There is an old saying that you get what you pay for. When it comes to fast fashion, that statement is true. You pay low prices because you get low quality. When it comes to high-end designer clothing, that old saying is false. You pay far more than what you get in return. Neither is a good deal.
The prices at fast fashion retailers like H&M, Forever 21, and Zara are cheap because the fabric and construction of their clothes are cheap. That is why fast fashion is sometimes called “throw-away” fashion. I spent a brief stint as a commercial model and a fellow model told me he would buy shirts at H&M, wear them one time, and throw them away. No wonder our landfills are filling up with fast fashion rejects!
Smart people understand that value is about what something is worth, not just what it costs. Spending $20 on cheaply made pants with uneven seams and a zipper that sticks is not a good value. Clothes that start to fall apart after a few washes are not bargains.
A spokesperson from California Closets said the average person only wears 20 percent of their clothing. I have no doubt that fast fashion is a contributing factor. Who wants to wear clothes that look and feel cheap? Raise your hand.
On the flip side, who wants to overpay for their clothes and accessories? Spending $500 on a top that is the same quality and style as one you can get for $50 is also not too smart.
When I was doing research for my latest book, The Smart Woman’s Guide to Style & Clothing, I flipped through a number of fashion magazines. I saw a Saint Laurent top in Marie Claire for $850, a Miu Miu dress in Vogue for $3,500, and a Giorgio Armani handbag in Town and Country for $31,045. Yes, really.
A naïve person might assume that you are getting what you pay for when you buy high-end designer brands. While the fabrics and construction are generally much better than fast fashion, you are mainly paying for marketing. Advertising in Vogue is not cheap, you know. The conglomerates that sell high-end designer brands spend massive amounts of money to convince buyers that their brands are prestigious. That is what you are paying for.
Customers of luxury brands pay for the designer name. However, smart people do not feel the need to impress others and therefore do not fall for the hype. They confidently wear what makes them look and feel good. Celebrities may be paid to wear designer clothes, but the rest of us are not.
If we choose to avoid luxury brands at one extreme and discount and budget brands at the other extreme, what other options do we have? If you said off-price retailers like T.J. Maxx or outlet stores like Nordstrom Rack, that is a good guess…but, sadly, wrong. In a Huffington Post article, Shannon Whitehead stated, “The reality is that outlets broker deals with designers so they can put designer labels on the cheaply made clothing manufactured in their own low-quality factories.”
If you want to shop smart, then focus on mid-tier brands. This is the sweet spot where price equals value. The mid-tier level includes both premium brands and moderate brands. Premium brands are great quality at a great price. Moderate brands are good quality at a good price.
Premium brands are sometimes called affordable luxury brands. They include brands like Tory Burch, J. Crew, and Coach. This tier also includes bridge brands, which are the lower-priced lines of the top designers. You can often tell the bridge brands by their labels. For instance, Michael Kors is a luxury brand, but MICHAEL Michael Kors is their more affordably priced bridge brand.
Moderate brands provide good value and are a great place to find “casual” and “dressy casual” clothes, shoes, and accessories at reasonable prices. You can find many of your essentials here, like T-shirts, blouses, jeans, sportswear, and swimwear. Examples of moderate brands are Gap, Levi’s, and INC at Macy’s.
Through clever marketing, the fashion industry tempts us to continue buying new clothes to keep up with the latest trends. Fast fashion tempts us because we think we are getting a bargain. High-end designer brands tempt us because we think we are paying for quality. Smart people avoid both extremes.
Coincidentally, “smart” has two meanings. It means intelligent, but it also means sharply dressed. There is no reason why we cannot be both kinds of “smart” and mainly stick to mid-tier brands that make our bodies and our budgets look good.
The Fashion pyramid is a market segmentation pyramid that segregates fashion brands based on price, quality and creativity. The higher the segmentation level, the higher are those characteristics in this brand.
The five levels of fashion segmentation are Haute Couture, Ready-to-Wear [RTW], Diffusion, Bridge and Mass Market.
Haute Couture
At the top of the fashion pyramid comes haute couture. These are exclusive, made-to-measure pieces, characterized by a high level of craftsmanship and attention to detail. They are not addressing a large audience, but rather select few clients and are considered like pieces of art.
Haute couture collections are often made by luxury brands, such as Chanel.
Ready To Wear [RTW]
Ready-to-wear or Prêt-à-Porter come in more standardized sizes, as opposed to the made-to-measure pieces from haute couture. They are still characterized by a high degree of creativity that often embodies the vision of the designer
Ready-to-wear brands are intended to address a wider audience and include designer brands such as Gucci
Diffusion
Diffusion brands are inspired by Ready-to-Wear but intend to appeal to a much wider audience at lower price points, although the price is still at a high level. They are more casual pieces and have a younger target demographic.
Diffusion brands are distributed through different retail and wholesale channels, with the intention of reaching more customers.
Diffusion includes designer and premium brands, such as DKNY & Marc by Marc Jacobs.
Bridge
Bridge brands, as the name suggests, intend to bridge the gap between high end and mass market. They address people who are ready to pay up for the right level of quality .
Bridge includes a number of premium brands, such as Coach & Diesel.
Mass Market
At the very bottom of the fashion pyramid comes the mass-market segment. This is intended to reach the maximum number of people, by providing trendy fashion at affordable retail prices.
This includes a high number of fast fashion brands, such as Zara, Shein, H&M, Uniqlo,..etc.
Importance of The Fashion Pyramid
It’s important for anyone starting a clothing line or buying and pricing fashion products to know where the brand they are working on lies on the fashion pyramid.
This is because other activities done for the brand, such as marketing, buying and pricing, need to align with such segmentation.
For example, pricing a fashion item will need to reflect its segmentation, by setting a price that aligns with the brand positioning. Brands at the top of the pyramid will apply a prestige pricing strategy for example, while brands in the mass market segment will choose another strategy that is more competitive and is value driven.
What is the point of high end fashion shows?
Fashion shows are one of the most important communication and marketing tools through which fashion brands their brand image, personality, values, and culture. Also, Fashion Shows give brands high visibility online and offline.
What is the purpose of luxury brands?
Luxury brands sit at the very top of the market, offering exceptional quality, personalized experiences, and exclusivity. They use aspirational branding, pricing strategies, and brand recognition to attract customers.
What are the benefits of expensive clothing?
All the way down to the cut and fit of the garment, luxury brands elevate everyday essentials while being rooted in integrity. Alongside expert tailoring and quality comes durability, with designer pieces far less likely to fall apart than fast fashion items designed to be worn twice and then thrown away.
Why do people like high fashion?
One of the main reasons people love to wear designer clothes is the unique and exclusive style they offer. Designer brands are known for their distinct aesthetic, setting trends and pushing boundaries in the fashion industry.