£ 000 hoodies - WTF

[AndyAudi]

I’ve maybe been living in a cave but.

Recently I saw an AI generated Harry Potter reel, which I assumed to be just a spoof funny.

https://www.instagram.com/reel/DVylNgtjBmX/?igsh=M...

However, in a bar (nice but 1st time I’d visited) at weekend & a couple came in & sat at a table across from us, he was dressed in casual clothes, much as I would, no visible brand but looked smart. His partner I noted appeared in a hoodie emblazoned with a name & to me was dressed out of sorts to her companion, (like a dad taking his daughter out for a pint). I didn’t think more of it until I saw that reel again yesterday & realised that was the hoodie brand. (Wanted to post yesterday but conscious of the date…)

I am judgemental on appearance, don’t pretend otherwise or generally make apologies for it, but that “expensive hoodie” to me looked like tat. (If it said white fox she’d probably appear on council thread)

This is PH so I’m sure some will probably be embracing this brand but seriously wtf

The reel
https://www.instagram.com/reel/DVylNgtjBmX/?igsh=M...

The brand
https://www.balenciaga.com/en-gb/men/ready-to-wear...

[MajorMantra]

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Veblen_good

[Alex9]

I had a little look at the links, it's given me an idea! I have some old t-shirts in the cupboard, I could rip massive holes in them, chuck them on ebay, and pay off my mortgage!

[MattyD803]

Me and a couple of close mates (we are all 40-ish, one is a Doctor of some seniority, one is a IT / AI specialist, neither short of a few quid) and we had a very similar WTAF moment last year.

We went to Amsterdam for the weekend and a huge downpour saw us running into a local department store for 5 mins to see us through the shower/deluge. As we stood there, we looked around at some of the clothing adjacent to us, which happened to be the Balenciaga 'section'.

There was torn/scraggly looking jumper with a label suggesting 850 Euros......then some torn / dirty jeans which were 925 Euros. A belt was 300 euros. We assumed the decimal place was in the wrong place...but alas, no. These are the prices.

I mean....don't get me wrong, i've grown up fully aware of (which I consider) 'designer' clothes, but nothing to that extent. That really was next level / eye opening for us. We all value (and own) good quality products (which can be expensive), but not this extent of stupidity.

Edited by MattyD803 on Thursday 2nd April 09:35

[AndyAudi]

MajorMantra said:

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Veblen_good

Interesting read,

If she’d been wearing it through the day i’d probably never have noticed it, it was however very out of place on a night out in my opinion, which I suppose is the “look at me” some folk want.
(I’m more of an understated elegance type & struggle to understand the opposite)

[Gary29]

£775 to look like this I'm sure he'll grow into it.

Edited by Gary29 on Thursday 2nd April 09:27

[zb]

I'm absolutely convinced that brand is an elaborate wind up that's got out of hand.

None of it is particularly new to me, I grew up during the Punk era, and no surprise when "fashion" rolls around again. This though? You'd have to be effing soft in the head to pay hundreds, if not thousands, of pounds to look like you've assembled your wardrobe from the bins at a homeless shelter.

[Mont Blanc]

AndyAudi said:

I ve maybe been living in a cave but.

Recently I saw an AI generated Harry Potter reel, which I assumed to be just a spoof funny.

https://www.instagram.com/reel/DVylNgtjBmX/?igsh=M...

However, in a bar (nice but 1st time I d visited) at weekend & a couple came in & sat at a table across from us, he was dressed in casual clothes, much as I would, no visible brand but looked smart. His partner I noted appeared in a hoodie emblazoned with a name & to me was dressed out of sorts to her companion, (like a dad taking his daughter out for a pint). I didn t think more of it until I saw that reel again yesterday & realised that was the hoodie brand. (Wanted to post yesterday but conscious of the date )

I am judgemental on appearance, don t pretend otherwise or generally make apologies for it, but that expensive hoodie to me looked like tat. (If it said white fox she d probably appear on council thread)

This is PH so I m sure some will probably be embracing this brand but seriously wtf

The reel
https://www.instagram.com/reel/DVylNgtjBmX/?igsh=M...

