for every luxury brand, of course. Some have legitimate reasons for their prices due to the high quality of materials used and the craftsmanship involved. A brand’s exclusivity is also marketed as a status symbol representing wealth and success. In many cases, the high prices of luxury items result from the market’s supply and demand.
The debates surrounding luxury brand product quality and prices will continue forever.
However, the debates surrounding luxury brand product quality and prices will continue forever. Some argue that the high prices of luxury brands are unethical, as they often exploit the labor of workers in developing countries and perpetuate inequality. Critics also say that luxury goods marketing creates an unsustainable culture of overconsumption and waste.
On the other hand, some people argue that luxury brands are justified in charging high prices because they provide jobs and contribute to the economy. Others say that consumers have the right to spend their money on what they choose, including luxury items, and that the high prices reflect the value consumers place on the brand and its products.
In conclusion, the perception of luxury is not solely determined by its price tag, but by the overall value it holds for the consumer expressed through its brand identity, craftsmanship, and quality of materials. Whether or not the high prices of luxury brands are ethical and justified is a matter of perspective and values. It is important to understand that the value of a product is not just based on its price tag, but also on the emotional connection that consumers have with the brand identity and what it represents.
Despite economic uncertainty and digital disruption, luxury brand stalwarts DIOR GUCCI and CHANEL SAINT LAURENT also remain resilient in their leadership.
A lot has changed in luxury over the past six months, with Covid restrictions easing in China, corporate reshuffles at LVMH, the acquisition of TOM FORD by ESTÉE LAUDER and the departure of Alessandro Michele from GUCCI. The top four brands of the VOGUE BusinessIndex have nonetheless remained the same, defending their positionings. Look under the hood, though, and some changes seem to be happening, with purchase intent down for most major players (except in China) and diminishing scores across many of the consumer metrics tracked.
Few luxury consumers want to switch brands but may shop differently if prices increase, with a readiness to wait for sales.
Survey data shows few consumers want to switch brands as economic instability continues but may shop differently if prices increase, with a readiness to wait for sales. Brands should continue to grow their digital reach, being mindful of the fastest-growing channels, and working with culturally important figures and collaborators in spaces like gaming, film/TV, hospitality, and leisure to cement their appeal even if times are tough.
1. LOUIS VUITTON
LVMH
Rank change: 0
A leader in almost all areas covered by the VOGUE Business Index, LOUIS VUITTON maintains its spot at the top of the rankings. Enthusiasm for the French Maison among luxury consumers only grew over the course of 2022, and its score on the innovation pillar improved too. New CEO Pietro Beccari has the strongest of foundations from which to work.
2. DIOR
LVMH
Rank change: 0
Beccari’s former home came incredibly close to unseating Louis Vuitton, but it was not to be this time. DIOR is once again the standout digital performer in the Index and even ranks slightly ahead of LOUIS VUITTON on purchase intent. One reason for its failure to take the top spot is it’s underdeveloped omnichannel (or cross-channel) shopping experience when compared to its peers.
3. GUCCI
Kering
Rank change: 0
Creative director Alessandro Michele has left, and GUCCI is at a crossroads. Demand for the brand has diminished among consumers across almost all of the major markets tracked, upping the pressure on Kering to pick an exciting successor. Despite this, GUCCI remains incredibly well-liked among luxury consumers worldwide and a pioneer across ESG (environmental, social, and governance), as well as all things digital.
4. CHANEL
Chanel Limited
Rank change: 0
Little has changed for CHANEL. Its resistance to digital sales and innovations like resale makes it a laggard in some of the key metrics tracked. The brand nevertheless impresses consumers more than any other when all VOGUE Business Index survey questions are taken into account, leading on awareness, recommendation, and purchase intent.
5. SAINT LAURENT
Kering
Rank change: +2
As the hype around Gucci has become more muted, SAINT LAURENT has been a bright spot for parent company Kering. It takes the fifth spot in the ranking from RALPH LAUREN in this edition of the Index. Consumer appreciation for the brand has increased over the course of the year and its digital performance has also improved. A new approach to ESG scoring that takes the work of parent companies like Kering more into account also helped SAINT LAURENT’s score. It continues to be a low scorer on innovation, with room for growth in this space.
