Iconic fashion brands like Chanel have made their mark in fashion history by revolutionizing fashion and shaping how we dress today, thus deserving to be on the wish-list of every fashionista. To the rest of the population, however, these brands are simply well-known and highly regarded by society, making them desirable. The question of whether we buy these refined products based on their name or because of the products themselves tells us what we’re looking to gain from the purchase.

“Brands are often used to show status. Granted, some brands are well made and better quality than cheaper brands, like Louis Vuitton bags that have been around forever and will last forever, but people pay hundreds of dollars for them just to show off, when really they can buy that bag cheaper if it’s unbranded. People buy them for the wrong reason. You don’t have to spend money to look good. There’s more to fashion than what’s popular — it’s all about how you wear it and doing it for you,” DEH Academy Leader Mrs.Monzon said.

As you are glorifying your new Chanel bag, you might never have the idea that the thread in its stitching isn’t made of the finest thread, and that the whole bag was made in a factory instead of in fashion heaven. We place brand-name products on such a high pedestal that, to some extent, is fine, since they are in fact “high-end products,” but we do sometimes forget that the fact that they cost a hundred dollars more doesn’t necessarily mean that they’re better than non-brand products. If you see a nice skirt that you can tell is made out of good material, it’s okay to spend a little more money on it. But if you’re buying a $30 plain white t-shirt at Urban Outfitters when Old Navy has it at $6 or less, you should re-evaluate how you spend your money.

“I wouldn’t say brand products are high-end as much as they’re well-advertised. If you get people to buy a product and like it, then the product begins to sell itself. When others buy something that’s trending they get a sense that they must have it too, whether it be to fit in or accomplish a certain style,” junior Steven Suarez said.

The hype around brand-name products isn’t really about how amazing the products are, but for the cute little logos that adorn them. When we buy nice things, we like to show them off, because they make a statement. There’s a ton of designer looking outfits that can be put together from items you buy at regular and affordable stores like Marshalls, but most people won’t care that you saved 60% on an outfit that looks similar to one seen in Fashion Week, simply because it isn’t branded. The amount of “likes” a picture of M.A.C beauty products can get online is outrageous, just because of those three letters stamped on them.

“There are many people that haven’t found the confidence to wear what they truly want to and choose to wear certain brands because that’s what they think they should be wearing. We live in a world where everyone is pretty well connected and we see what others like and are wearing. There are lots of people though that do know their style and want to express themselves through the brands that they like, and there’s nothing wrong with that because they’re not trying to please anyone else,” freshman Alexandra Andrade said.

You want to dress to impress, so liking brands because they are brands isn’t a bad thing. However, there is a thin line between that and just buying products because of their name. Don’t get caught up on wearing what others are wearing just to fit in, but don’t undermine these iconic brands either.