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.

Culture, class, status symbols.

The book Watching the English by Kate Fox is brilliant on this. Highly recommended read.

Nah, I know people from Nigeria etc. who just can"t stop buying trainers, labeled clothes etc. they are not on massive money, it is a status thing and I find it quite sad really, they have been brainwashed by the Western debt/consumption model, why do you think the big banks are now all over Africa building their lending business? Same thing happened with the cigarette companies when U.S/UK/Europe became more aware of the dangers, they went to Asia and targeted young people with their ads?

Ain't that the truth!

Yes, and that's a big truth as well!

A family member did some research on a similar area which looked at some working class famlies on benefits. She was interviewing different people and some had the big TVs, the branded clothes etc. The case with some of these families was they got their money and spent it immediately. They didn't know how to budget and wanted the luxuries that they couldn't afford. As a result they were on food stamps, couldn't heat the house, credit card debts etc. I would say there are a lot of people from different backgrounds and working families who drive big cars, go on nice holidays etc on credit and are in debt paying things off. Lots of people have cars on finance and long term mortgages.

Pride. Many people who are hard up don’t want others to realise so will splash out on a designer sweatshirt so others can see they can afford ‘expensive’. The sweatshirt is a lot cheaper than the house or car which are beyond their means.

If you mean why does a particular brand become the ‘in’ thing to have, it’s often because a particular celebrity will wear it and so it becomes coveted. This tends to be where you get fakes. People then assume items are fake even if the real thing, and it goes out of fashion again.

I have some friends who worked in banking and owned a nice place in Kensington. She drove a VW Lupo, he just used PT. When they retired at 40, they had already a house in Marbella, got another one in Germany and that’s when they got the Porsche. They always said there was no point having two cars in London and that having a Lupo made it much easier to park.

I’ve got close family with big credit card debts who buy expensive designer clothing. Like £500 for a pair of trainers or a jacket. They think it makes them look more “high end” I think, even though it definitely doesn’t.

I agree 💯

What it actually does is simple. It ruins you and makes your life a misery.
Years ago I bought a house for the mother of my daughter in Montclair, New Jersey. She became addicted to gambling and lost that house.
Today she lives in a small apartment in Montclair.
My daughter became a singer and model in LA and married a successful actor and musician.
Life can deliver hard lessons.

Boden washes and washes and still looks good. Children’s clothes can be worn by younger siblings etc for years afterwards. It may not be particularly fashionable but compared to a lot on the high street it wears really well.

It used to. I’ve still got T-shirts from 2002 that my children wore that would be perfect. Perfectly serviceable hasn’t faded lovely thick cotton.
Compare it with the current offerings it’s very disappointing.
I have hundred pound dresses from there that I bought in 2020 that I’ve only been used for holidays so 14 weeks absolute maximum they’ve even seen daylight never mind been worn, they aren’t fairing well

Well yes, it isn"t just chavs who run on debt, most of the middle class are up to their neck in mortgage debt.

The difference being of course at the end of it they get a house to show for their efforts unlike a Moschino T-shirt from 1993 but they’re still paying back in 2026

There's a huge difference between borrowing to buy a useful appreciating asset compared with borrowing for unnecessary designer clothes, holidays, etc., which are "sunk" costs with no longer term value.

Thought the same this morning when I was ironing DH's 1996 Euro shorts - 30 years old and still look as good as new. I've still got holiday clothes from the 90's that come out every Summer, again, good as new.

Compare that with basically everything else we've bought in the past 20-30 years that is long consigned to the charity shop or bin.

The quality has absolutely nose dived, and basically everything these days from "high street" shops is Primark/supermarket standard.

Absolutely and it’s necessary as you are not going to be given a council or social housing property