How and why do people who aren’t actually well off pay for this stuff?

[Watersunscream]

If I told you our income I would be told we are in the top percent of earners etc but I honestly couldn’t actually justify or financially manage these sorts of purchases.

Has anyone heard of the essentials brand? Literally hundreds for a tracksuit. I think another is Bergen? Expensive t shirts. Then there’s the usual like Fred Perry etc.

Obviously I know lots of wealthy people buy these things too but it’s mostly people from low income backgrounds. How do I know this? Because people I work with who live in deprived areas and not paid much are forever talking about these things! They actually buy the stuff for holidays or as gifts at Christmas etc. Is this a misguided attempt to gain status? An insecurity thing? I find it really bizarre, it wouldn’t ever cross my mind to spend this.

Bullied for wearing plain unbranded socks or shorts for PE? I find that very hard to believe.

I was reflecting and initially thought this wasn't an issue when, for example I was young. Then realised I lived in a rural village. Majority of children came from farming backgrounds so asset rich but cash poor. No one cared about labels etc or fitting in (as we just did by association).The 1 child who stood out who always had the newest items, labelled things was a child who lived in a council house.

You’ve clearly never been a teenager - they’ll find anything to bully others.

The school should do as my DC’s secondary have and insist on full school logo PE kit then. It’s about £14 for the polo, £12 for the shorts and £6 for the socks so cheaper than Nike gear and they’re all in the same so no bullying.

No. The school should deal with the bullying.

Perhaps they live in a flat above a shop and not in a very big house in the country (with maxed out mortgage).

"Poor" people in the top 1% of earners have invariably overstretched themselves because they feel entitled to certain things which require enormous loans (primarily mortgage) or ongoing payments (private school) and are salary sacrificing into pensions to pay less tax and qualify for means tested benefits (and of course will be in the top 1% of pensioners when they retire early).

It's all about your choices, as you know full well. Being so wide eyed is just cover for snobbery.

The sad thing is, that a lot of these clothes (not all), probably come out of the same factory in China or India for eg, but just get a different label stitched onto them.

I think people on low incomes will buy one luxury item like a branded T-shirt to make them feel better and make them feel and look like they aren’t just scraping by.

We’re all human and everyone needs to feel comfortable in the world and like they fit in.

If you have literally no other luxuries, don’t own a house or a car etc., then that designer T-shirt is important!

Lots of snobbery on this thread.

My sister goes to Turkey and buys the knock offs when there. Some of the stuff is the same quality as the genuine brand, some is a bit more ropey. I am currently in Morocco and was looking at some gorgeous bags yesterday that are knock offs and you would never know. The quality is really good.

I will not buy anything off ebay that could be a knock off.

Believe me, in lots of disadvantaged areas this is absolutely the norm.

Why? Is it because branded socks make for a better PE lesson? Socks are the few things a child has that cheap is better due to how quickly they go through them. The mentality of branded for PE socks is stupid, along with bullying over plain socks. Such an idiotic thing to do.

Of course it’s idiotic, but teenagers generally aren’t the most level-headed humans.

I don't think anyone is claiming it's sensible - it's bullying!

They're saying it happens. Which is true. I've taught in schools like that in the past and they make a strong case against the naive belief that a uniform reduces bullying over clothing. Arguing with bullies about sock quality and pragmatic shopping choices won't get a child far during the bullying incident!

Actually good quality socks do last longer and for some can provide cushioning in the right places for sport, blister protection etc - but good quality certainly doesn't mean branded, it could mean socks which would attract more negative attention in that sort of environment (I don't think Darn Tough socks would impress bullies for example)!

That’s fine if you can also afford to buy shoes, shorts and T-shirts for every day wear. Many people can’t and the PE kit does double duty outside of school. School branded kit it expensive for something you can only wear at school.

Status.
keeping up with the joneses
trying to appear wealthy
insecurity
fashion
Or people buy for quality
some as investments (bags for example)

everyone reacts to life differently. Someone I know grew up poor so wanted the nice things in life - bought a car on finance despite not driving and a big house, others may want to use it to save or invest as they grew up with not much. Just individuals with different attitudes to life.

It's a way of denying you are poor, and aspirational- in the old days it was a huge bowl of sugar in the middle of the table.
The truly wealthy do not do brands very much, they shop at places like the Burlington Arcade, top quality stuff but brands only the rich have heard of.

Absolutely my DIL buys and sells kids clothes from these labels and regularly gets messages asking things like “can I pay you on Friday as I do t have any money until then”
personally I am gobsmacked that anyone who has no money/ emergency fund etc is spending silly money on a Dior dress for their toddler

Perhaps a good PHSE/social studies/ethics/civics (whatever the school calls it) lesson at the beginning of Year 7 could be to discuss whether a "name" on a product doesn't make it better.
Teach them - before they are actual teens - that it doesn't always make a difference if someone's PE socks are Nike or Primark.
There should be a zero tolerance policy about bullying others about their clothes.
There should be ZERO bullying about socks.

I mean between kids/families, who has the bestt/most expensive model, that type of thing. Not quite as pressing a concern though as having to go into a rough school and get battered for having cheap trainers I suppose....

Why would I bother lying? She was told she looked poor and was laughed at.

It's cultural and particularly prevalent in immigrants from certain countries.

Some families will scrimp and save to buy a second hand Ralph Lauren jacket even if it means they can't afford other basics, because that jacket tells the world, including their families back home or the regulars at their local pub, that they've "made it" and are successful. They've spent their whole lives struggling to get by and a designer outfit gives them a bit of pride. And if they do every come by a bit of unexpected extra money, they want something to show for it.

As a high earner, you don't have to worry about proving that you're doing well or impressing anyone. You don't need an ostentatious display to try to prove your wealth or disguise your poverty.

I would say the opposite. The white, lower class people are much more likely to feel they have status through these items. Immigrant populations much more likely to save.
Edited: the second generation, especially if living in a deprived area are very likely to go this way, simply because all of their peers are. It's tragic that not having branded socks in school can be the cause of bullying, but it happens.

I think it depends on which community you're from. Immigrants don't all come from the same culture.

You really find that hard to believe? One boy at my council estate school in the early 2000s was referred to only as Tesco Two Stripe for about 3 years because he had an off brand tracksuit (and no amount of saying it wasn't even from Tesco made a difference). When he finally got an Adidas one people would joke he'd stitched an extra stripe on, so even that didn't end it. If you go to a school where this stuff matters you absolutely get bullied for it. Bullies are looking for excuses and it gives them one.

Of course not, but IME immigrants (first gen) are much more savvy with money and less concerned about status goods. They are thinking more long term, but of course it depends on the background, they aren't all culturally the same of course.