Once the CDC deemed cotton face masks effective against COVID-19, it quickly became commonplace to see masks with interlocking G’s, black and white double arrows, and Double-F monograms. As soon as there was a market for a new wearable, logo-embossed luxury, customers – notably college students – demanded them.
This “logomania” phenomenon is not limited to masks. The obsession with logos is also exemplified by a TikTok trend where college students pretend they fit in at their college by looking up and following trends their peers presumably partake in, like wearing Golden Goose shoes, designer belts, and Canada Goose jackets.
Social media trends like this one lead to the question of why, psychologically, we covet things with particular labels. It’s important to note the difference between “loud luxury” and “quiet luxury.” Loud luxury, which I discuss in this article, includes products with highly visible, recognizable brand logos; in contrast, quiet luxury, which may actually be more expensive, is subtler – it’s expressed through chic style rather than branding.
A famous 1999 luxury consumption study outlined five different reasons consumers desire designer brand products, such as pleasure, quality, and the product’s appearance to others:
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The Veblen Effect: Buyers consume luxury goods as a means to impress others.
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The Snob Effect: Buyers believe a high price reflects exclusivity or elitism.
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The Bandwagon Effect: Buyers of luxury goods seek to demonstrate their superior status to others.
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The Hedonic Effect: Buyers consume because it makes them feel good.
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The Perfectionism Effect: Buyers perceive the quality of luxury goods as worth their high prices.
Although this study is more than two decades old, it’s still referenced as a baseline for understanding branding. However, nowadays, wearing brands has also become an expression of approval toward the company’s beliefs. For example, wearing Gucci can be interpreted as an expression of support for the brand’s gender neutral clothing and avoidance of animal fur.
In addition to appreciating social messages, our generation (Gen Z) also values the fleeting nature of fashion trends. Silvia Venturini Fendi, creative director of accessories and men’s wear at Fendi, said, “Younger consumers like that you can get the item, then it’s gone, making way for something new. For us, it’s a way of not being predictable.” Our ephemeral desires are harnessed by brands who strategize the way we are drawn to a “short-lasting” deal.
These aren’t the only reasons we’re attracted to designer labels. The attraction is also rooted in human evolutionary instincts. Dr. Dimitrios Tsivrikos, consumer psychologist at University Collge London, has studied how collecting is an evolutionary habit – collecting resources was a means of survival. In particular, setting oneself apart from others to exhibit superiority also helped attract mates for reproduction – this seemingly outdated trait can actually be linked to our desire for luxury; instead of sporting feathers and stones, we now wear particular brands to “build identities with rare objects,” as Dr. Tsivrikos puts it. The same notion is reflected in the communities that appreciate this logo-based style: Our generation seeks to catch others’ attention, prompting our style to reflect a shared group interest. As a result, from an evolutionary lens, we dress in logos to impress our similarly-aged peers.
The implications of these consumer inclinations can be both positive and negative. Luxury consumption can promote proud self-expression, as well as create communities that bond over a shared interest. For example, Supreme collector Musa Ali notes the “competitive, social aspect” of buying products from the brand.
However, there are downsides to fixating on designer brands: A Harvard study revealed that brand obsession can result in “imposter syndrome from luxury consumption,” meaning that consumers face an identity crisis as they try to simultaneously be authentic and part of the crowd. Acting in this role creates a sense of discomfort for the buyer. Overall, consumers must weigh the different benefits of loud luxury with the discomfort of imposter syndrome.
When analyzing what those around us wear, we see that Gen Z’s passion for loud luxury has evolutionary, sociological, and psychological roots. Understanding certain trends we observe may be more complicated than we originally assume, but part of living in a social environment is recognizing why those around us act the way they do, and how it affects our own behavior.