Ironic considering that most haute couture designers begin their career building reputations by catering to the crowd that directly affects the opinion of the rest of the population: celebrities and socialites. Then later on use the hype and appeal generated from the ‘it crowd’ to sell to the masses, which probably won’t even question or consider the real worth of the signature couture brand now that the media has (unconsciously or not) endorsed the brand from raving celebs and mentions on red carpets. The last hurdle being the envelopment by a trusted name brand fashion house that caters to a wider audience- such as H&M.
Careers in fashion are built on skill and popularity; it takes creativity to begin with, but it takes clout to stay in the game (insert retail store collaboration here). So without the customers, designers are actually nothing, zip, zilch, zero. Now that H&M has become an ATM for designers and celebrities alike, consider this next time you pick up that dress, look at the price tag, and think what a ‘steal’ it was for you. In the end, who’s really winning?
