Asian people in general are obsessed with displaying status -not all but a good proportion. Different cultures are engrossed with different things and so it is not the obsessing that is unique, but the love for status symbols. This is especially true in countries like Hong Kong, Singapore and Japan where fashion is important (relative to third world Asian countries which is the rest of Asia) and 'status' is more greatly craved.
There's nothing wrong in wanting to be fashionable and designer fashion is an almost guaranteed way to be just that. You can't deny that designer products are mostly superior in quality to regular ones - albeit at a rich price. If you can afford the luxury, why not? The crucial question is: do these patrons really want fashion or do they, in actuality, only want the status that is carried by it? It does not take a dead-eye to notice that the two most popular houses of high-fashion in the Asian demographic are Louis Vuitton and Gucci. This is no mere coincidence of course, for these two brands are notorious for littering their products with their logos. They perverse a significant portion of their handbags, belts, wallets and shoes with their prized logos. Most of these products are only average in terms of design relative to the rest of the collection - well it happens when the focus of your work is to see how many LVs and Gs you can fit instead of putting in effort to design something gorgeous. Why, then, you ask, are these lesser but logo-drenched products vastly more popular than their more design-focused counterparts in the Asian population? If you haven't already caught on, then you should know now that it is the status that matters to most of these patrons.
Might as well right?
Put simply, a product, covered densely with internationally recognised and worshiped logos equals instant recognition. You can pick out a Louis Vuitton tote bag of this sort from a mile away. You can recognise a Gucci wallet from the other end of the supermarket queue with your eyes closed. I usually recognise these articles because they can be quite an eyesore. Others would recognise them because they are blatantly painted with the logos of the aforementioned fashion brands. Fair enough, if you buy them and genuinely think they look nice but I've lived on this world long enough to know that most people aren't so pure. You know it's true and don't even think of denying it. These patrons purchase designer goods for the status and disregard the fact that they look like something out of a cheap wallpaper catalogue. They don't care if it's made from cheap canvas and not from beautiful soft lamb skin. As long as it screams out 'I AM RICH AND I AM CARRYING A LOUIS', it doesn't matter if you're carrying a dead puppy as a bag.
Oh, Miss Hilton!
"Hey you there, stereotypical wealthy Asian bimbo! Would you like this gorgeous, classic, plain lambskin Prada handbag or this brown, cloth Gucci handbag with logos everywhere which costs the same and looks like a grocery bag?"
Time described the apparel as "unassertive, combining traditional good manners and an ultramodern industrial sleekness."[4] Truly, the designs to come out of the House of Prada reflected the feminine worker aesthetic, which made it quite unique in contrast to other high-fashion brands.[4] It would be identified with affluent working women who held demanding jobs."[4] Thus, it is no surprise that Miuccia took it upon herself to call her women's bags "uniforms."[4]
The logo for the label was not as obvious a design element as those on bags from other prominent luxury brands such as Louis Vuitton.[4] Its appeal, including the apparel, was its image of "anti-status" or "reverse snobbery."[4]
- Wikipedia on Prada
"Oh! I is get Gucci handbag! I is get same one for my mama too. Oh and also, I is want that belt too with the giant gold GG buckle and cloth lining for my pimp dad."
Nothing appreciable with the design or the material once you bleach out the Gs.
So there we have hypothetical Asian bimbo trying to buy bags and wallets which look the same because of their absolutely IDENTICAL skin. You could even say that without the logos, the goods she bought would look ordinary at best - and that's being generous. Does it matter to hypothectical Asian bimbo? No, because subconsciously ingrained in the minds of she and her family, the primary and most important objective of purchasing an expensive bag from a designer store is to allow the world to know that you can afford one - what better way to fulfill that than to buy a bag covered with logos that serves as a beacon of attention.
It yearns for your attention!
Once, I saw a young Asian man walking on the streets with designer clothing and articles all over him literally. He wore an oversized short sleeved shirt with massive Burberry checks, a Louis Vuitton belt with their trademark Damier skin, a pair of blaring Gucci logo-ed shoes and carried a large Gucci logo-ed carry bag. To top it off, he wore shorts and sunnies. Now picture this guy with below average height and a scrawny body. He looked like a Vincent van Gogh painting gone wrong. He looked like someone swallowed, digested and vomited two kilograms of crayola. Despite all the status symbols, this person failed to look classier than a street busker and to have more taste than glomerular filtrate.
