Designer, brand-name, and luxury merchandise for kids

[Couture_Tribe]

I disagree and agree with you...

It is true, that when you see an underaged person with an expensive bag your first thought is that it is a fake. But if that bag is not the uber-hip LV or Fendi, and it's not worn in a "look at me, I've got like a REAL designer BAG!!!, but otherwise I wear a tanktop from H&M sale" manner, I see nothing wrong with it. If you can pull it off (and this does not mean having a wardrobe of over-priced designer clothing, but grace and style), it is ok. These rules apply on adults too.

The rule of pulling it off is great, that attitude is positive.

I don't see working as a waste of time. Earning your own money teaches you things studying cannot and will never teach.

That might be what different parents believe, my parents won't appreciate me to work for money at this age, but they like me to do volunteer jobs to gain social experience. (Well, let's not argue about the job part here, because I had it enough with my friends in school. ) I believe it's also how parents like to show their love to their child, just like some in this disscusion believe designer bags are a way to show love.

If your style has to match your economical level or status, then designer clothes/bags/shoes/you name it should be banned from anyone but the rich and famous.

Ok, I believe that as a student, you can not be so rich (on top of basic needs, school fees don't come cheap), therefore, a designer bag dosesn't come easily for you. Why work so hard for something that's just not worth it? As in amount of efford you have to put in your part time job, split your studying time, and saving, just to get that bag which dosen't match you economically? I personally don't understand.

What about those teens, who are "upper class" and who's parents have actually dressed them in expensive clothes since their childhood? Not all of them are spoiled kids with no touch to reality, I can tell you this since I happen to study in a place know as "elitist".

Then, good for those kids, they are born rich, raised with class in mind, and put efford into their future. BUT how much out of the entire human population are like that? They are just the minority, minority elitists.

Girls take bags to bathroom for other reasons too. I take it with me since I may, for example, need a tissue, a brush or a tampon, not because of vanity.

I understand that, I am a girl too, I need it SOMETIMES, not EVERYTIME, it's like the bag is their life, that's the attitude in my school.

"Collecting" designer bags. To me this means building a good basic wardrobe. Buying those few very classic and basic quality bags, having them forever and then passing them along after I die. It's not to show off "my designer bags" but because of the quality only designer labels offer, expensive or not. I want my wardrobe to last long so I don't have to put too much money to it.

Well, my opinion on this will offend a lot of collectors, I apologize in advance. A quality, classic, good looking bag dosen't not HAVE to be designer, it's your appreciation for quality AND the vanity (which most women have), that made you buy a designer bag. In fact, in the industry, desinger bags are over priced on purpose. The price is somewhat to prove the pretige of that brand, plus all the hype in ad and by media. Lastly, may I say, at the end women or their husben are the victms.

 

[Couture_Tribe]

but how do you ensure that your 14 yearold daughter understands that she is worth more than her designer hand bag? what are the values instilled in the child that makes this seem important. i am not trying to say that because you own a designer bag that your automatically vapid but i think that there is a major connection between items owned by a young girl, her ken and her work ethic. maybe i am just to old and bitter but there seems to be something wrong with a society that places more importance on material possesions than truly developing a personality. Does a purse or jacket define who we are becoming?

I agree with your point.

The answer for the question is certainly NO, the reason why parents buy them a purse or a jacket is the fact that each parent wishes their child to become somebody when they grow up. Parents' thoughts are somewhat pathetic in a way that not many people understands their love.

 

[Couture_Tribe]

You'd think, but unfortunately, many girls from back home aren't aware that the endless flow of money leaving mummy and daddy's wallets has to have been earnt, and many come to expect more and more, and most disappointly, look down on others who havent got the luxury of wealthy parents.

YES YES YES, I totally agree with this.

 

[Couture_Tribe]

But, speaking personally, I would rather my parents did not do such a thing, which isn't much of a worry since there is no chance on earth that they would!

Quite simply, I'm 18 and highly ambitious. I like to set goals for myself, and since a child I've promised myself that once I became successful I would congratulate myself by investing in a classic bag, most likely Chanel, as for me Coco Chanel represented the ultimate in luxe style and couture. If my parents were to buy this for me, without me having worked for it, that would take away a great part of the appeal of owning one.

So for me, in owning a designer item, age, status and good old fashion graft should be considered.

EXCELLENT, that's what moral integrity means, that's the way I was been taught and believes since I was a kid.

 

[PrinceOfCats]

Conspicuous consumption is a useful means of parting rich brats with their money. Not to mention a useful means of their peers knowing which spoilt rich kids not to talk to/ to mug.

 

[Whitelinen]

The rule of pulling it off is great, that attitude is positive.



