Luxury, defined in so many ways as it applies to each individual , to some it’s an art because of the craftsmanship involved, and the quality of material used to create the item and so the craft commands respect. To others it’s a dream; a fantasy because they hope to have it someday and long for it. To those who can afford it, it’s a reward for excellence, the value for their investment, a symbol of their status….
These people buy or can afford luxury buy because it’s functional to them. They want to indulge, because luxury items are rare, unique, have great quality, it boost their self-esteem, prestige and gives them a sense of high status.
We have different categories of buyers: the Xffluent, Affluent, Near Affluent, Aspiring Affluent and Wannabes. The Near Affluent, Aspiring and Wannabes are very prone to falling prey of buying knock offs at almost the same price or a little less than the original price, this is because they are excited and want to indulge, show off or declare a status symbol ,or get approval. They have very little idea or knowledge of the product, they don’t know how to identify with the brand or what the symbol of quality is.
Nigerian celebrities are prone to falling prey of knock offs, just as we saw with Linda Ikeji and her Hermes bag and recently Mercy Aigbe and her Gucci matchy ensemble. The bag was clearly fake, and she proudly made a matching outfit, posed for pictures and included a catchy caption. She had no idea she was holding a knock off, arm candy, because she hadn’t checked or done her research to find the quality symbols.
When investing in luxury, research is most important, especially for those who didn’t grow around it. You also need to know there are the entry level, mid-level, prestige and premium. There are classes and grades, and as long as you can afford quality then you are fine. You need not indulge in a brand you do not know well, or done proper research on, so as to avoid being a victim of knock offs. It’s a breach of trust if one who is able to afford a luxury piece is sold a knock off.
From our Case Study which is the Gucci matchy by Mercy Aigbe, she should have known it was a knock off from the bags strap , the original is made from the signature Gucci fabric and not leather ; also the colour is wrong , its sand nude and not peach nude. See pictures below.
