Cheap used to be cheerful, but it is out of fashion

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<h1>Cheap used to be cheerful, but it is out of fashion</h1><strong> Author: <a href='http://www.articleseen.com/profile_zinsser.aspx'>zinsser</a></strong><br /><p>Is bling losing its shine? Trading standards officers recently raided a house near Manchester and seized a collection of counterfeit luxury goods, including UGG Boots, Rolex watches, Tiffany and Chanel jewellery and D&G clothing. If genuine, it would have had a retail value of approximately £250,000. There is an appetite for counterfeit goods. New research from PricewaterhouseCoopers shows that just over 20 per cent of consumers are prepared to buy fake luxury clothing and accessories or to accept them as gifts. This compares with almost 30 per cent of respondents in the same survey carried out before the downturn in April 2007. At first glance, the results of the research are surprising. You would have expected the credit crunch to have made consumers more frugal and, therefore, more likely to buy counterfeit luxury items such as handbags, because they are so much cheaper than the real thing. Yet our research shows consumers are less willing than they were to buy overtly fake items that have “fallen off the back of a lorry”. All of this is good news for the luxury goods brands, lawyers, trading standards officers and customs officials, who are committed to cracking down on counterfeit goods. But why have some consumers lost their appetite for fake luxury goods? One of the key reasons may be that British shoppers have access to a wide and more affordable range of high street goods that have been inspired by the designs of luxury brands. Most of the fashion multiples, supermarkets and fashion websites have embraced the concept of “fast fashion” over the past three years so that they can create, manufacture, import and market designs that emulate designer brands very quickly. Luxury goods used to be available only in the fashion capitals of the world — London, New York, Paris, and Milan — but now consumers have access to designer-branded pieces in high street stores, for a fraction of the price. At a time when their more traditional sales channels have been challenged, many of the luxury brands have created links with high street stores to maximise their revenue. The likes of Jimmy Choo, Matthew Williamson, Roberto Cavalli and Stella McCartney have all designed affordable ranges for H&M. Jil Sander has launched a range of items at Uniqlo and Giles Deacon collaborated with New Look. Luxury brands are looking to capture the hearts of young consumers and make them fall in love with the brand at a young age. This, hopefully, means that that later on, when they have more disposable income, they will be more inclined to buy from the top-end premium ranges. Cheap fashion is now out of fashion. The recession has made consumers more conscious of value for money and product quality. It has bred a new type of consumer and the winners will be those retailers who evolve furthest and fastest to meet their new and more individual needs. </p><strong>About the Author:</strong><br /><p><a rel="nofollow" href="http://www.uggonlinetrade.com">www.uggonlinetrade.com</a></p><p> Article Source: <a href='http://www.articleseen.com/Article_Cheap-used-to-be-cheerful-but-it-is-out-of-fashion_11942.aspx'> http://www.articleseen.com/Article_Cheap used to be cheerful, but it is out of fashion_11942.aspx</a></p>

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Category : Fashion : Fashion