Draft 3

Fashion

Al Weber

Nervous jitters are common amongst applicants for a new job. You know, when your palms are so sweaty that no matter how many times you wipe them off you are still worried that your prospective employer will feel the beads of anxiety coming through your handshake. Many applicants try to put their best foot forward by dressing in their nicest, most expensive, clothes. There is nothing wrong with wanting to look your best, but there is something wrong in the perverse idea that you need to buy a 1000 dollar pair of slacks to do so. Fashion, the ever-mutating industry, changes with the seasons: trends that are “in” are soon “out,” causing consumers to blindly race after the next “big thing.” Designer brands such as Prada, Gucci, and Burberry feed off this mindset, which is one of the many reasons they should not be bought first hand by young consumers. Financial exploitation, quality of the product, and morality are all involved in the purchase of designer clothing. There is, however, a solution to reduce cost and scruples while still maintaining a polished exterior.

            As claimed by PRADA, Gucci, and Burberry, their targeted audience is young men and women new to adulthood and financial independence. However, due to their monetary infancy many cannot afford the expensive handbags that are thrust before them. In numerous fashion advertisements, youthful models are draped over each other like layered fabric: suggesting that by procuring the brand you will be purchasing instant sexiness and infinite youth.  For example, one Prada promotion portrays four images of a couple lusting after each other. They are featured in a close-up shot with PRADA in capital letters running across the image. The photo is entirely black and white, and the man and woman seem to be wearing expensive and luxurious clothing. (Meisel) Using this black and white format shows the consumer that this product is as elegant and classy as a successful businessman at a black tie event. The audience demographic for this photo would be a young individual, such as a teenager because they can relate to the models whom look to be around their age. The ad also preys on young adults with an unwavering urge to fit in to the “group.” The youth are thus brainwashed to believe that if they buy PRADA then they will be just as cool, sleek, and sexy as this model couple. However, this burning desire for luxurious goods comes with a high price tag.  If you were to take the same amount of money as it takes to buy a “Soft Calf Leather Tote” from PRADA (Tronc) and put it toward your rent, you could pay for nearly two months in a one-bedroom apartment in New Orleans. (Langenhennig) If this money went toward college, you could advance your education through seven credits at Portland Community College. (Portland Community College) It simply makes sense that you should put your money toward education and living rather than a ridiculously expensive handbag.

         Even if you can afford a Louis Vuitton handbag, are you paying for quality or the name? Did you know that designers often pay celebrities to come to their show or wear their clothing? For example, designer brands will give Beyonce around 94 thousand dollars to grace their exhibition with her presence (Sowray) Also, to further support this idea a psychology study titled “The Psychology and Behavior of Consumers in the Fashion Industry” by Jessica DeLace, a senior at University of Rhode Island, depicted how a group of college age students are more prone to choose a well known brand (such as Fendi) over a “lesser brand”, even when the object is nearly identical. (DeLace) This shows how you, as a consumer, rely on and buy the brand name, not necessarily the quality of the product. Since celebrities are flouncing around in  “Peep Toe Mary Jane Pumps” from Louis Vuitton, the young society that looks up to these popular stars are forced into the belief that they “need those heels” in order to survive the social order. 

            Quality and price aren’t the only things that you have to be worried about; Morales are involved as well. Where does the money go when you buy a 1000 dollar purse? Is it the artist, the company, or the CEO? In reality, many brands use sweatshops to reduce their cost in production. One example to illustrate this is the story of Lee Hu, an illegal Chinese immigrant living in Italy, who got a job as a secretary for Gucci. She was fired when she exposed the fact that Italians’ minimum wage was five euros, but Gucci’s illegal workers were only paid three. Although there is no suggestion that the big houses know that contractors pay below the minimum wage, Dolce & Gabbana, Gucci and Prada all suspiciously refused to comment on the issue. Another Sweatshop worker (who refused to identify himself) stated, "I caught my fingers in one of the machines six months ago. The boss was furious. He had to pay fifty dollars for me to see a doctor. The pain is incredible still. He says I have to work day and night to pay him back.” (Lee-Potter) Every cent that the companies save through production goes toward profit. This causes greedy companies like Gucci to cutback on production costs, which directly affects the workers living conditions, how much they are paid, and their overall job experience.

            Although there are financial and ethical issues involving designer clothes, many people still purchase them. The consumers who are hooked argue that the quality of designer brands are superior. The solution for both the financial and moral issues involving designer fashion is Second Hand Stores. They carry tons of lightly worn clothes, and often designer brands get thrown in the mixture. It takes time to hunt for them, but they are there. This way you still get the quality of the brand without the expense. Another solution is called “The Fashion Project.” Since there are trends constantly going out of style, Fashion Project takes like-new designer clothes and resells them online. Fifty-five percent of their net proceeds go to charity, and each item tells you what specific charity you are benefiting when you buy it. For example, you could purchase a Miu Miu Shoulder Bag for 229 dollars, which was originally 1,000 dollars. You would get a bargain and be supporting the Breast Cancer Research Foundation at the same time. Through your purchase, 115 dollars will go towards research and prevention of breast cancer. (Fashion Project) By shopping for your products from Fashion Project and Second Hand Stores, you simultaneously save your budget and achieve a sensation of reassurance because you know that your purchase has helped others.  

             Every consumer feels a sense of elitism when they buy an established label. When you purchase those 1000 dollar jeans because they are a trendy brand, you are not paying for quality, but rather to print the name of a big time company that exploits low time employees on your back pocket.  We, as consumers of the world, are ethically and financially responsible to insure that our purchase is for timeless quality clothing that lasts, comes from respectable origins, and is priced reasonably rather than simply the first brand name that slides into our head.

Works Cited

DeLace, Jessica. "The Psychology and Behavior of Consumers in the Fashion Industry." University of Rhode Island 2011: 234.

Fashion Project. Fashion as a Force of Good. 2014. 12 December 2014 <https://www.fashionproject.com/new_arrivals>.

Langenhennig, Susan. "New Orleans rents rank below national average." The Times-Picayune (2013).

Lee-Potter, Adam. "EXCLUSIVE GUCCI DOLCE & GABBANA PRADA ..by Chinese workers in sweatshops on £2 an hour." Sunday mirror (2007).

Meisel, Steven. Fall 2010 Campaign. PRADA.

Portland Community College. Tuition and Fees. 2014. 12 December 2014 <http://www.pcc.edu/enroll/paying-for-college/tuition/>.

Sowray, Bibby. "The price of fame: what brands really pay to secure a celebrity face." Telegraph.co.uk 21 May 2014.

Tronc Company. Soft Calf Leather Tote. 2014. 15 December 2014 <http://www.tronccompany.com/prada/soft-calf-leather-tote/black?pla=1>.