What’s in a Name? Designer Names and Why People Follow Them.

What do Bottega Venetta, Yves Saint Laurent, Valentino, and Chloe all have in common?

They all belong to fashion houses whose designers and couturiers are revered around the world. And they all continued to thrive despite the recent economic downturn.

Yes, even in the midst of recession, those who can still afford designer labels still spent huge amounts of money on them, even as the risk of financial ruin loomed more closely than ever before.

And for those who could not afford these labels, in their desire to be seen with signature brands, they have resorted to wearing imitation clothes.

Why do we try so hard to possess these labels? Why do people spend a fortune on them?

Product Quality

There is wisdom in the saying that you get what you pay for. Designer labels have their prestigious names on the line. Therefore, they bend over backwards to assure that such hard-earned names are associated with the best of quality.

Quality means that the fabric used in a paisley tie feels soft and silky when rubbed against the skin. Cheap imitations, on the other hand, are coarser. They also shrink or stretch and get deformed after several washes.

Designer labels often hand-sew their buttons and edges, and make sure they are there to stay. In mass produced imitations, buttons fall off easily. The uneven stitches in a paisley necktie reveal poor—and poorly paid—workmanship.

While designer labels may cost more than ordinary brands, their products remain looking and feeling like they were just recently bought from the boutique for a longer span of time. A lot of designer label products appear brand new even though years have passed since their purchase.

Chloe, which was founded by Gaby Aghion, has been around for half a century. Never will that house taint its name because of a defective or poor-quality product. With its reputation at stake, it will tirelessly search the ends of the earth for the highest quality fabric: The cotton must be sourced from organically grown plants. Wool must come from sheep raised from the highest peaks. Plastic must be of exceptional quality. Any recycled material, save for the packaging, is out of the question.

Consistency

The mark of a true craftsman is in the consistency of his creation. A polka dot tie from Yves Saint Laurent will always have the same brightness of colors, the same cut, the same texture of fabric no matter the number of ties produced—which is, incidentally, very, very few.

The materials that come into making a black silk tie remain unchanged even when the fashion house is acquired by another designer or when there is a change in the suppliers of raw materials. The backstage production may be different, so to speak, but the final product must, and does, remain the same.

Uniqueness and Rarity

What makes a Bottega Venetta Black silk tie so expensive? For one, its numbers are very few. The wearer of such a tie is practically assured that no one else will be wearing the exact same silk tie at a business function or a cocktail party.

Fashion houses employ highly prized artists to create new designs for their label. These celebrated talents, renowned all over the industry, are expected to be trendsetters. Their products must be cutting edge. They were born to dress the gods.

Notice that the gods, despite the limited color of their wardrobe (white) and a very limited type (toga), never wore the same designs as the other gods. Each white toga was unique.

So, too, must these designer ties and suits be unique. And they are—at a price.

Indeed, clothes have come a long way from simply being a protective covering to becoming a status symbol that separates the high and mighty from the mere mortals. As time goes by, clothes have served as a symbol of authority and power.

And as more people gain access to new tastes and experiences, clothes rise in importance not only to dress one’s nakedness but to be a work of art proudly worn by its owner.

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