Why does luxury brand Balanciaga sell a $2,000 purse modeled after a $1 blue Ikea shopping bag? What's behind the craze for seemingly distressed and worn-out Gucci sneakers? We are often taught that "state symbols" start among the glitterati and trend setters of high society before trickling down to others. But a new trend seems to contradict this pattern.
Instead of adopting a new luxury product or embracing fresh high-end tastes, an increasing number of prestigious brand and celebrities are adopting lower-end fashions and items (e.g. duct-taped shoes, palstic shopping bags, and street food). To make sense of this new trend, researchers conducted a series of studies across various domains such as food and clothing to understand how consumers use products and brands to signal who they are.
They discovered that, as tradtional luxury goods - like the iconic Louis Vuitton monogram bags or Chanel No.5 - become more widespread and attainable, the wealthy are seeking alternative ways to signal their prestige and power. In this context, more elites are experimenting with lowbrow culture and dowscale tastes without fear of losing status, while middle class individuals, whose financial position is more tenuous, stick to clear-cut status symbols. Status symbols now tend to travel in a different direction, trickling-roudn from the bottom straight to the top, bypassing the middle.
- Adapted from "The Mystery of the $2,000 Ikea Shopping Bag," by Silvia Bellezza and Jonah Berger.
※ 요약: 중산층은 경제적인 이유 때문에 (명품브랜드라는 것을 쉽게 알아볼 수 있는) 보편적인 디자인의 명품백을 구매하는 반면, 부유층에서는 그들만의 위신과 권력을 보여줄 수 있는 대안을 찾아나섰기 때문.
댓글