Not a Brand Girl!

Whist in Milan I had a bit of a revelation. Having walked miles looking at designer clothing, I realised that today they all carry the same ‘branded look’. It was when I visited the vintage clothes shop that I realised the difference between now and then, and it isn’t just because of the era.

To me a big name designer should be something unique and stylish, something I am willing to spend a lot of money on! However, I found that most of the designers clothing was expensive everyday outfits. For example in Armani I found a plain black T-shirt with the Armani logo on and because of this ‘tag’ the outfit was priced at €70. Neither the quality nor the fabric was amazing so why was it priced this high?

In the vintage designer clothes store, you could clearly see the time and quality that had been put towards the pieces to make them individual. I think a lot of the top designer stores now lack this. Whilst some pieces may still have this individuality in a few of their pieces, I find it hard to distinguish the difference the everyday pieces have from the high-street. The designer has become branded and I find that now you buy a designer piece because it is ‘designer’ and not because of the quality.

For me to justify spending that amount of money I want well thought out design, good quality and care put into that garment. I think designer shoes, bags and accessories all have these qualities but today something is lacking in our designer clothing and it’s a shame because I think this really could be embraced. I am therefore, not a brand girl!

(Despite working for the brand Jack Wills, I am not converted)