The Mystery of the $2,000 Ikea Shopping Bag

Given that everyone can now buy designer handbags and new cars, the rich have taken to using much more tacit signifiers of their social position.

This started with the Seventh Avenue, shop-and-copy approach that has defined the industry, but no longer works with consumers on a global scale. America created the concept of lifestyle brands—it drove the rise of casualization as early as the 1950s, first through denim, then khakis, and now leggings. But the fashion itself has long been predicate... See more

Their analysis depicts three distinct types of new luxury goods: accessible superpremium, old luxury brand extensions and mass prestige or mass-tige. Accessible superpremium designates products that are considered at or near the top of their categories in terms of quality, and are sold at a considerable premium. Despite the comparatively high price... See more

My claim is that luxury goods are gradually becoming a noisier signal of one's position in society. This isn't to say that they don't still confer status — they clearly do. People still buy material items to signal their status. But because they've become a noisier signal over time, people are starting to signal their status with their beliefs and ... See more