13.7 It Costs More To Save: Eco-Elitism Comes With A Price Tag.

Eco-friendly consumption has a price. As it has become increasingly popular, we are seeing the adaptation of what it means to be eco-friendly in our cars, homes and fashion. This definitely has a tradeoff and being eco-conscious does not have the same connotation it did in the 70s and 80s. During these times, preserving the planet had less than a luxurious appeal. Now, the upper class has been persuaded to give a thought or two about how to sustain the planet. If you drive a Lexus, don't worry. The SULEV(Super Ultra Low Emission Vehicle) is being reworked to simultaneously help with saving the planet without taking away from the luxurious feel of your ride. In particular, this car comes with a price tag of $105,000 compared with the LS 460 at $63,000. BMW is also looking at its cars to run on hydrogen rather than electricity to power its cars for about $125,000. We have also been introduced to such new cars as Tesla and Fisker Karma that are being built for the very purposes of being more environmentally friendly. As for how fashion is concerned, designers have dabbled in designing with leaves and flowers. Even though this may seem like it would be inexpensive to curate, the reality is that these types of dresses can be worn only once and when the labor is considered, these dresses add up. South African designer Franz Grabe is known for his use of leaves, twigs and flowers in his designs. He calls his designs disposable art that is momentarily beautiful, fleeting and then gone.

You also don't have to worry about your living situation. If you have a million dollars, you can take advantage of a manor in Florida that comes equipped with a recycling center, composting yard, organic gardens and a farmers market. Homes will also include a solar system, hiking trails, electric community transportation and equestrian stables. While the idea of being totally sustainable and eco-conscious may have not been yet wholly adopted by those who love their Lamborghinis, even those that do love their high end products cannot help but think about their affectations in the planet, I'm sure these people will be first in line to drive off with their new, low emission Lambo or just adapt to the other options that will allow sustainability.

Welkin NYC

Sustainability is a major counterpart within the fashion industry and is becoming increasingly important. Using all the materials and extra fabric is becoming important especially in New York's fashion district. After researching Nanette Lapore, we have realized the importance that designers stress on sustainability. Zara has had some recent problems with the chemicals of their dyes penetrating into their clothing which can be a cause of cancer. The disregard for being green and healthy to our earth hurts our fashion industry as well as other industries. PETA who is commonly known for their extremist practices of no fur and nudity also take the idea of sustainability to a new level. They find that faux fur or no fur at all are better for our ecosystem than to kill animals for our fashion statements. West Hollywood has actually made it illegal to sell new furs in the city, and only used or vintage furs can be sold in stores registering in this zip code.

Welkin NYC is a sustainable children's fashion company that my sister in NYC started. She is conscious around the idea of using all leftover materials as well as not wasting fabrics to create her clothes. Belle and her partner started this line to give children trendy clothes that can be reused and ultimately ecofriendly.
When Belle had entered into the fashion industry in the early 2000's, she had seen the blatant disregard for economic awareness within the fashion industry. Since she had always wanted to start a clothing line, she knew that her importance would be in giving back to the world.


The clothing of Welkin NYC gives children a trendy, Brooklyn style that shows their artistic and unique style throughout the line. To gain enough funding for her first line, Belle actually started a campaign on kickstarter which the video below was created for. She believes that it is small lines like this that will eventually be able to influence the fashion industry in a major way.
Her children and her partner's children are the models and they love to pose for the camera!

4.7 The Enigma of Beauty

What is beauty? Beauty is subjective and based on one's own cultural standards, norms and ideals. Some believe that beauty is functional because it emanates perceived signs of fertility. Plato said what is beautiful is good, John Keats wrote that beauty is truth, truth is beauty. But some reject the notion that we are created equal because some are perceived as more beautiful than others. But is the idea of how your culture influences your thoughts about beauty entirely true? A study done with six month old babies may challenge the idea that beauty is a learned behavior. The study showed that babies looked at pictures longer of people with symmetrical faces, which is a common standard for beauty.

With plastic surgery so readily available, people have the option to transform themselves into what they want to be or look like.  In the chase for beauty and perfection, the desire to alter one's body can become dangerous. Certain illnesses such as, bulimia
and anorexia to obsession over plastic surgery may be injurious. For example, in 2007 Kanye West's mother, Donda West died from complications due to plastic surgery. One doctor refused surgery because he felt she was not healthy enough to withstand such a medical procedure so she found a surgeon who was willing to perform the desired surgeries. To the former point, we are familiar with models dying from anorexia. Have we become so obsessed with our looks that its worth our lives?

