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Introduction
Lets start this one off with a short story and some questions – you’re walking down the street and you happen to notice someone, no one in particular, just a random person that has caught your eye; you look them up and down (all very subtly of course) and instantly you have made a judgement of what kind of a person they are. You haven’t formed your opinion entirely on the style of clothes they wear, although you will have taken this into account, you will also have noticed the brands they’re wearing. We are all guilty, although it isn’t really a bad thing; it’s just a part of our attitude towards fashion and style.
So, to be able to properly consider brand association and just how much of an effect it should have on our own fashion/style choices we need to ask ourselves; do we associate specific brands with particular types of people? Does this immediately affect our opinion of them? Can the clothing brand really make that much of a difference to an outfit and should we allow these ideas to influence whether we invest in such brands?
It would be fair to say that we all associate different brands with specific people. In general terms you may, for example, link sportswear brands (Adidas, Nike, Reebok) to the packs of polyester clad prats that sit around drinking special brew in the park, shouting at passers by. Unfortunately however, things are not always quite this clear cut. In many cases brand association differs between age group, geographical location and social class. Each generation grows up with a style of its own, with its own particular brands, which, unless you’re talking about established companies, will vary substantially.
Different places will also adopt different styles; if you were to go to the big cultural areas such as London, Brighton, Bristol, Manchester etc you are likely to find more people embracing diversity and variety to create their looks. In this situation brand association isn’t quite as important, you wear what you want because it suits your ideas and personality. In other cities or smaller towns you might well see association having more of an influence, as the desire to conform and fit in is much more powerful in places where diversity isn’t really as accepted.
Location Influence
It is worth remembering that the level of acceptance within fashion and clothes means brands will enjoy varying levels of influence depending on the place. In Brighton for example, Fred Perry is a brand that goes across the board, it’s worn by all types of people from all age groups and with different styles – I even overheard someone refer to one of their piques as a Fred. On the other hand, 40 minutes away in Reigate – according to one of my flatmates – Fred Perry is squarely in the “chavvy” domain and It tends to be worn more often than not within this group. So you could certainly argue that we will all have preconceived ideas of a person based on what brands they wear simply because we associate those particular brands with that type of person. But how does that affect us?
It’s a fairly safe bet that as you all read FashionBeans and any number of other fashion related websites (possibly even browse Mr Porter on the odd occasion – we can all dream) that your appearance is a very important part your life. You don’t want to look like the slovenly oaf that you saw earlier, dragging knuckles down to the shops for a bag of chips. No, you want to look good whenever you leave the house. Perhaps it is no wonder then that you might avoid like the plague the brands that you would normally associate with such a person, but need this be the case? I think one of the biggest issues with this problem is that you might well be depriving yourself of the best brands available to you. Of course a lot depends partly on the factors I mentioned earlier, but to miss out on Fred Perry, Ralph Lauren, Lacoste, Hugo Boss and the like means you miss out on some excellent pieces from companies with masses of heritage (in the case of Hugo Boss, a rather colourful history).
Reinventing a Brand
To help you along many brands have undergone major remodelling in recent times, notably French Connection who seem to have toned down the FCUK line and introduced a lot more classic and timeless items and the new Lacoste L!ve range has revitalised a somewhat maligned and little considered company.
The key with making the many brands that you might otherwise avoid is to look past the man on the street and focus more on the brand itself; the image of a skinny chap in tracksuit bottoms, hideous trainers and a brightly coloured polo is not a true representation of what these places can really produce. If you avoid the neon coloured, garish designs you can make use of the much more subtle and ultimately suitable offerings. A classic Fred Perry, Lacoste or Ralph Lauren pique is far superior to many of the alternatives on the high street and are well worth the investment.
