Buying Designer Labels: Worth It or Waste of Money?

Do you love buying the best designer labels? Happily spend £200 on a sweater? Well, after all, designer labels are stylish right? Are they, or can you get better value from non-designer brands?

Many people are enticed by designer labels for their appeal of luxury, believing that it will make people think differently about them. However, there are other options which could be way cooler, save you money and even be more sustainable and eco-friendly.

Here’s some reasons why buying designer labels is actually not the best choice.

The eye-watering price!

So, why is buying designer labels sometimes considered a waste of money? The most obvious answer would be that you can get quality clothes for a much lower price.

Money might be no object if you are wealthy, however, for most of us £200 for a jumper is pretty steep. The price is often inflated just because of the branding and, in fact, you can still look trendy and stylish with non-designer branded clothes.

You don’t have to blow your bank account to look good. And if you do want to spend the money, there are lots of other options.

The actual product

Additionally, the way a product is perceived is not always how it performs. For example, a jacket that costs half the price of a branded jacket might even be better quality in many cases. You don’t always get what you pay for with high-end designer clothes.

The brand alone shouldn’t justify a purchase of a product. Whilst the quality of the clothing may be better than flimsy fast fashion products, you are still principally paying for the marketing of the product rather than the quality.

Style doesn’t mean designer

For some people, throwing on a designer label item might mean they instantly have style. But this is the lazy way to find your style. And let’s be honest, a lot of designer clothes don’t look that great – you’re just looking at them because of the brand name and the associated image.

You can dress cool, sexy, stylish, whatever you want – for a fraction of the price. To be clear, I’m not saying you need to go to Primark or H&M for all your clothes. But you can easily find stylish items without wasting money on designer brand clothes.

You’ve been brainwashed

The truth is, for many brands, it is all about the marketing and the brand associations. Because we often see celebs wearing designer brands like Gucci or Louis Vuitton, we have the perception that these brands make us look successful.

The truth is though that brands often give these high profile people free clothing to create this link between success and brand. We might see footballers and pop stars wearing Stone Island or whatever the big designer brand is now.

What’s good to note here, though, is that most people in society won’t even notice what brand you are wearing!

So, if impressing people and drawing attention to yourself is the reason behind buying designer clothes, this is usually not worth it since most people can’t tell the difference between a £2,000 designer shirt and a £20 shirt from your local supermarket. Unless someone is examining your fashion statements up close, the statement you are trying to make will probably go unnoticed.

Eco-friendly alternatives

It’s also worth saying that some eco-friendly brands would make much better purchases than high-fashion designer labels because they create less harm to the environment.

Eco-friendly brands have sustainability at the forefront of their minds, and often cost much less than designer brands. Companies like Organic Basics, Outerknown, Patagonia, Finisterre and Colorful Standard all follow ethical and sustainable practices to produce great clothing.

For example, Outerknown is a company that produces a variety of fair-trade men’s clothing, including but not limited to polos, jeans, and sweatshirts. There’s something for everyone, and a popular item is their flannel shirts. It’s obvious from these items that you can still look good whilst spending less, but also help the environment at the same time.

This means that it might be better to shop somewhere with the greater good in mind rather than just a marketing statement. By purchasing goods from eco-friendly companies, you can encourage a reduction in our carbon footprint, therefore making the world a better place. Therefore, it’s obvious that there are some better and less harmful options to take than buying into branded designer labels.

Conclusion

Overall, people might continue to buy designer labels for the statement it gives out or generally just because the extortionate price makes it more desirable. The main tip would be to buy clothes that make you happy and allow you to feel good, as long as you can afford them.

Designer clothing might suit some people’s preferences, however, overall, many people think it’s a waste of money because you can get high-quality clothes from other shops for a much lower price. And it’s not about the brand, but about how you present yourself and your style.

Furthermore, buying from companies that you believe in is also important.

It’s always recommended to buy from a good cause to help you do your bit to save the planet, meaning that there are sometimes better alternatives to designer labels.

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