The brand
https://www.balenciaga.com/en-gb/men/ready-to-wear...

You must surely be aware that the price of designer/luxury/hype brands is almost nothing to do with:

a) The manufacturing cost.
b) The quality of the product.
c) The the look or style of the product.

The price they can sell it at is determined by with the way the brand is marketed, the way it is priced, the way it is sold, the product placement, the way the stores look, they story they tell about the brand, celebrity endorsements, and a myriad of other ways.

Supreme is a good example of this. Selling perfectly ordinary household items and accessories for silly prices, because they slapped the Supreme logo on them.

[Sporky]

zb said:

I'm absolutely convinced that brand is an elaborate wind up that's got out of hand.

I think you could replace "that brand" with "fashion" and still be right.

But I also think if they've got the money and like the clothes it's no-one else's business.

[Baldchap]

I'll stick to my Balenciaga high Vis jacket. A steal at under £3k.

[zb]

Sporky said:

zb said:

I'm absolutely convinced that brand is an elaborate wind up that's got out of hand.

I think you could replace "that brand" with "fashion" and still be right.

But I also think if they've got the money and like the clothes it's no-one else's business.

Oh indeed, no doubt the ludicrous price will be part of the appeal to the market they're targeting.

[P-Jay]

Balenciaga was, or is a high fashion brand. Like a lot of them they've been bought up by one of the big 'luxury' brands that seem to own everything now. If you go to their shops or 'boutiques' where people buy high fashion you won't see the hoodies, or the stupid bracelet that looks like a roll of packing tape or the massive daps they used to sell for £1k or more.

It's a kind of 'visible status' crap, it doesn't matter what it looks like, it's probably decent quality but not exceptional materials, but the more crass it is the better, it's a real "look at me, I'm fking loaded" thing, even if people who are stupid enough to buy it probably had to use a credit card or Klarna to pay for it.

People who are really into fashion, rich or poor, won't touch it. I've never had piles of money, but if I did, well I wouldn't want to show off, but I guess if I did, it wouldn't be on a £900 shirt that looks like the window of an Ice Cream Van.

[JimmyConwayNW]

zb said:

I'm absolutely convinced that brand is an elaborate wind up that's got out of hand.

I'm with you on that. It really is one of the worst brands out there for charging huge money but just seeing what they can get away with. They are laughing at the buyers of their product.

[AndyAudi]

JimmyConwayNW said:

zb said:

I'm absolutely convinced that brand is an elaborate wind up that's got out of hand.

I'm with you on that. It really is one of the worst brands out there for charging huge money but just seeing what they can get away with. They are laughing at the buyers of their product.

Emperors new clothes….?

[LRDefender]

Balenciaga is very popular with well off Russians, I think it’s a way to show people you have money in certain sections of Russian society.

I was recently in a nice restaurant when an attractive Russian couple walked in, mid thirties I’d guess and completely decked out in full Balenciaga apparel. To most they looked quite ridiculous, a quick Google search and it was evident they were each wearing around $7k’s worth of clothing.

I really struggle to see the appeal but I guess it’s good we don’t all like the same things in life…

[Pitre]

Much as I admire him in many ways, you just know Lewis Hamilton will be wearing this stuff.

[Gary29]

Pitre said:

Much as I admire him in many ways, you just know Lewis Hamilton will be wearing this stuff.

His was the first name that popped into my head too, I think he's already been seen wearing a lot of this in the paddock

[Soloman Dodd]

Pitre said:

Much as I admire him in many ways, you just know Lewis Hamilton will be wearing this stuff.

Maybe, but then he is paid to wear it. Even I would if I was paid.

I think I could look cool in that ripped tanktop.

[pidsy]

Olima Omega has done a few piss takes:

https://youtube.com/shorts/myw99mtK5ys?si=MPkxbh_n...

[remedy]

I've seen this brand on some clothing recently. I put it in the same chav brand box as Burberry was back in the 00s.

But, schooled I am today. I had been mentally pronouncing it as Bal-en-chay-ga