Beauty practices around the world:

• Brazilian women want to be known for a guitar shape, one that usually includes a breast reduction to emphasize larger hips and derrieres.
• In Mauritania, West Africa, adolescent girls are force fed in order to attract a husband. Some girls are sent to "fat camps" and forced to consume 15,000 calories daily.
• Many women of Latin descent view blond hair as a sign of youth.
• Teeth chiseling in Indonesia where women have there teeth sharpened into narrow points.

The chapter also speaks to ethnocentricity, the notion that one's ideals are better than others. If you put it all into perspective no one's standard of beauty is any better or worse from anyone else's. We may find some of the above actions as strange but it's no different than putting holes in the ears, lips or brows to wear jewelry or adding silicone for breast implants.

With so many variations on the standard of beauty, maybe it is just better to be yourself. One year, thick brows are in, the next year big eyes are in. I know that this is easier said than done because we are so inundated with what beautiful is, but it definitely takes confidence and self-esteem to be who you are intended to be. Celebrate yourself.

Beauty is Pain: Louboutins Truth

Christian Louboutin is one of the hottest shoe designers in the fashion industry currently, and what makes his shoes so enticing? The fact that they have a simple, but indistinguishable red sole? Or the idea of how they are designed to endow a women's figure by making her stand straight enhancing her assets. Louboutin admits to beauty is pain in one of his interviews addressing his shoes and how he wants them to make women feel. 

“I hate the whole concept of comfort! It’s like when people say, ‘Well, we’re not really in love, but we’re in a comfortable relationship.’ You’re abandoning a lot of ideas when you are too into comfort. ‘Comfy’—that’s one of the worst words! I just picture a woman feeling bad, with a big bottle of alcohol, really puffy. It’s really depressing, but she likes her life because she has comfortable clogs.”

Famous celebrities and tastemakers have been wearing Louboutins for quite some time now, and when seeing Louboutins worn, one can see the wearer's feet and the amount of wear/damage the feet endure from these shoes. 

Tom Ford, another major player, states that he too does not care about comfort when related to fashion, and will pay the price to look great.

"I recently made a gown for a friend to wear at an awards ceremony. She e-mailed me to say she loved it because it was so comfortable, and I thought 'Who cares if it was comfortable?' Comfort for me is knowing I look great, and if I have to suffer in a corset for four hours to look amazing, than that's comfort," Ford commented. 

Ford believes that clothes should be alluring and beautiful, and to be the model of this clothing, one must pay the price of comfort to look good. 

12.1 Fantasy Fashion Collaborations



Estrella doesn't look happy.

The world of fashion collaborations can create excitement and chaos or it can create an uninspired attempt to cash in on fashion. More specifically, celebrity collaborations. We've seen the attempts of some fledgling design houses hoping to bank on the endorsements of these celebrity collections. For example, why would Ungaro select a 23 year old who is prone to meltdowns and court dates to "design" their collections? Possibly the promise of generated cash and publicity through the celebs' popularity.
Why do they fail? Inauthenticity. Creating the magic of a successful collection ostensibly goes far beyond the allure of the celebrity. Let's look at Sarah Jessica Parker's line, Bitten. SJP was still riding high on the success of SATC. Fans were expecting more Carrie Bradshaw and not middle America, mom approved attire. It is best when the idea of the clothing lines up to what the celebrity represents and the company represents. People want to know that the essence of the celebrity or what the celebrity represents is imprinted on the clothing.
Best Collaborations: Chloe Sevigny for Opening Ceremony. Chloe created a grunge inspired line that was inspired by her own style. Kate the Great's collaboration with Topshop embodied her rocker chic style that many emulate. David Beckham for H&M is also another highly successful campaign. We don't need to say why.

What they got was this.

Kate Moss for Topshop.




Fans were expecting this.

Worst Collaborations: Lindsay Lohan for Ungaro. Widely panned by critics at Paris Fashion Week. SJP, Bitten/Steve and Barry's. Bitten bit the dust. Avril Lavigne, Abbey Dawn/Kohl's


What celebrity/designer collection would you like to see?