That might be what different parents believe, my parents won't appreciate me to work for money at this age, but they like me to do volunteer jobs to gain social experience. (Well, let's not argue about the job part here, because I had it enough with my friends in school. ) I believe it's also how parents like to show their love to their child, just like some in this disscusion believe designer bags are a way to show love.

I work because I want to earn my own money and maybe grow up a bit and learn how to take responsibility. My parents have never said I should work. I think it is the same to them. If my working would be a problem, they'd express it. I don't want to argue, but it offends me a bit that you are suggesting that parents who let their children work don't love as much as parents who don't let them to work. I don't see how you can say it has anything to do with love. Would you like to explain this a little bit more?

Ok, I believe that as a student, you can not be so rich (on top of basic needs, school fees don't come cheap), therefore, a designer bag dosesn't come easily for you. Why work so hard for something that's just not worth it? As in amount of efford you have to put in your part time job, split your studying time, and saving, just to get that bag which dosen't match you economically? I personally don't understand.

How do you know it's not worth it? If someone has been dreaming of that particular thing and earning money for it, then why is it wrong? Why should we dress on how our economical levels suggest, why can't we dress to express ourselves?

Then, good for those kids, they are born rich, raised with class in mind, and put efford into their future. BUT how much out of the entire human population are like that? They are just the minority, minority elitists.


I understand that, I am a girl too, I need it SOMETIMES, not EVERYTIME, it's like the bag is their life, that's the attitude in my school.

I take mine every time. For the reason that I described. I see no vanity in it. But maybe this is not a point to be argued

Well, my opinion on this will offend a lot of collectors, I apologize in advance. A quality, classic, good looking bag dosen't not HAVE to be designer, it's your appreciation for quality AND the vanity (which most women have), that made you buy a designer bag. In fact, in the industry, desinger bags are over priced on purpose. The price is somewhat to prove the pretige of that brand, plus all the hype in ad and by media. Lastly, may I say, at the end women or their husben are the victms.

No, it doesn't have to be designer, but unfortunately quality isn't found at Wal-Mart or Topshop. Of course fashion is vain, all fashion is vain. Of course the bags are over-priced, isn't all the designer stuff over-priced? So, are you suggesting that there is no reason what so ever to buy designer? Should we buy from only H&M? Or second-hand shops? Should we make our own clothes? Is there a reason for fashion designers to exist?

Of course we are buying a piece of that image too. Isn't buying clothes/bags/shoes always that? We are buying something in order to achieve a certain image.

There are tons of disgusting designer handbags. But there are some that I like. It is purely a personal view on the subject. I have nothing against other bags, but I rarely see any classic, beautiful ones with quality included. Quality, unfortunately in most cases, not all, costs money.

 

[strawberry daiquiri]

How do you know it's not worth it? If someone has been dreaming of that particular thing and earning money for it, then why is it wrong? Why should we dress on how our economical levels suggest, why can't we dress to express ourselves?

what i took from what why_fashion said, and agree with, is that they are making sacrifices with most or all of their other spending, just so they can afford that one very expensive thing. that to me makes no sense... like buying the cheapest car so you can afford the best wheels. if you want a good quality leather bag, not that these are the types i see them with, it doesn't have to be from the biggest designer name that cripples all your other expenses.

And i agree, WhiteLinen, that allowing children to work can be the best possible thing you can do for them. i never appreciated money as much as when i earned it myself. so often i passed the time in horrible jobs working out how many hours it would take to buy this, that or the other... and it motivated me further to get everything i could from the education system so that i would not spend my life doing something i detested for someone i detested!

 

[KhaoticKharma]

There's a girl in my Biology class that carries authentic Chanel, Louis Vuitton, and Gucci bags on a regular basis. But I also go to a really obnoxious school full of kids whos parent's have too much money.

 

[Diorling]

Whilst shopping the other day on Madison Ave (home of the women act as if they dont care about thier wealth but still flaunt it more than the Beckhams) I saw a 10-year-old girl in a chinchilla coat, her mom was wearing one too, sadly this is what the WASPs do on the Upper East Side, they think matchy-matchy is cute, bless thier hearts. Thank god Im half WASP! Goodness knows what Id be wearing, a pastel pink Ralph Lauren sweater, with canary pants and boat shoes.

Actually, now that I think about it, in my school most of the girls started getting designer bags at around...15. There was this one girl who had every Murakami print...Eye Love You, Cherry Blossoms, etc...she was 16.

Im sooooo glad my parents didnt buy me all the crap I wanted when I was younger because I have the taste and appreciation of quality now that Im older to truly appreciate designer goods. When I was like 13 I was buying loads of D&G, god, I still have some of that hideous trash...I thought I was SOO COOOL...Ya, I really wasn't I must've looked insane.