Some Example Pieces
So below we have a roll call from the new season by some misaligned brands. Pieces from Fred Perry/Fred Perry Laurel, Lacoste, Polo Ralph Lauren, Hugo Boss and French Connection are featured, and you should be able to see how all these pieces have a timeless appeal or can offer your wardrobe some much need vibrancy without being over the top:
Conclusion & Debate
Who you associate specific brands with shouldn’t necessarily affect whether you invest in them, unless you have a particular dislike of a company or companies (my personal hate is Abercrombie & Fitch and all the associated off shoots). It is in your best interests to give your wardrobe as much variety as possible; unfortunately mine suffers from an overload of Fred Perry but I really like the brand, its heritage and its products.
By avoiding the obvious no go areas and sticking to classic pieces (we are always talking about versatility and maintaining a transitional wardrobe) you can create some truly stylish outfits and show your in-depth understanding of brands and their history. Remember that the entire outfit will also affect the influence of the brand in general; a carefully considered timeless outfit will bring out the right side of the image. You could argue that this is more an issue of stereotyping but the principle still stands; ignore them and fully embrace everything… unless you really really don’t like it.
In the words of the great modern day philosopher Taio Cruz: “I’m wearin’ all my favourite brands brands brands brands.”
So now it’s time for your opinion:
- Does brand association affect you? If so how?
- How much difference does a particular brand make to an outfit?
- Which brands would you usually associate with whom?
- Are there any particular brands that you avoid simply because you don’t like them?
- What are your favourite brands?
Let me know in the comments below.
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I normally don’t care which brand I’m wearing, as long as it looks good. I do however dislike visible, outward signs of these brands on my clothes, be they crocodiles, eagles or words. For me, they make the clothes all about the brand, rather than the cut.
what if the brand places a major emphasis on the cut/fabrics and other more minor details? would you be more apt to wear something that shows who it is made by? or are you just against the branding in general? honest question…
Companies like these have suffered from Prole Drift. Most of the items that we see ‘chavs’ wearing are counterfits and you can tell from outlandish fit and poor quality of the item. To be honest, it does affect you knowing that something that you pay £70 for can be brought for £10 as a knockoff with the masses wearing it, but the one you buy probably wont lose colour or become shapeless after its first wash!
Excellent Article!
Also you have to make sure that you’re not being a billboard sign for the brand by wearing T-shirts with ” *BRAND* ” written across. Well, that’s my opinion
I certainly agree with you that obvious branding is a big fashion faux pas, you only have to think of brands like A&F, Jack Wills, Hollister etc which have their name and logo spread all over nearly everything they make to see the effects.
It would also be worth remembering the websites in particular that offer massive discounts on certain brands, sportswear based ones very often drop the price of polo’s or jackets and tend to offer more of the generic items, t-shirts, jackets etc, which is what we see most of the “chavs” wearing.
keep your opinions flowing.
In the states it disgusts me how much people overwear the A&f,American Eagle and all the other ridiculous clothing lines. Its all about how much the ugly tshirt costs and not about the look and feel of it. The uniformity kills me. I feel that Brand Association is not a big deal,if its you;wear it.
Lacoste is one brand that I just can’t like, I don’t know why I just don’t like their stuff. I’ve never liked their logo, thats probably a big influence. I’m slowly coming round to FCUK since they’re coming away from the ‘FUCK’ pun that seemed to be everywhere 5ish years ago. I’ve seen too many items of clothing I’ve liked and found out were FCUK to dislike them any longer.
Most of what I wear is fairly plain/simple, Ben Sherman & Merc (shirts/polos) are great for this. But as mentioned, you’ve got to spend the money to get the quality as knock-offs are knock-offs for a reason.
ASOS is another great brand for me, I’ve got changed a few times and noticed I’d been wearing pretty much all ASOS a few times. They’re perhaps the most diverse in terms of you don’t associate the brand with a particular item whereas brands such as Ben Sherman, as I mentioned, you’d more so associate with Shirts/Polos.