Couture/Pret-a-Porter Designers Collaborate 

with Fast Fashion Retailers

We all are blithely aware of the major H&M collaborations with major designers including:




2004: Karl Lagerfeld
2005: Stella McCartney, Elio Fiorucci, Solange Azagury-Partridge
2006: Viktor & Rolf
2007: Roberto Cavalli
2008: Rei Kawakubo and Comme des Garçons
2009: Matthew Williamson, Jimmy Choo, Sonia Rykiel
2010: Sonia Rykiel, Lanvin
2011: Versace
2012: Versace, Marni, Maison Martin Margiela
2013: Isabel Marant
2014: Alexander Wang

Now after seeing this list of major designers who have successfully integrated into one of the world's most successful fast fashion retailers, we must critique. The idea of these luxury/high end designers is to encompass the essence of exclusivity, which is not easily accessible. This idea drastically changed when we allowed for designers to bring their creative genius into a more affordable price point. Fashionistas everywhere were lining up outside the doors to run and grab all they could before the pieces sold out. We see the craftsmanship and quality that went into these pieces compared to a normal garment from H&M. We even once again saw that celebrities were endorsing the product, even though they are unavailable now. This idea of high end designer collaborations seems to be a brilliant idea from our favorite fast fashion retailer.

While H&M is thriving each year from these designer collaborations, we see that Target has received the short end of the stick to a means. While they attempted to engage in designer collaborations (and had initial success), the second round seemed to fail. But why must we ask? It surely was not the designer line up that failed. Rather, the retailer that was selling it, in my opinion. While most Target shoppers are there for daily goods, most would not pay the price point of some items offered for the collaboration. The Alice + Olivia bicycle was eaten up by fashion junkies, but not necessarily the mass public. Had these collaborations taken place in a more appropriate setting or even more interest in what the masses wanted, possibly the collections would be more successful.

So now one must ask themselves, are designer collaborations going to be next big trend? Could we maybe even see more couture/pret-a-porter collaborations (John Galliano for Maison Margiela)??? Will celebrities be the face still? If only we had all the answers to these questions...

9.4 Dressing the Jíbaros: Puerto Rican Peasants' Clothing Through Time and Space

The jíbaro is to Puerto Rico what the apple pie is to the United States. Simply put, the jíbaro is symbol of Puerto Rican culture. The jíbaro is a mountain-dwelling, Puerto Rican peasant of Spanish descent who worked as a farmer.
When one hears the word jíbaro, two connotations come to mind: an uneducated, person lacking social manners or it can be connected to a productivity of the thriving lands of Puerto Rico through the hard work of peasants. The other symbol of Puerto Rico is a small, brown frog called the coquí. Many Puerto Ricans believe that the coquí is unable to live outside of Puerto Rico. This draws a parallel to the frog and the jíbaro. Many believe that the jíbaro are unequipped to live outside of the island as well. Puerto Rican literature portrays this idea in many writings. For example, the story of Pepe Coquí follows his migration from Puerto Rico to New York only to find that he can live or only feels comfortable in Puerto Rico with his return to the island shortly thereafter. Of course we all feel comfortable about where we come from because it is embedded in who we are. This should not stop anyone from exploring other parts of the world to becoming a global citizen. If we are afraid to step out of our comfort zone, how will we grow? The jíbaro was accustomed to walking barefoot and their clothing mostly consisted of functional clothing to work in. Women wore loose skirts and peasant style blouses while the men wore trousers and worked shirtless or wore sleeveless tshirts with a straw hat. These outfit choices wore a clear indicator that they were considered outsiders.

To be accepted by their more urban counterparts they would have to adapt their clothing to fit into an evolving Puerto Rican landscape. How many times growing up did you want to fit in to be accepted? Especially as teenagers it is hard to find your own identity because you just want to be liked by your peers. I am in no way advocating that the jíbaro stay stagnant and not change. I do believe that it is important to remain connected to who you are and that may be difficult in an ever changing world.
As the jíbaro was being depicted more heavily in Latin literature and art, the romanticization of the jíbaro was in full effect. Portraits often portrayed the jíbaro in beautiful, colorful ensembles with bright colors and lace embellishments having a momentous occasion. This was thought of as disrespectful because their plight of poverty and being thougt of as outcasts had been ignored. The image of American slaves and artwork comes to mind. Artists of that time and slave owners often portrayed slaves as happy and joyous, grateful to be in America working against their will.
Another example of romanticizing the jíbaro was Mattel's 1997 Barbie. She was criticized for the lack of representation amongst many mixed race Puerto Ricans and they felt her dress was a poor representation of what the jíbaros might have actually worn. The author notes that the white dress with lace was never on record as being worn by a peasant in Puerto Rico. The dress was accompanied by high heels and a ring, none of which a peasant would have been able to afford. As we have seen before and will continue to see, products are manufactured with historical inaccuracy to make a profit instead of remaining true to the core of one's roots.

