How Important Are Name Brands

With the fashion industry on fire, and new designers and fashion boutiques emerging each day, everyone wants to be the first! The first to design something, the first to wear something, the first to "break the internet" with the latest trend. Which leads me to me to the question, "Do name brands matter?"

 Revolving and Evolving Trends

 If you're reading this, you probably have some sort of interest in fashion, so I'm sure you all know, "fashion repeats itself." So, when declaring anyone the first to start a trend can be tricky, and debatable depending on who you're asking. My answer? The wheel was never re-invented, but it was damn sure improved! It's all about who makes it innovative. Case and point, the fanny pack. 5 years ago, you would have laughed at the thought of wearing a fanny pack for convenience let alone fashion! Now, there are big names like Supreme and Gucci fearlessly embracing the trend and setting it on fire! Gucci's belt bag is priced at $1,100, pricey for something your grandma used to wear, right? But what makes these trends so hot? Is it the big companies pulling the trigger on these trends and people follow like robots or are the big companies just riding the wave as well? Hard to tell! But as with most things, there is a cheaper way! 

Belt Bag by Moschino

Belt Bag By Gucci

Belt Bag by Supreme

Now I'm not encouraging knock offs, (c'mon guys) but 

more like a smarter solution, for someone who chose to spend their money on more important things like, food, water gas, (hello). Most people want to be fashionable without having to break the bank, and keeping current with the trends is one way to do it. Knowing when things are in, when they are out and how to style them in a way that no one will question or care where you got it from and how much you paid for it. You could easily score a less popular brand item and still turn heads, because you can't put a price on style. Have you ever said, "I wouldn't wear that, but she is rocking it."? That’s a compliment to a person's style. But some people need or desire the major labels, and I wanted to know which majority rules, so I took it to the streets! The virtual streets!    

       What the People Had To Say          

I presented the question, "Do brands matter". I also posed a hypothetical situation, "If there were 2 items that were the same price, one being a popular name brand, the other being more fashionable, which would you chose?" I thought I already knew the answer. People were saying things like, "If both are the same, I'm getting the name brand because I feel like I'm getting my money's worth!" to "Fashion is all over the place right now, it really doesn't matter what you wear as long as you rock it." One of the most interesting comments came from women who stated that it didn’t matter when it came to themselves but for their son, husband or male friends, they're likely to buy the popular name brand item.

The Results Are In!

So, let's get to it! When shopping for clothes, do you go for the popular brand hands down? I guess if you're a hypebest or shopping for a man, but ultimately, people just want to look good! 74% of people said that they would purchase the more fashionable item, which was less than I personally  would have guessed, but majority none the less. I'm sure with the right amount of money in our pocket, we ALL will push the financial envelope and buy something we know is overpriced for the hell of it, but for now, just keep your money and keep it cute. It's an all-around win! 

“Dad” sneaker trend. Pair shown $18 || Balenciaga: $895 

Fanny Pack without branding. Just as cute!