Another synonym for high end is luxury whose other meaning is lavishness. We all look for comfort in life. Some even have the need to show their comfort level through things they use. Now these things can come in the shape of a big mansion, furniture and even clothing. But why that is so? The example is actually set by the royals. The kings and queens usually show of their riches through those kinds of elements. It has been going on for many centuries.
Interestingly, there is something different about their products. The manufacturers make sure to use expensive rare jewels and other ingredients to come up with them. But this is not all. The process of making them is also given high priority. Times have changed. Now not just royals, but also anyone who is rich can get a hold of those products including the fashion accessories. Basically, this is what keeps the high end or luxury fashion industry in market. But a point to be noted is that not every manufacturer has 17th century ancestors who made high end fashion accessories for the royal households. Many designers are actually quite new. This should make us question as to how they managed to become the favorites of the rich and famous. We cannot even forget the fact that even today’s royals buy their products. But why?
The answer to our questions lies in many factors. First and foremost thing we must understand that is that certain high end brand owners are just focused on providing their products only to the rich and famous. Yet we must remember that making a brand high end is not easy for anyone today without first serving the average customers. A good example of this is Armani. During its early days, it used to be the brand of the average consumers. But Georgio Armani wanted it to make it favorite among the wealthy people. So he used step by step process to give it a high end touch. Although this article concentrates on the fashion industry we need to take a glimpse of Estee Lauder a bit. We all know that its products are not that affordable and that it many celebrities seem to use them. Much of its credit goes to the company’s first owner, Estee. She basically wanted her products to be liked by the rich. Interestingly, during the company’s humble beginning, a French store rejected Estee Lauder’s request to display her perfumes on their shelves. They simply gave her a big “NO”.
In the midst of this turmoil, an Estee Lauder perfume bottle accidently fell on the ground and broke into pieces. As soon as the scent floated in the air and reached the noses of the French lady shoppers it began acquiring praises. Consequently, the French store manager gave in and agreed to sell Estee’s perfumes. Bringing the brand to France now was half the success though. Estee Lauder, next, embarked on a journey to send free samples of her perfumes and skin products to European royals. By using this technique she finally managed to make her brand high end. Overall, those who wish to give a luxury touch to their products keep their focus on serving the upper class.
The second factor is leather. This is what the majority of the high end brands like Gucci and Coach have in common. At least, most of them started working with this material first. But as we all know leather is expensive to get and work with. That is why, the products made from it are pricier, yet affordable to the upper class. So in a way, the brands working with this material instantly get tagged as high end.
Third, the high end brands give more importance to quality over quantity. We are aware of the fact that Gucci, Armani and other luxury fashion accessories tend to last longer than the average ones. The reason behind this is that all luxury brands prefer to use best rare materials, skilled workers and quality machines to make their products. We must also know that every step involved in making them goes through careful screening.
Last, high end brands have wealthy end users. As mentioned in the beginning, the royals loved living in style and comfort. They showed it off through the expensive things they used. For centuries, reading and seeing this has made people think that wealth can only be displayed through things we wear. That is why, famous celebrities, millionaires and billionaires are expected to wear clothes from high end brands. In short, the notion is that luxury brands speak of the zillion dollars that one has in bank. On the way, the high end brands get to pocket big chunks of money to make their next expensive clothes, shoes and purses.
Now 2000 marked the beginning of wars and recession. Under such circumstances, it is easy for us to think that luxury brands might have been hit very hard. Yes, we are actually thinking right. But a few and not all are affected. Actually, to save themselves from the harm of recession, many high end brands like Armani are now switching their focus from brick and mortar stores of American and European markets to online stores to reach out to Chinese and other booming markets. So in a way, they are trying their best to survive.
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