Mattel's 1997 Puerto Rican Barbie.

Stereotypes within Cultural Affluences

-Ireland is known for potatoes and red heads with freckles
-London is known for the Queen and double decker buses traveling the city
-China is known for their pandas (In American culture, Panda Express) and their widely popularized foods
-Russia is known for Vodka and their ruthless culture of no fear
-Mexico is known for their popular foods (Much like China) and their beers/tequila
-Canada is known for their Maple Bacon and their two languages in one country
-France is known for their pastries and fashion influence
-Italy is known for their canal based water ways and their leather goods as well as the invention of Pizza & Pasta
-America is known for our fast food and lazy lifestyles

The question though that remains, is what happens when we remove our common stereotypes and attempt to put a true face to these places and people? As human beings, we have these predetermined notions of categorizing into stereotypes.
It's how the human brain works, it compartmentalizes to give ease in recalling information, but most times, people are fine with only being aware of the major associations or commonly thought ideals that associate with each country/culture. This is on a broad scale of just the culture/country itself. We are not even going into the idea of stereotyping the subcultures that make up these cultures/countries. We see this as a major disadvantage though because as stated in the article recap above, people and countries are not being represented to the world in their true manner. They are painted in a picture of how we wish to see them or rather how most think of them as. We see the inaccuracies with the Jibaros and the barbie that was created to express these people to the vast world. It gives the idea of how we can once again compartmentalize these people into a category of
South American culture and how they are typically viewed. This however, is a major disgrace to these people, and can even be considered rude/hurtful. If someone said that you were loud, obnoxious, and annoying merely because you come from America, you would be offended wouldn't you? It would be the same way if the Jibaros were questioned as to why they are not wearing ornate clothing or jewelry. It is simply not their culture or their way of life.

We must be aware and think deeper into this association of stereotyping people just by where they are from. It would be in the same way that you would not go up to someone from Russia and automatically assume they are a spy or reformed KGB. We must use scrutiny and detail orientation when trying to express a culture and how one should be typically viewed, otherwise, as we have seen, the results become disastrous and offensive.

3.6 Identity, Postmodernity and the Global Marketplace

As fashion becomes more accessible to the masses globally, we encounter basic items being expressed in different ways. Fashion implies change and also imitation and differentiation. For example, how many ways can one where a basic t-shirt or jeans? A t-shirt can be tucked in or the sleeves can be rolled or jeans can be baggy, tight or cuffed. As we are becoming more complex human beings we are experiencing what it means to live in a postmodern world of fashion. This simply means that we are dressing more eclectically because we have so many choices. The blouse that you are wearing may have come from Macy's, but it was made in Bangladesh. The Jordans that you are sporting may have come from Foot Locker, but they were manufactured in China. This brings us to the three C's, which are the heart of postmodernity: Choice, Confusion and Creativity.

Choice: How many times have you gone to a store to purchase a basic item for your wardrobe and you were completely inundated with the selection. You're thinking, "I just want a pair of jeans!" Well now you've got bootcut, skinny, fly zip, button zip, faded, not too faded, etc. We have so many choices, but is this a good thing? The author sees both the negative and positive implications of having an abundance of choice. If there is too much choice does it make the consumer annoyed and therefore they end up walking away from the purchase? On the positive side, choice can offer freedom and the option of attaining any style that you feel comfortable with.

Confusion: The back bone of confusion is this quote, " Culture is in a process of recycling: everything is juxtaposable to everything else because nothing matters." Are we confused about our identities as we live in this world of postmodernity? The author suggests that there is no clear message about what is fashionable. When we see so many images and we are so saturated with message after message it may be hard to interpret what we feel is trivial or complex. With fashion, we have the opportunity to capture individual exploration by navigating the murky waters of confusion. Through fashion one can see a glint of cohesiveness in a postmodern world boggled with a plethora of choices.