Looks like he wore his mom's curtains.
In short, he looked awful, and to summarise everything, money might buy you status (or the illusion of it) but it cannot buy you any class or taste. If you're struggling to comprehend the idea of having status and no class/taste, just picture a wealthy, successful man with terrible dressing sense and manners, especially manners. Coincidentally, quite a number of Asian patrons are like that, and I digress.
While buying luxury items/clothing that have a greater emphasis on design rather than screaming logos is still a form of purchased status, it commands, to a certain extent, respect and shows intelligence, sophistication and if you have a good eye for fashion and what suits you, class and taste. Ultimately, you will grab attention only for the right reasons while maintaining your integrity. Remember, there's a whole world of difference between attention-grabbing and attention-seeking - and attention-seeking is what obnoxious ADHD children and logo-filled articles do best.
If you decide to go the route of high fashion, pay for something priced for it's elegance in design, not something priced for it's cheap computer-generated skin and sub-standard originality and design. After all there's not much class in owning something that is as common -and as ordinary - as herpes. Embrace fashion for the sake of being in vogue, not anything else.
Victoria Beckham has a hundred of these Birkins... and each one costs 10,000 pounds sterling.
Now, while all that is easy to see, a less obvious sub-culture exists within this status-loving population. While this may sound cynical, this is no codswallop. It seems even some less affluent people are willing to pay an arm and a leg just to own one miserable piece of logo-flashing luxury item so that they can show off. This is probably the only thing worse than all that was mentioned beforehand. Come on, people know who and how you really are and that basic-range monogram canvas Louis wallet will only serve as a temporary means of deception. Materialistic it may be of those who buy luxury goods but the essence of materialism is manifold worse in those who can't truly afford it than those who can. Think about it; it makes sense. To a person who can afford luxury items because he/she earns enough, purchasing them is not too big of a deal whereas it takes a massive drive of materialism in a person who can't support a luxurious lifestyle to even contemplate buying something remotely expensive. Furthermore, you require quite a concussion to be willing to jeopardise your finances on something way below on your priority list just to deceive the world - oh and also stupidity and selfishness.
I am not even willing to talk about people buying fakes with the genuine intention to deceive people. I know some people buy them for fun and that's fine but if you're buying pirated designer goods other than for that reason, then the words cynical, deceitful, materialistic, wanna-be, greedy and undeserving come to mind. It sounds rather mean and I apologise for that but it's not wrong. You'll also be laughed at on the streets because a person carrying a fake is not hard to spot. A person should live his/her life to his/her full ability and with honesty. Nobody is expecting any more. In all fairness, just because people are doing something, doesn't mean you have to be obliged to join the rat race if it is unwise to do so.
Please note, I have no intention of promoting the consumption of luxury goods. If you have no love for luxury items, that's absolutely fine by me and kudos to you. On the other hand if you, like high fashion, fine by me as well and may you embrace it for what it's truly worth. I do not intend to demean the rich or the poor - only the small sub-population that deserves it. This was written to express my view and not to offend. I hope you found this piece of writing entertaining.
Stay tuned for more.
2 comments:
I agree with you that some people do purchase this stuff solely to seek attention from others, yet not everyone is as shallow as you make them out to be. Some people see these branded names as an achievement, something to cheer themselves up, or to congratulate themselves for enduring many long hours of work. To the wealthy and prosperous (and especially the children of these successful people), money seems to be taken for granted, and buying an LV handbag is nothing special; however, to the rest of us, money is an essential resource and we wouldn't just waste it on one handbag for the sake of proving to others that we can afford it.
It would seem that you're assuming that all Asians that buy branded goods are trying to be a 'somebody'. It's not always the case: some people buy this stuff because it may give them confidence, or a sense of security. Not always identity or attention related.
If you had to blame or complain, then you should complain about the media that makes these branded goods seem like gifts from heaven. Additionally, I wouldn't call South Korea, Taiwan and the major cities of China (where the majority of those that can afford these branded names reside) third world countries.
I think before you judge others or try to present your opinion on a topic, you should think about where you're standing first. What's a branded good to you? Why do you buy them? What makes you different from others that can also afford them? Because from what I've read in your post, it seems like you think that only a certain population of people (yourself inclusive) are worthy enough to carry or wear a branded item.
lol glomerular filtrate, i see what you did there ;)
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