CAV EMPT

Another brand that has intrigued me for a while now is Cav Empt. I really like this brand and I think it surpasses Supreme on many levels, but the prices are still so high for Cav. Basic retail prices are about the same as Supreme resell prices. I get that Cav is sort of an exclusive brand with limited quantities of clothing, but the prices are just crazy! Their shirts are $64 for just the retail prices! https://www.cavempt.com/475-dehumanization-of-art-t. And don't get me started on the price of their jackets and pants. It's all too much! I love their designs and the original looks their clothing has, but I could just buy a plain T-shirt and print all of the designs out and I am pretty sure the cost would still be less than most brands. I see many fake Cav clothing online and I sometimes want to get one. I always think that no one will ever know it's a fake, but deep down I feel that I am a fraud and a phony so I try to stay clear of all fakes regardless of how good of a fake it is. 

Back With Supreme

Since I am starting to realize the motives behind buying expensive clothing, I am going to go back and talk more about Supreme. Supreme in my eyes is a decent brand, but with all the hype surrounding it, more and more people have been purchasing it. Making the rarity and the exclusiveness of the brand worse. Everywhere I see there's always someone with Supreme on. The retail prices are low but, the resell prices are outrageous.

In my opinion people blindingly buy Supreme just so they can be noticed and appreciated by others. A documentary called "Sold Out" made by Complex mainly focuses on resellers and all the reasons on why people would pay so much for Supreme. I think the brand is way too hyped and I fear it will only get worse. People will continually line up in front of the Supreme store just to buy their products for retail, but resell them for over $100. That's just crazy! I feel bad for all the people who would just want a chance to have a T-shirt from Supreme, but they would have to pay so much money just to get one!

 Person, and Karizza Sanchez. "The Biggest Supreme Resellers Answer Your Questions About Our 'Sold Out' Documentary." Complex. Web. 17 May 2016. 

Quality Over Quantity?

Ok  so I've always heard that expensive clothing have better quality fabric, more details, and overall more everything. I am unsure at weather or not this is true, but according to Legos In My Louis, their article states that the fabric of luxury goods can instantly feel better than ones made in China for example. This is true in some ways but it doesn't always happen like that. It even goes and says that the patterns on expensive clothing would take pattern makers pain staking weeks to complete! I find this hard to believe since I think patterns are pretty easy to come up with. But I know that if the pattern makers run out of ideas they can just slap a name of a high end brand on a shirt and it will still sell for over $100.

All these reasons why people would buy expensive brands is becoming very clear now. High end brands boast of how their products are made in Austria or Switzerland and it's all the same in the end. I could find an unbranded shirt with the same pattern, color, texture, and fabric that would cost around $10 instead of overpriced ones that are over $100.

 "Investment Wardrobe: Is Buying Expensive Clothes Worth It." Legos in My Louis RSS. 2015. Web. 17 May 2016. 

Brands Boosting Self Esteem

I've been thinking now and I am starting to believe people wear brands to benefit themselves somehow and I think I've found out in which way brands do that.

 I've found on an article at http://www.investopedia.com/articles/personal-finance/091115/psychology-behind-why-people-buy-luxury-goods.asp that "according to researchers, low self-esteem is a big factor in whether a person will buy luxury goods that he may not be able to afford. For consumers trapped in institutionalized poverty or those living paycheck to paycheck, a luxury good can go a long way in increasing self-esteem or providing a sense of belonging. In China, men use luxury goods to show off their success and flaunt wealth. Chinese women, like American women, tend to purchase luxury goods in order to give in to hedonistic tendencies." Now this was very surprising information to me. I now see that instead of just buying an expensive clothing just for the brand, people buy it to make themselves feel better. I now see that it gives them a sense of belonging. Even people that are economically struggling try very hard to still buy expensive brands. For me, I tend to buy whatever brand clothing, but if I see a good brand I'd still want to buy it. Now I see I am starting to see the real reasons of why people would go to such lengths and pay so much money for brands.

"The Psychology Behind Why People Buy Luxury Goods | Investopedia."Investopedia. 2015. Web. 17 May 2016.

People Should Know The Truth

Now I am starting to understand people's views. Only buying clothing just for the brand and recognition. I'm not saying this is bad, but I thought people should know what they are buying.

https://www.quora.com/Why-buy-expensive-designer-clothes

"Prada makes nylon handbags that sell for $900+. They have fairly average construction (mainly in a developing country with some finishing done in Italy) and nylon costs, give or take, about $1 a meter. Let's say Prada has some leather detailing on top of the nylon. Max, they probably spend $5 on the fabric. It takes a couple of hours to cut and sew a handbag, most of which is done by extremely low-wage workers. Then, there is often a "finisher" in Italy who sews a couple of pieces together, which allows them to use a "Made in Italy" appellation. Let's give them a generous $35 to construct the handbag. As a point of reference, that's about what my company could pay to make a comparable bag in America. Total Cost to Make: $40. Cost to Consumer: $995"

This article really showed me a good example of what I had been seeking. After reading it I was very astounded at the price difference. It only costs $40 to make, but it sells for $995! If people were to find out about what these high end companies are doing it may be bad for them.

Supreme takes it all

Everywhere I got I usually end up finding someone with some type of clothing with Supreme on it. Whether it be a hat, or shirt it's always there. I have researched Supreme for some time now and all I can say is that it is a very very expensive brand. Although retail prices for Supreme are actually decent, the re-sell price is double and even triple the actual cost. Limited quantity also has to play a role in its popularity. Since most people want rare things that others may not have. Most of the people I know that wear Supreme merely wear it simply because somewhere on their shirt or jacket it says the words Supreme. Since Supreme is such a noticeable brand I am now thinking that people only wear it just to gain attention. That's right attention. All they want to do is get people all riled up when they stroll past them wearing an expensive brand.

I've also found out that celebrities also wear Supreme. I have seen famous rappers and sometimes models wear this brand and that could also be a reason why people would pay such ridiculous prices for clothing.

HIGH PRICE FOR THE SAME SHIRT

For a while now I have been thinking about why people wear such expensive clothing. I thought to
myself it has to be the brand because I once saw an unbranded shirt sell for $5 whereas an exact replica, but branded sold for around $200!! This really amazed me and it sparked my interest in this topic. By the end of my search I hope to comprehend my people pay such outrageous prices for clothing. So far in my searches it seems that most of my results were found on fashion blogs and a few of them were actually credible sources. During my first searches I had found a forum called Hypebeast that was discussing my topic. Right now it seems that the forum is not a credible source. I shall now continue to find credible websites to use.

My main focus right now is to find out why people like the brand Supreme so much.