What Does "exclusive" Mean To You?

[As You Like It]

I've been noticing in the handbag and shoe threads, especially, a lot of people rejecting a style they had formerly worn or admired because it was losing its exclusive cachet or becoming too mainstream.

Therefore I ask these questions, because I am a nosy biatch:

1. What does exclusive mean to you
--1a. Do you define it by limited production runs?
--1b. Do you define it by high cost that makes in unavailable to the masses?
--1c. Do you define it by a design that would challenge the average user (heavy, tiny, clunky, hard to open/close/wear)?

2. How important is exclusivity to you? Do you seek pieces that you know few people will have? Do you abandon a piece if it becomes too common or too frequently knocked off?

3. How do you assert your individual style in the face of "must have" items, imitations, and several brands releasing ranges of similar goods, feeding of the success of an originator's hot item?

4. Why do or don't you have a strong preference for exclusive goods?

 

[whereisthatsusu]

"HOT" items don't usually appeal to me. I've spent most of my life trying to be an "individual," and therefore don't indulge in fads.
I don't mind when things I like are repeatedly featured in fashion magazines. What turns me off though, is when I see it on the likes of Britney, or when it becomes "all the rage." IMO fashion gets ugly when it becomes intertwined with pop culture...
This doesn't necessarily mean that I'll completely abhor everything that is popular amonst the masses...eg. I am currently saving up for a monogram LV bag, preferably a Speedy 25. It's because I know that LV ain't goin nowhere. And I love it

 

[leyla m.]

EXCLUSIVE to me is when something is limited and isnt produced in mass.
thats to start with....

but usually when you walk into a shop and they got exclusivity of a label, that should mean that they are the main suppliers direct to the client in the area they are located... but normally thats almost never true

 

[xclusive]

i think it's something that is not easily accesible for one or another reason (limited addition, when u don't know where to get it from, the price is way too high etc).

 

[Orochian]

Good question. And let me be the first to follow the rules and answer your specific questions, one by one.

1a. Yes, the quantity in which something is produced is obviously a major factor in its exclusivity.
1b. High costs do not necessarily result in exclusivity. Vuitton bags, for example, are obscenely expensive but are a dime a dozen in cities like LA, New York, and (especially) Tokyo, because they're deemed to be status symbols. Once something gets (over) exposed to such a degree it can no longer be considered exclusive.
1c. Again, not necessarily. A unique design, whether in a good and bad way, can be mass-produced and easily accessible by consumers - rendering it non-exclusive.

2. Exclusivity is certainly a merit when I'm buying clothes, and I do enjoy having something that other people I know aren't likely to have, but I wouldn't go as far as abandoning something I like simply because it's becoming common. If anything that only tells me other people share my taste, and that's a good thing. I think ultimately boils down to the quality of design, and exlusivity is just the icing on the cake. For example, I once bought a Demeulemeester sweater whose design I just absolutely love - and I love it even more after I took it home from the store and found out from the fabric tag that it's hand-knitted in a limited production run.

3. For some reason the so called "must have" items usually aren't my cup of tea, so I don't have the problem of bumping into someone wearing the same outfit as mine. I think the key to individuality is a sense in how to pair different pieces in a way that best suits one's taste and lifestyle, instead of religiously following the overall "looks" proposed to us on the runway.

4. An exclusive item gives me pride and joy in owning it, in ways beyond the simple pleasure of wearing something that looks good and fits well. It's human nature to desire something that is "unique".

 

[xxdolce]

Originally posted by whereisthatsusu@Apr 1st, 2004 - 11:22 pm
IMO fashion gets ugly when it becomes intertwined with pop culture...

i couldn't have said it better myself.

 

[ultramarine]

1.A. Goods in -very- limited amounts. It's correct. Yes!
1.B. No
1.C. Sometimes

2.A. It's important ... but I wouldn't say it's a key factor.
2.B. Yes
2.C. No ... if it suits my style, why should care about it?

3. I'm confident about my style ... I tend to gravitate towards the legitimate stuff ... but this q. seems more like asking about trends ... I'm not a trend-follower.

4. Because of it shows individuality ... I don't see myself as of one more in the crowd, I like to quietly stand out ... believe it or not I associate exclusivity with originality, it seems like it to me ... oh! and there's the every-fashion-conscious-person fear of bumping into a person wearing the same thing. (The horror!)

 

[sbbbjm]

exclusive is what all the cool kids have, and when everyone starts having what the cool kids have, its not exclusive, so the cool kids pick up something new and then that new thing is exclusive -- do you see the cycle?

 

[LadyIllusion]

Originally posted by Orochian@Apr 3rd, 2004 - 3:18 pm

1b. High costs do not necessarily result in exclusivity.

Once something gets (over) exposed to such a degree it can no longer be considered exclusive.

2. Exclusivity is certainly a merit when I'm buying clothes, and I do enjoy having something that other people I know aren't likely to have, but I wouldn't go as far as abandoning something I like simply because it's becoming common. If anything that only tells me other people share my taste, and that's a good thing.

3. For some reason the so called "must have" items usually aren't my cup of tea, so I don't have the problem of bumping into someone wearing the same outfit as mine. I think the key to individuality is a sense in how to pair different pieces in a way that best suits one's taste and lifestyle, instead of religiously following the overall "looks" proposed to us on the runway.

4. An exclusive item gives me pride and joy in owning it, in ways beyond the simple pleasure of wearing something that looks good and fits well. It's human nature to desire something that is "unique".

Totally agree here.

 

[fashionista-ta]

I've been noticing in the handbag and shoe threads, especially, a lot of people rejecting a style they had formerly worn or admired because it was losing its exclusive cachet or becoming too mainstream.

Therefore I ask these questions, because I am a nosy biatch:

1. What does exclusive mean to you
--1a. Do you define it by limited production runs?
--1b. Do you define it by high cost that makes in unavailable to the masses?
--1c. Do you define it by a design that would challenge the average user (heavy, tiny, clunky, hard to open/close/wear)?

2. How important is exclusivity to you? Do you seek pieces that you know few people will have? Do you abandon a piece if it becomes too common or too frequently knocked off?

3. How do you assert your individual style in the face of "must have" items, imitations, and several brands releasing ranges of similar goods, feeding of the success of an originator's hot item?

4. Why do or don't you have a strong preference for exclusive goods?

Mmm ... love this question ...

I guess to me what's really exclusive is good taste, which comes in many different varieties ... one of which I think is mine So it doesn't bother me at all if something is available to everyone, because I bring my personal style, i.e., how I put the item together with many other things, to the table.

It so happens that, for whatever reason, I never see anyone wearing/carrying the same stuff I have, so everything I've got seems pretty exclusive Sometimes I have had the first, or only, pair of shoes in a particular color in my city ... but since I never see anyone else with any of my shoes, I'm not sure how much that really matters. Just kinda cool, but not important

Wrt must-have items, lately I mostly just avoid them like the plague.

 

[Kora]

Exclusive:
One of a kind
Limited edition
luxury item

 

[weirdnjfan1]

The word exclusive today is pretty much over used by the general public. It used to be that it was only limited to one high end brand. But now, it is used by everyone from JC Penny's to Urban Outfitters. To me it means that it is only sold in one place and one place only. Now, you just have to hunt around enough and you'll discover that almost every store has some kind of exclusive item.