Vanity is an enemy of humility. I used to be, more than once in a blue moon, vain. I no longer want to be a slave of marketing. The version of my old self was deleted.
Why do people like to hail branded clothes, shoes, handbags and watches?
Alex Williams, a columnist, put forward many reasons: Brands are generally perceived to provide better materials and designs; and should last longer. It is more likely for others to admire when a person uses branded things. As a result of being liked or respected, a person’s confidence will be boosted. It can elevate a person’s value as some people rate a person’s financial status with the prices of clothes or handbags that he or she uses. Expensive shopping is a good way to get rid of feelings of anxiety and insecurity.
True beauty is born through our heart and brain, depending on the degree of kindness and wisdom that we can offer to others.
When I was a boy in the 1960s, branded stuff was sold in department stores like Lane Crawford(連卡佛), Dragon Seed(龍子行) and Shui Hing(瑞興百貨) in Hong Kong. They were not sold in any individual specialty stores. Most brands were British, like Pringle, Wolsey and Daks as Hong Kong was a British colony. Only the very rich could afford such pricey apparel. When Hong Kong was still filled with the abundance of factories in the 1950s, all kinds of goods made in Hong Kong were available. There had been a community campaign that ‘Hong Kong people should buy Hong Kong goods’. My mother was a follower of such faith. For her, the branded things were such as Two Girls Florida Water(雙妹嚜花露水), Leung So Kee Umbrella(梁蘇記遮) and Tailor Cheung (張活海洋服) etc. and all are locally famous.
The ‘Fashion Queen’ of Hong Kong Joyce Ma(郭志清) was always remembered as a trend-setting legend as her fashion sense was ahead of time. Yeu-gynn Yeung wrote, “The 1970s saw a pivotal change in the history of Hong Kong fashion. Women traded in their tailored mandarin-collar dresses for ready-to-wear bell-bottoms, edgy blazers and contemporary gowns. The local elite would fly to Paris to get their luxury fashion fix. It was Ma who saw this gap in the market. She started introducing clothes from European and Japanese fashion designers to the region, supplying the elites with designer clothing.” Joyce Ma set up her first fashion counter Diamond 7 at Wing On Department Store(永安百貨) and expanded the business with a newly-formed company JOYCE Boutique at the prestigious Mandarin Oriental Hotel. She brought Prada, Boss, Yohji Yamamoto and more to Hong Kong. Boredom is just the absence of an interesting perspective. Since 1970s, Hong Kong people have been able to easily find European and Japanese designer-label merchandise other than the usual British apparel for the fuddy-duddy.
Another one which contributed tremendously to Hong Kong to become a centre of branded fashions specialty stores is the Landmark(置地廣場) in Central District. This high-class shopping mall was built on the site of the former Hong Kong Hotel, glorious in those years. The project was completed in 1983 and it was as good as any first-class shopping mall in London, New York or Paris. The owner invited the renowned fashion brands to set up their shops surrounding a large beautiful central atrium of the mall. Now, Central District is home to international luxury brands’ eye-catching stores. Shoppers launch their aggressive credit card action.
How can brands turn customers into repeat shoppers? Retention often starts with one-off discount codes but the successful marketing strategies go further. They create ‘limited editions’ of products. The number of limited editions is skillfully fixed by the brand and no more can be made after they are sold. Even if the brand produces similar products in future, it will tactfully increase the price so that the ‘limited edition’ product looks more valuable in the eyes of a customer as he or she has made a gain in the ‘investment’. Apart from getting the customer to buy loyally again, the brand will also be able to charge more and more for the future line of products. While the brand can market the products successfully by using this strategy, the customer will think that he or she is part of sharing the success. Luxury shops are getting more and more crafty and selective in other ways. They sell the ‘hot cakes’ only to those customers who have spent a considerable amount during a considerable period of time. This is the required performance from a ‘good’ customer.
In order to deflect the attention of customers away from the frustration that they are not given a ‘VIP card’ or VIP treatment, these shops design a long ‘waiting list’ under the pretext of a ‘loyalty program’ for those who have to be under observation for their ‘shopping scores’ in order to be qualified for being offered a special handbag or watch! Vanity and pride are different things. When pride is dependent on vanity, but not one’s wisdom or kindness, he will be looking outward instead of being inward for a true direction of a meaningful life. I used to buy a lot in the Landmark and Pacific Place where branded goods are very tempting. I bought enough, just enough to get me to quit the game now.
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