Were you thinking that carrying a bag busier with monograms than city’s evening traffic was sufficient PDA with social pedigree? Then it’s time you relearn the rules of fashion, for now it demands an eye for an eye, literally. Brand-worshipping gets as close as it can with Dior ready to plaster their label on your retina, with contact lenses. With Delhi’s love affair with labels almost high enough to be killed for honour, we find out what makes the city so label crazy?
Priya Bhattacharjee, a marketing executive views it as a sign of one-upmanship and a method of people to show their place in a certain section of society. “Label consciousness is a part of the need to show off, a trait typical to Delhiites. Be it cars, clothes or accessories, they would rather have one that is loudest and showiest,” she says adding that the aesthetic value of the purchase matters little, until the brand is loudly visible.
However, for some it’s not all about showing the brand, but also a return investment of their hard earned money. Beny Sachdeva, who works as a media professional, believes that a label is very important and that if big bucks are spent on a luxury brand, then they might as well show it. “When you move in a certain social circle, it gives a mental satisfaction to know that others approve and desire what you have. And when you are seen with certain well-known brands, people automatically form a certain image about you, the reason for which you are wearing the brand in the first place,” she tells us.
The monogram mania stems from recent exposure to luxury, a case in point for many Delhiites. Designer Siddharth Tytler tells us that the bent towards a visible logo is psychological for those, who make their first purchases in luxury. “Most people I know had their first bags as monograms as it was natural to deviate to an icon rather than choose a subtle buy. Once they had their fill, then it was time to go for the less in-your-face purchase,” he says.