Creativity: In this postmodern world of fashion lies the ability to create different looks and different styles. You can have on the exact same t-shirt and jeans as someone else, but the looks will be totally different with different interpretations by way of accessorizing or adding your own style. This is what makes fashion fun. To have the means to wear what you want how you want gives us levels of freedom and it allows us to become who we are or who we want to be. At the end of the day, its clothing. You can always change them and create whatever desired look you want to achieve.

In this world of global acceptance of different cultures we are experiencing postmodernity on a strategic level whether it is new sources of fabrics, textiles or cheaper, faster manufacturing of clothing. As it relates to the context of creativity, fashion is derived from the Latin word facere which means to make or to do.

Relating these concepts to the post-modern world of technological integration, we see how bloggers have established a strong leg within the fashion industry. Around the dot.com boom in 2000, we see a distinct few start to pop up, and as time continues, we see how the movement continue to grow. Few bloggers make it big enough to start a subculture movement or become the face of brands, yet we see how they are able to express creativity in a way unique to their own. Let's first off take the Chanel backpack as an example. Chanel would never have done anything like this, even a decade ago, yet today Pinterest inspires this DIY style and being able to look ultra chic while working on your own projects and creations. This definitely allows creativity to come out, but also confusion about the brand. Where is Chanel headed in?

Going back a century, even 60 years to the greaser era, we see that common styles are most easily accepted. While you have the few that enjoy being different and sticking out, styles were mass produced dwindling down on the confusion aspect. The problem with this is, without an abundance of choice, how does one express their originality? Isn't that what fashion is all about, being creatively different than the next, and having that wow/shock factor?

Within the postmodern world at this time, we see how social media has made a significant difference, allowing bloggers to share their take on style, creativity, and unique dressing, allowing them to catch the attention of major brands/fashion counterparts. Lets take Tavi Gevinson for example, who started blogging when she was only 12, but reached a subculture of the fashion industry in no time at all. Starting to blog about her opinions on the 2008 fashion runways, she was asked to be interviewed for New York Times because of her reach to audiences. She continues to show her creativity in a way that no one yet has claimed.

While Tavi is booming, BryanBoy gained his major claim to fame by writing and youtube-ing about Marc Jacob's ostrich bag that he so desperately wanted off the runway. Seeing his post, Mr. Jacobs' himself sent BryanBoy the handbag with a hand written note and an invitation to NYFW. (The bag was actually named after BryanBoy).

Bloggers such as Cashmere and Cupcakes, Song of Style, and Scott Schuman's The Satorialist have brought about the claim to originality within the fashion industry and how to make fashion and style your own. Bloggers essentially are the essence of the creativity and choice factors within the 3 c's. The loop of technological advances have allowed these bloggers to experience major success through brands and media outlets to bring their unique style to the world. Without these advances of social media, we probably would not regard bloggers as highly as we do. The ultimate goal of the blogger is to reach a massive group of consumers to be the brand's counterpart in boosting sales, revenue, and ROI's.

Without these bloggers though, it leads me to wonder, where would our fashion industry be? Where would people go to look for human inspiration, as opposed to the models we see spreading over the pages of Vogue? Would we still be experiencing that exclusivity factor and have season based fashion? This leads to the next major question that no one can quite answer, with all the major advances in technology, what's next? We have see the turnaround with bloggers taking the front row at fashion weeks, with almost as much importance as Anna Wintour. While this is great to market out to consumers, it definitely has thrown the exclusivity out of the industry - some think this is a good thing, and some do not. At the end of the day though, one wonders, where will our fashion world lead to next? What is going to be our next creative outlet in this forever growing technological post modern world filled with choices?

Questions, questions, questions... if only we had time to sit and ponder them all.

The Luxury Life: Case Study 2.4

The article reviewed for this blog post was on selling to the luxury customer/clientele and how to communicate in the correct and appropriate manner with these high society individuals. The best way to connect with this consumer is to make it about the experience as opposed to the overall sale. We learn about a sales associate for a luxury brand retailer and how he connects with his consumer by learning about their life, their preferences, and how they can work their style into their lives. He likes to know them on a personal level and treat them to lunch or go to Galas outside of work with them. The luxury consumer does not want to be sold to as the masses would, they want to have a personal stylist or an assistant that would help them shop as well. For the highest of the luxury pyramid, they would typically have their clothes either custom made, bespoke or tailored and delivered.