 

[loubylou]

Wow, I wish I knew what it felt like to be able to trash myself for wearing D&G at 13...

 

[Couture_Tribe]

I work because I want to earn my own money and maybe grow up a bit and learn how to take responsibility. My parents have never said I should work. I think it is the same to them. If my working would be a problem, they'd express it. I don't want to argue, but it offends me a bit that you are suggesting that parents who let their children work don't love as much as parents who don't let them to work. I don't see how you can say it has anything to do with love. Would you like to explain this a little bit more?

What I mean is that, some parents believes that let children work at a young age so that they realize money doesn't grow on trees or learn to manage money as early as a teenager. After their children grow up, they are better with managing their money in hand and it is their freedom to spend money however they want. That IS a way of showing love by thinking ahead and allows freedom.

My parents believe that they have the responsibility to raise me until legal age of 18, before I turn 18, on top of basic food and shelter needs, they satisfy my wants at a appropriate level, also my school grade level, so that I do not become spoiled. They also believe that if I work, not that I won't have enough time to study properly (I think that's very responsible if you think about it). If I buy luxurious stuff at this age, when I grow up, I earn more money on my own, I'll buy even more expensive stuff, and it's endless. If children realizes the endless want of luxurious products can never be satisfied since youth, they will be more conscious with their money later in life.

All paren'ts (should) love their children, just in a different way. Both ways can work to teach children to be responsible with their money later in life. The later one I can say is more responsible to the child. I think it's also a cultural difference in which one each individual believes.

How do you know it's not worth it? If someone has been dreaming of that particular thing and earning money for it, then why is it wrong? Why should we dress on how our economical levels suggest, why can't we dress to express ourselves?

The person below you said it.

No, it doesn't have to be designer, but unfortunately quality isn't found at Wal-Mart or Topshop. Of course fashion is vain, all fashion is vain. Of course the bags are over-priced, isn't all the designer stuff over-priced? So, are you suggesting that there is no reason what so ever to buy designer? Should we buy from only H&M? Or second-hand shops? Should we make our own clothes? Is there a reason for fashion designers to exist?

Of course we are buying a piece of that image too. Isn't buying clothes/bags/shoes always that? We are buying something in order to achieve a certain image.

There are tons of disgusting designer handbags. But there are some that I like. It is purely a personal view on the subject. I have nothing against other bags, but I rarely see any classic, beautiful ones with quality included. Quality, unfortunately in most cases, not all, costs money.

NO NO NO, fashion is not vain, "fashion does not exist only in clothing, it's in the sky, on the street, it has to do with ideas, the way we live, what is happening"- G. Chanel. Because there are people outside who thinks fashion is only about how good you dress, therefore us, people who take fashion as form of art or as a reflection of life are flooded along with the word "vain".

Not saying that you can/should not buy designer, but it's not a genius idea to buy certain designer where the price is only a tool to prove its prestige. You can buy from designers who are without a licensing (In order for a designer to have a logo everywhere, they have sign a license for that category of products first, ie: Micheal Kors, CK, LV), the money you pay is the quality you get, prestige should not not included IMO. I also believe, once a designer signed a licensing, their mark on the scale drops for their vanity. If you really care about image or quality, get those couturiers to make you something exclusively.

 

[Couture_Tribe]

Whilst shopping the other day on Madison Ave (home of the women act as if they dont care about thier wealth but still flaunt it more than the Beckhams) I saw a 10-year-old girl in a chinchilla coat, her mom was wearing one too, sadly this is what the WASPs do on the Upper East Side, they think matchy-matchy is cute, bless thier hearts. Thank god Im half WASP! Goodness knows what Id be wearing, a pastel pink Ralph Lauren sweater, with canary pants and boat shoes.

Actually, now that I think about it, in my school most of the girls started getting designer bags at around...15. There was this one girl who had every Murakami print...Eye Love You, Cherry Blossoms, etc...she was 16.

Im sooooo glad my parents didnt buy me all the crap I wanted when I was younger because I have the taste and appreciation of quality now that Im older to truly appreciate designer goods. When I was like 13 I was buying loads of D&G, god, I still have some of that hideous trash...I thought I was SOO COOOL...Ya, I really wasn't I must've looked insane.

fun story, it's good that at least you woke up and realized how silly it was; some people just sinks, deeper and deeper into that trash.

I had this kind of feeling too, I was very glad that my parents were poor and also strict on money with me when I was 11/12, because at that time, I always wanted a fake brown LV or that pink dior bag , I also wanted every must-have item of each season at that time . Now, I appreciate quality, class, suitability, and style. I thank my parents for not letting me buy those $h!t at age 11/12, otherwise, I now would probably be a fashion victim people describes in the "fashion victims you have seen today" thread.