I’m not sure if brand makes a difference to an outfit but I do tend to shop online in order of preference for brands. I suppose as a knock on effect I’d end up with more clothes from ASOS than I would somewhere like Topman (Which has some very generic items unfortunately)
Recently a friend of mine was happily boasting about a great deal he’d made on some trousers. He mentioned a shop with crazy savings on ‘big brands’ somewhere in Hampshire (he’s from Hampshire), and was raving about a particular pair of trousers that had been reduced from £150 to around £30.
They were so baggy and shapeless on his frame it made him look like a boy wearing his father’s tracksuit bottoms. Ridiculous, and just goes to show how a certain kind of person feels that discount and label are more important than cut and colour. Boo!
I would argue that whether an item is branded or not doesn’t make much difference to me.What is more important is whether it is fitted or not and suits my body. I mean what’s the point of owning a D&G shirt if its 3 times to small? A simple Shirt from Moss which is the RIGHT SIZE would look significantly better.
What tends to happen is branded items tend to fit and look better, and this justifies their price and why people really like them rather than the brand itself.
Personally I love Zara. It’s simple and elegant and doesn’t need a Bold logo to say “look at me”. I suggest that an outfit that is mixed with cheaper items such as accessories and shorts mixed with one show piece branded item say a blazer. If it looks good people tend to believe it’s all expensive anyway lol so everyones a winner.
BTW Awesome new layout of website alot easier to navigate and look at old articles.
Here, Fred Perry and Lacoste are seen as entirely ‘Chavy’ Items of clothing (In Peterborough). I will say I have some loyalty to Hugo Boss as you can’t get it at any of the highstreet stores here, so I go online. It’s partly due to the subtle placement of the logo (as opposed to the often huge “LOOK AT ME I’M WEARING DESIGNER CLOTHES” logos) and the fit that they have.
Of course the style and fit will come first, for example my leather jacket comes from Topman because I just cannot find a designer one I like.
Swings and roundabouts, really.
This whole snobbishness to ‘chavs’ really has to stop. I really like how people feel its okay to look down on people because of their class, and the funny thing is as soon as I saw this article I knew people would.
To be honest, I barely wear any brands, mostly my shoes, but even then rarely. When I was younger I did but nowadays I’d rather shop in H&M, American Apparel, etc.
This is very true for where I live.
I live in a very small town where the diversity acceptance range goes from white male to white female, being stylish is qualified by wearing a mix of Hollister, Jack Wills and A&Fitch…… it sickens me!
and although sometimes I can be a brand snob prefering something from Tom Ford etc. to something Primark… I belive style is in the fit, sillhoutte, print, colour, material and the cleaver way the wearer peices together the outfit and the confidence with wich the wearer carries the outfit off with as this website has explained to us readers more than once!
When I started to get into clothes, yes I had a hideous amount of openly branded clothes, big pony ralph etc, which I now realise is horrible chavvy and have sold. I am very disappointed the way Lyle & Scott has gone as they do some genuinely top quality jumpers but they have unfortunately been associated with chavs. I think some brands are horribly open and associated with the wrong types of people. I live in London, so i see that Superdry windbreaker about 20 times a day and have done for the last year, I can’t stand superdry and have been horrified by the opening of a hollister in Kingston haha. I think if you are discrete about your branding and dress it up in a classy, smart and classic way however you can get away with most brands. Especially the classics like Ralph, Fred Perry, Lacoste and Boss
I don’t think there is any intentional “chav” bashing going on, this is less a discussino of the person more the clothes they wear, it all comes back to stereotypes, they are just an accepted part of our society, we associate sportswear with “chavs” which has now become an generic term for a certain group of people, its no different to calling some a toff.
In response to the money or investment aspect, it is again entirely up to you, I prefer to spend a little extra on my clothes so i get the fit I want and a decent quality. Of course fit and quality are still subjective issues. Lets keep this debate going.
I used to love the LV monograms but now i think they are really just tasteless. The same goes for the Gucci GG fabrics. This is why i tend to veer towards brands such as Marni, Costume National, and Balenciaga. If you like clothes you don’t need a heavily branded bag to prove it, and if a highstreet chain did the same no-one would want it.
