Status Sells and Exploitation in Design

Internationally successful and recognised products are perceived as either ‘top quality’, ‘fashionable’ or ‘expensive’. Therefore most designs and finished products are sold for a vast amount of money compared to average high street store prices. Yet, are the expensive price tags acceptable to pay for a label? 

A designer's success and reputation are factors in the high prices; however, quality and cost of materials are also contributing factors. 

Receiving status awards, such as OBE’s (Officer in The Most Excellent Order of the British Empire), may have an effect upon the pricing of their produce because they have been acclaimed for their products excelled quality and their triumphant design decisions, so become much-admired. Is it down to the principle of awarding the designer’s for the designs they themselves came up with, or is it just greed?

Are communities in third world countries seeing the vast amount of money we see on the retail prices of the finished fabric? This is very much undoubtful and there is much exploitation within the production and industry in general. However this question seems to have a different answer depending on the fabric designer. 

Obviously it is clear Anne Quinn (a fabric designer who uses felt) isn’t exploiting anyone, she’s working from a sustainable material and finishing her products by hand, herself. Her products aren’t sold for a massive price, they are sold at a price which arguably justifies the fact that they are partly handmade and extremely time consuming to make, as well as being aesthetically very pleasing. 

It appears big brand names like Versace don’t seem to have a lot of care for where their materials come from, and don’t give off a very fair-trade image.

Versace, who’s reputation is so huge they don’t seem to be willing to do much for change – they already know their products sell and for a great deal of money and thus see no reason to change their ways regardless of carbon footprint or social inequalities.

But large designer brands aren’t always selfish, for example, Gucci have had a partnership with UNICEF since 2005, “Gucci has intensified the company’s commitment to UNICEF and to saving and improving children’s lives by expanding the annual campaign and introducing significant new initiatives to support the partnership.” In February 2008 they raised in just one night, $2.7 million together with UNICEF.

I am sure no designer’s deliberately choose to exploit anyone for labour, they are merely doing what as a company they need to do in order to gain profit and survive the market in these tough financial times.