 

[Whitelinen]

Not saying that you can/should not buy designer, but it's not a genius idea to buy certain designer where the price is only a tool to prove its prestige. You can buy from designers who are without a licensing (In order for a designer to have a logo everywhere, they have sign a license for that category of products first, ie: Micheal Kors, CK, LV), the money you pay is the quality you get, prestige should not not included IMO. I also believe, once a designer signed a licensing, their mark on the scale drops for their vanity. If you really care about image or quality, get those couturiers to make you something exclusively.

You're right . But I think we mean different things when we talk about designer bags...

I am a victim of "the image" in a way. I would rather buy that Hermès Kelly, not the same kind of (not a replica/pirated copy) a bag, just to own a piece of Hermès. Of course I would like the actual bag very much, and that would be the reason for purchasing it, but if there'd be a bag almost the same, but not as prestigious, I would still probably buy the more prestigious one. Do you get what I'm meaning? I'm explaining a little bit confusingly.

But I do think that it is ok for young people to wear a designer item if they know the value (ie have earned the money themselves), and don't get the most obvious piece or the hottest item of the season. Just my two cents

But it is true that younger people do fall more easier to advertising campaigns etc than adults. At least mostly. So it is a little bit risky to buy a designer bag, especially if it is brand new, not vintage for example.

 

[marcj]

ahh... this thread makes me feel so guilty. i got my first Hermes belt when i was 16!! but hey, i was raised with some real values.

 

[kanita]

ahh... this thread makes me feel so guilty. i got my first Hermes belt when i was 16!! but hey, i was raised with some real values.

You shouldn't feel guilty for being lucky.

I was wondering where the 'designer kids' where on this thread, there are quite a lot members who could be placed in that category here on tFS.

 

[kanita]

^there is something very wrong with the construction of that sentence (offtopic)

 

[Couture_Tribe]

I am a victim of "the image" in a way. I would rather buy that Hermès Kelly, not the same kind of (not a replica/pirated copy) a bag, just to own a piece of Hermès. Of course I would like the actual bag very much, and that would be the reason for purchasing it, but if there'd be a bag almost the same, but not as prestigious, I would still probably buy the more prestigious one. Do you get what I'm meaning? I'm explaining a little bit confusingly.

But I do think that it is ok for young people to wear a designer item if they know the value (ie have earned the money themselves), and don't get the most obvious piece or the hottest item of the season. Just my two cents

But it is true that younger people do fall more easier to advertising campaigns etc than adults. At least mostly. So it is a little bit risky to buy a designer bag, especially if it is brand new, not vintage for example.

Well, there is nothing to blame for/ it is ok, the fact that some young people are "victims" for prestige items, it's part of / the process of growing up in some cases. To find the true self and feel security in one self and learning the real values of everything takes time. I think the realizations will eventually come latter in life. (at least hopefully)

Yeah, and you got the point, young people fall very easily to certain images to gain acceptance, hence most of the designer items bought at the period of life are may I say: wastes. They need to gain security etc. which brings you back to what I said above

I might sound a little akward? fobby? arbitrary? subjective? or whatever, just sh*t for a 15 year old

 

[strawberry daiquiri]

I was wondering where the 'designer kids' where on this thread, there are quite a lot members who could be placed in that category here on tFS.

They're in hiding it seems

 

[loubylou]

Whilst, as I mentioned in my previous post, I have encountered 'designer kids' in the past, the concept is unrecognisable at university.

Studying at a fashion college specifically, I've noticed that there is a mentality of rewarding those who make bargain finds, ie garments that are cheap, but highly stylish. Designer items are always going to recieve an element of prestige, but this is usually because the item is expensive, not because it has required the consumer to use a particular eye for style or fashion.

 

[mingminglei]

I wouldn't neccesarily say my family is rich but my parents aren't the type to be willing to spend a lot on clothing for me. Like when I first got my license, m parents bought me a brand new car; they also pay for insurance and gas. Also that same year they bought me a brand new computer and laptop. And they also flew me to China and payed for my college tuition that year. But they would NEVER buy me a single article of designer clothing because they think it's unimportant. If I want anything designer, it's my job to procure it for myself, and even then I'm unwilling because even though I can appreciate quality and such, I also know I'd very likely ruin it, since I'm no where nearly responsible enough and I can't truly appreciate the amount of money going into a nice bag, even if I work for it. And yeah, I adore fashion, but I barely have enough time to sleep as it is in school, I should be focusing on my studies and not fussing over my clothing everyday.
But I mean, people have different priorities in what's more important; my parents just don't understand designer clothing, so they don't buy it for me.