I dont really have much brands I’d wear or not wear, but then again I am a broke student who usually shops high street brands. My most vocal brands usually come from my accessories, such as hats, belts, manbags ect… Only to be gutted a few years back when I was told my Von Dutch trucker cap, was no longer cool and a bit “chavvy”. A bit gutted since I had the hat since a young teenager.
I think a brands dont speak as loud as style. As long as the whole outfit is fluid then it doesnt matter about the brands used to make up the outfit. Obviously if you see a nice noticable logo it can help boost the individuals self esteem.
Gio Goi is one which I’d avoid purely due to the association with “chav/ned” culture and that brand in my geographic area, which is a shame really, since their early herritage associations with pop/rock music.
Like you, I avoid A&F and Hollister, I don’t like their company policies, their idea of “perfection” the easily availablity of Hollister, and the amount of “sheep” who follow such brands and their associates.
After the article on Lacoste I have increasingly craved to purchase a few of their polo’s. I also enjoy the quirky products from Humor, one brand of which I own many pairs of jeans from. I enjoy a timeless Levi’s and Diesel.
From a student that has moved from edinburgh to stirling i think what is more evident is that size and the way in which a brands logo is used. Fred Perry and G-star are perfect examples of this which are seen as high end brands in edinburgh were the style is more important leading to a smaller logo. Where as in stirling from my personal view i feel that you loose the big city fashion appeal and it become more about the brands leading to a larger logo. This is in no disrespect to any of the city’s or brands but I personally feel these brands specifically are very different when the logo size changes.
There is absolutely nothing wrong with Abercrombie and Fitch, Hollister etc. You can wear them right, granted a full set of it might not look great but to disregard the brands completely is a terrible thing to do.
One of my favorite brands is Stone Island but some of the connotations that go with wearing a Stone Island jacket is terrible. People assume it’s either fake or your a hooligan. I spend good money on my clothes, I love the logo and the badge and they really are a high end fashion company.
You are perfectly within your right to wear A&F and Hollister etc and to be honest, the clothes are more likely than not of good quality. Unfortunately as with all other brands they suffer from stereotyping which does affect their popularity.
The problem I have with them is the design of the clothes; having branding all over the item just isn’t my thing, i’m not really a big fan of the stuff they produce anyway, my style is just too different and I also disagree with the actual company policies, some of my friends have gone for interviews at hollister and the whole process just seems utterly farciscal and unecessary and not at all how a interview should be conducted.
However, this is my personal opinion, if you like these brands then I whole heartedly encourage you to make use of them.
I would say my fashion snobbery is similar to organic food snobbery, I like quality and therefore I very rarely buy high street and not much big name designer these days (I feel like a lot of these labels just charge for the name), most of the clothing I tend to purchase comes from more independent brands and designers that are honest about there production.
I personally prefer to spend more money on a garment that i know fits well, will last a few seasons, uses quality fabrics, and fantastic attention to detail. My biggest annoyance on clothing are visible logos, the quality should speak for itself as I’m not a walking advertisement.
I don’t hold a grudge against any brand its either my thing or its not. I wouldn’t want all brands to cater to my tastes either as I like to see people dressing in different ways and never judge people on the way they dress. I do dislike seeing a group of lads out in town all looking like clones of one another though, buts less to do with brands and more about security within a group.
There are certain brands that I usually steer clear of – Superdry springs to mind, but like most people on here, I don’t like big logos and clothes where the main design feature is the name of the brand.
I’m thinking of those Jack Wills T-shirts that say “Wills” across the front of them and things of that nature.
However, I don’t disregard the brand altogether just because they do this with some of their clothes. I have a great pair of tweed trousers from Jack Wills along with a few other bits that aren’t covered in logos and the same applies for other brands like A&F too.
I think most brands, even high-end designer labels have a range which is directed at a certain audience and is covered in labels. They’re probably for the people who can’t really afford to shop there and so they have to let everyone know that the one item they’ve saved up for is from there.