5 Tips for Working in Luxury Sales

1. Dress the part: Because a customer does not expect for the sales person to have the same lifestyle as they do, there is no need to have the whole look from page 82 on Vogue magazine. Small details like wearing a deliberately placed brooch, a nice watch or a pair of pearl earrings will work nicely. While you should look sharp, well groomed and current, the sales person should never upstage the client or customer.

2. Know your stuff: This does not only apply to fashion but it is important to be well rounded and knowledgeable about current happenings in society. The newsstand is your best friend. Reading the daily local paper or picking up magazines (fashion or pop culture) to keep you up to date. Quality over quantity is important here. It makes you look good if you happen to know a little information about a lot of things and what the customer is interested in. By doing this, you can have a great conversation while making the customer feel welcome and because you've made an impression, they are racking up a huge bill. Also, asking the customer something about themselves works well. People love to hear their names and talk about themselves, but nothing too personal. For instance, my job is in Hollywood where a lot of tourists come. I'll ask them how to say thank you in their language. Not only do I learn something, but they feel as if they've given me value by teaching me something.

3.The wealthy are people too: There is a stigma that people who shop luxury are snobby, demanding and over-bearing. Most of the time the client is happy and grateful for the assistance of the sales person. The customer wants to talk about clothes and get the opinion of the sales person, this is why they come in. Offer them advice about how to wear a particular piece or make suggestions about where to go or where to stay. One crucial differentiation between regular sales and luxury sales is that you are not only selling a jacket, but you are selling the lifestyle of the jacket.

4. Be a social magnet: VIP tickets to events or charity functions are not unusual gifts from customers. Always say yes to any opportunity to interact with the client outside of work. Even though you may be uncomfortable, fake it til you make it! This is also a chance to gain any referrals and also make deeper connections with your client outside of work. The author has found that most people who shop luxury want to share their lifestyle and experiences, so take a chance and make a friend.

5. Never forget the sale is bigger than the purchase: The pieces you sell are not just clothing, they are esteem and worth. Is a $10,000 jacket really necessary? No, but the customers want a sense of luxury and exclusivity. Maintaining your relationship is important. Think about a hand written thank you note or remembering to call them on their birthday will ensure longevity from your client.

The Nordstrom Point of View

While Nordstrom is not the highest level of luxury (Bergdorf Goodman or Saks Fifth) they still engage in selling the main luxury brands. They are a retailer that sells lower price point luxury while maintaining the ideal that the customer is the most important part of the entire store. Nordstrom instills in their employees that the customer should always feel welcome and happy when shopping or even entering a store. They want the customer to not only enjoy their purchases, but make a personal connection with the sales associate helping them. While working at Nordstrom, I have a book of

clientele whose information I keep on file, such as their birthday, their favorite designers, and what I have helped them with before. For major sales, trunk shows, and special rewards days, I refer back to this back to let my customer know what products will be showcased and how we can update their wardrobe with a few new key pieces. I definitely have learned these five main points in working at Nordstrom by making sure to truly get to know and connect with my different customers. Some of those customers have become close friends, and others have also taken me to events as well! These rules really work!!

Luxury Lifestyle Living (The 3 L's)

While helping the luxury based lifestyle consumer, most of their items seem to fit flawlessly together. Their lifestyle items are heavily incorporated into their surroundings and allows them to feel at ease in the places they are commonly found. Most of your luxury lifestyle consumers live the lifestyle of luxury including art, cars, fashion, food, drink, interior design, experiences, and travel amongst other things. They find that they want to be surrounded by an atmosphere that most could only dream of. The interesting concept mentioned above is that these tips will apply to any luxury lifestyle component. For the luxury car salesman, take Rolls Royce for example, they customize the car to the specific customer. In fact, one cannot buy a brand new Rolls Royce and drive it off the lot, rather, they have to wait about 6 months to receive a car that is perfectly tailored to them and their wants/needs. The luxury industry is about bespoke and customization to make sure the clientele is unique and has their wants fully fulfilled. 

