‘A minority of Delhites may have an obsession but majorly it’s a stereotypical view’ says Kiran Thakur, a 20 year old student on Delhi’s obsession with brands. But is it a cliched mindset or is Delhi actually in a rat race to glut their closets with ostentatious branded products?
Back when social media had not become the almighty of acceptance, exclusive labels catered to a niche population who knew what they were buying. The focus wasn’t on making a statement with the logo flashing throughout the piece but more on the quality and efficiency.
Stepping inside a boutique of haute couture today, a Delhi bride’s criteria for her lehenga won’t be based on the detailed handcraft, appearance or the extravagance of the outfit but whether it’s a Sabyasachi piece or no and it gets sadder when you come across these new ventures promoting the idea of renting such absurdly priced pieces just so that you can successfully make a statement or create a surreal 9:16 picture to be posted on Instagram?
Yash Mamtani, a 19 year old student said “The major population relies on owning a brand as a statement. Quality is an integral feature. Delhi being a metropolitan city and a market to upperclassmen, it’s a subtle attraction to the brand because of it’s advertising and product packaging. Versace can work in Delhi, may not work in Varanasi.” which notes the fact that today advertising is not just from the brand itself but also the brimming youth of bloggers or perhaps “influencers” who are promoting branded products without knowing the history or the essence of the label and with every passing day, it’s turning into this obsession to own and wear brands just to show them off.
The fetish, surprisingly, perhaps isn’t age restricted in Delhi as from millennials to women in their 40's, all can be seen flooding shopping plazas and just competing who buys the more expensive product.
“There are very few women who buy a bag which doesn’t highlight the logo in a very obvious manner, usually they go for the monogram goods and don’t spend much time focusing on the quality or the details as their main purpose is to own the signature design.” says Soumya Sharma, an employee at the Louis Vuitton store in New Delhi.
Making the point clearer, Tanistha Bhasin, a 25 year old sneaker-head who asks her boss to alter her salary cheque of the month to the latest Nike Air kicks said ‘It isn’t particularly a bad thing to be obsessed with brands until and unless one is selling blood to own’
Owning a brand has lost its charisma as now there is a constant comparison based on the price tags. Very few would buy the Lady Dior because of its iconic statement started by Princess Diana but rather because they saw ‘someone’ carrying it and now they want to one too.
We’re living in a generation where number of likes are the decision maker, unknown people’s comments are valued more than a compliment from a family member and amount of brands owned AND displayed determine the person’s financial well-being and unrealistic standards. Is there a hope for change?