Fast fashion, which began with Zara, has been a part of the apparel market for 44 years. Although fast fashion is quite popular, luxury brands are still on the market and set the trends for fast fashion.
Fast fashion, which began with Zara, has been a part of the apparel industry for 44 years. Although fast fashion is quite popular, luxury brands are still on the market and set the trends that fast fashion brands try to copy.
Have you ever wondered why luxury fashion brands aren’t following the fast-fashion trend? Here, we’ll look at why luxury fashion brands will always be luxurious.
3 Things That Make Luxury Brands Luxury
We love to look good in designer clothes. We feel beautiful. Luxury brands make us feel powerful. Most luxury shoppers understand the reasons why designer brands are costly, and they don’t mind spending more to wear them. Some superficial observers might say that shoppers are paying just for the brand name. But they’re actually paying more. Here are three reasons that luxury brands continue to be expensive and will remain so.
1. Time for Design, Source and Production
Yikes! Designer clothes are just as popular as fast fashion. What makes luxury items so expensive? The time and skills required to design, plan, and sketch these garments are a part of the price. This is not a copycat of another designer’s designs. These are original designs that fast fashion brands might later attempt to replicate. Luxury fashion is a way to reward high-end designers for their hard work, time, and superior level of craftsmanship.
Luxury products are also expensive because of the labor and time required to produce them. Fast fashion companies are able to release clothing four times faster with advanced technology than luxury brands. Luxury brands can finish a garment in four to six weeks, but their artisans should be compensated fairly for that time.
2. Cost Of Labor
This ties in with the second reason why these garments are expensive: labor. Many fast fashion brands own sweatshops, but unfortunately, so do luxury brands. Unfortunately, sweatshop workers are paid as little as three cents per hour or even up to six dollars, depending on their company. This is hardly a living wage, even for economies that are less developed than the U.S. or U.K.
Garment workers need to be compensated for all their labor. This is mainly due to overtime and the environment. The minimum wage in America is $7.50. Garment workers must be paid more than that. Luxury brands that pay their workers fairly must cost more because the labor costs are incorporated into the price of the garments.
3. Limited Edition Garments
Limited edition luxury clothing creates buzz. Luxury brands do not produce mass quantities of clothing, so they can afford to use more expensive materials. The value of the products is increased.
The Pros & Cons of Luxury Brands-Fast Fashion Collaborations
The Pros of Fashion Collaborating
Luxury and fast fashion brands have collaborated in the recent past despite their differences. Remember when H&M and Balmain, the French luxury brand, collaborated? Balmain helped H&M produce higher-end clothing at affordable prices. Both parties were able to reach a wider audience with their designs and attract customers who would have otherwise avoided each other’s store. It is a form of advertising. Brand collaborations can be beneficial for brands in different verticals or markets.
The Cons of Fashion Brand Collabs
Collaboration is a great thing, but it can also mislead others. Luxury brands are expensive for a good reason. The audience who buys from these fashion companies will expect the same quality of material as the luxury brands’ private label collections. If a luxury label is collaborating with a fast fashion brand, it will likely not use the same quality of fabric as the brand’s private label collections.
Designer brands will remain the dominant tastemakers.
Luxury fashion will continue to be luxury. Although fast fashion and luxury labels compete in some ways, there will never be a permanent blurring or merging of their lines. High-end fashion brands do not need to shift towards fast fashion because the materials, labor, and time required to create them result in timeless products. Most people want to wear designer clothes. Fast fashion is likely to mimic designer brands.
Designer brands are similar to fast fashion, but they are original and made of quality materials. The design, sourcing, and production processes of designer brands are also different from the overproduction of clothes in fast fashion. Luxury brands will continue to be the leading fashion brands for as long as they maintain their status in the culture and are able to produce designer clothing.
