Don't Brand Me

I own shirts by Pierre Cardin, Arrow and Van Huesen. I own jeans by Lee, Levi and Dockers; and a jacket by Armani. Bear with me. I’m not bragging; I’m about to make a point. The one thing this apparel has in common is that it was all made in China, or Taiwan, or Thailand.

I’m not talking about cheap copies here. All the above items of clothing were purchased from flagship stores of the companies concerned. I don’t need to add that they cost a pretty penny. I realize that I was paying a premium for the ‘brand’ name; but am I really?

Stroll into any big market in Bangkok and you will find locally made shirts alongside the ‘designer labels’. The latter probably will cost five times as much. However, chances are that the ‘branded’ shirt and the local variety were both cut and stitched by exactly the same set of people at the same factory. The only difference is that one has a designer label, for which you are expected to pay an enormous premium. Do you think this is fair?

The big names would argue that they exercise stringent quality control on their products, even when they are outsourced to a factory overseas. However, as the recent recall of dangerous toys made in China under the Mattel brand; and the scandal about child labor making GAP clothes in India shows, this is largely a myth. Like most organizations, the paramount aim is maximizing profit. If, say, a US manufacturer were to post American supervisors at an overseas factory, the cost of keeping these individuals in the style to which they have been accustomed would be pretty steep. It would cut into the bottom line.

The reality is that, except for couture, hardly any of the items sold by the big brands are actually made in their home countries. The economics just doesn’t work out for them. They rely on the innate snobbery in many of their customers who do not mind paying a lot extra for the privilege of flaunting that ‘designer’ label in the envious faces of their less fortunate brethren. Well, I’ve decided to take a stand. I am not going to be a sucker anymore. I refuse to be branded. Long live anonymity.