On the idea of trends, luxury is more in a niche or subculture category, where trends are not as relevant in their lifestyle. While most luxury consumers are always up to date with the latest fashions, they tend to not fall for the items that look too "trendy." This also separates the idea of old money vs. new money and the luxury consumption pyramid. Not getting too heavily into this topic considering I could go on for hours, it also depends on the type of luxury consumer you are dealing with. If you are dealing with old money, chances are they will stick to their classic Chanel dress or Hermes bag. They do not want to adapt to the latest changes and some would rather maintain a level of classic style. On the other hand, the new money is all about luxury based trends and would probably gravitate more toward a Tom Ford jacket or a pair of Louboutins. While these four brands are all very high luxury, the latter two draw more of a futuristic or popular style and tend to not be as classic. A pair of louboutins are commonly seen, and most old money wants to stand out while not attracting direct attention. 

Relating this concept to the Macro and Micro level theory, the luxury consumer definitely falls within the macro category of tradition vs. change. Once again, our old money luxury would be a lifestyle of tradition, while the new money would be a lifestyle of constant change and the next best thing. The generational trends would be the old money family who has a heritage of studying at Harvard, starting companies or corporations, and living with the best but in complete privacy. The new money luxury consumer would be the population trend where they travel and explore with their new found wealth, most heavily documenting their lives through social media and not maintaining that idea of privacy necessarily. Within the macro level, each person experiences this whether luxury or not! We all have individual taste and likes of how we clothe our bodies. This idea depends more on your consumer than the societal background they come from. 

This idea of dealing with the luxury consumer is very tailored and a different experience than the masses. It is vitally important to be aware of the consumer you are dealing with and adjust yourself accordingly. But hey, being surrounded by luxury all day sounds like fun! Who knows, maybe you'll even get an invitation to an exclusive event and experience this high life for yourself! 



From One Culture to the Next...

From ONE Culture TO the Next...

In case study 1.1 we are introduced to a student journalist, Cassidy Herrington, who takes on the challenge of wearing a hijab for a month. For clarification, a hijab is a garment worn by women of the Muslim faith that covers their hair. By doing this, this student is experiencing what it means to be a Muslim in America and quite possibly exploring the ramifications that some Muslims may feel while living in America. Out of respect for the culture, religion and people Herrington tells her fellow Muslim students about her plans and she receives their support. What Herrington soon discovers that this project is more about covering her hair; she is carrying a community and she would need to be mindful of her actions.



Often times in our culture and society that is a melting pot we are taught to tolerate one another. In my opinion, I don't believe that toleration is necessarily a positive attribute. We have simply been trained to put up with people's differences rather than accept their differences and treat them with humanity. For example, my dentist and I were having a conversation about how we are perceived by the way that we look. He explained that he had gone into Tiffany in shorts and sneakers. He felt the aura of the salespeople ignoring him because of the way he came dressed. He went on to say that it has been ingrained in them to perceive people a certain way even though they work for Tiffany and may only be making a little more than minimum wage themselves. On the other hand, he has been in a situation where a patient comes in and he does not expect them to be able to afford his services whereas the patient that drives up in a Mercedes forfeits his services. Initially, he had judgments and perceptions on both ends. This also further extrapolates the notion of meeting someone and in the first five seconds you have made up in your mind who this person is. Our initial impression is very limited to who this person truly is as a complex human being and I believe that this is what Cassidy Herington's experiment has ultimately taught her.

Culture is also widely important through marketing and advertising, especially taking the correct approach within an international aspect. Since different countries celebrate and practice different cultures, a marketer must always be aware of this and make the necessary/appropriate changes. One example of an advertising campaign gone wrong was a billboard for birth control in India. Marketers for this campaign did not take the time to learn the culture of India and how consumers respond. Instead they took a more traditional approach to subsidizing the idea of birth control through a series of billboards. The billboard was simply split in half, one side white, the other black. On the white side of the billboard was a family, two parents with one child dressed in all white, happy, affluent lifestyle portrayal, and in a nice background area. The black/other half of the billboard had a family of around 10 children with both parents, dressed in black torn clothing and in a less affluent and poverty stricken lifestyle. The idea behind this campaign was to show that with less children, a family could live a more luxurious lifestyle. Yet this idea and campaign completely backfired to consumer response. In India, the parents want more than one child because they want to be assured that they will be taken care of as they grow old. By having more than one child, it assures that they will most likely be taken care of by at least one of the children. Also, in India, the color white is associated with death, drawing the consumers to the black half of the billboard. In this case it goes to prove the importance of how cultural influence plays a massive part in success or not within in business.

So, as fellow students I pose the challenge to you. What can you do to step outside of your comfort zone? How do you think it will make you grow?