The pricing is crazy/justified thread

[eat me]

^ my bad.

[messenoire]

it's insane what balmain tried getting away with when they were handed a seam ripper and shears.

[Faust]

it's insane what balmain got away with when they were handed a seam ripper and shears.

fixed. got away all the way to the bank. long live sting.

[Heirloom]

I wonder if they quality check their clothes/ or if this is some kind of protest against sweat shops, as if these shirts was the product of sweat shops in strike.

[endorphinz]

i can't believe this thread is still going.

if it means anything, these comments come from someone who has spent hundreds of hours pricing lines for over a decade. i've spent many hours in mr.greenfield's factory....another lifetime ago.

ya know, there are 2 things that determine final retail pricing....the margin that the manufacturer/designer wants/needs and the margin the retailer wants/needs.

all one needs to do is to look @ pricing in japan and pricing in the us for the same goods.

the comparison between gap and br and the labels discussed on this forum is ludicrous. the gap and br need to be competitive to stay afloat. they have competition. there are substitutes for the goods they sell. the stuff discussed here has no substitute. these goods have no competition. the pricing of this stuff is done in a "virtual like world." it is almost completely artificial.

> expensive = < less accessible = > coveted = > expensive

very circular but very true. people love to feel special and are willing to pay for that privilege....and no, i'm not implying that i'm any different...and yes, i realize that i'm not unveiling anything everyone is not already aware of.

anyone who truly believes that the quality/price relation is consistent through all price points is delusional.

ultimately, supply/demand will ALWAYS determine pricing.

[kuugaia]

It's funny that you mention the pricing difference of goods between US stores and Japanese stores. For most companies other than global conglomerates, if the item is local it is cheaper there. So why buy Julius/Devoa etc. in the US when we can obviously get the same thing cheaper through private services such as Hide? The internet has made the competition for physical retail incredibly competitive. And with the vast majority of the market internet savvy, in particular members of forums like this...is there any market for physical retail in the future? I know Asos is dealing some damage to the mainstream retail outlets here in Australia, at least for my generation.

Not sure if this is on topic but, recently I had to make the decision of getting an Individual Sentiments coat at retail or online. The price difference was about $400-$500. Now I'm not stating that the mark up isn't justified or anything, because it is, but I am merely saying that the internet has made pricing highly competitive. In the end I deciding on buying the coat at retail for various reasons...but I'm unsure of the prospects of physical retail in the future. Where will their strengths be when what used to be inaccessible, is accessible?

[Sombre]

The difference for most people is fit and touch. People like Faust and Avantster (or was it DHC?) type until their fingers are numb that clothing is a tactile experience. For the mast majority of shoppers this is true. Add to that the fact that most people want to verify the fit of a garment, especially with unfamiliar brands, or brands whose sizing is inconsistent across seasons (this second factor is an issue with many of the labels discussed here), and there is good reason for them to want to go to a physical store rather than buy online.

I am not one of those people, as clothing can always be altered provided it's not too small, I don't like wasting Sales Associates' time, and like you, I'm aware of those differences you mention. But the reality is, you and I are the minority. Most people still want to see and try on clothes before purchasing, and it is that desire that will allow brick and mortar stores to compete with their online counterparts, even those selling at lower prices, until we can teleport clothing to a potential buyer.

[AKA*NYC]

with balmain homme (the many-headed hydra that dogs this thread) i get the sense that one of the reasons the prices are currently so high is because the line is still very, very limited. in fact some of the items i've handled look more like samples, at least to my untrained eye. so whether or not the price tag is reflected in the quality or uniqueness of any given piece (and even as a fan of the line i concede that in most if not all cases it's not) i think the current price point may simply reflect the actual cost of producing these pieces in very small quantities. once they get more orders and the volume increases i suspect the prices will go down. also it seems that their distressed items have a significantly higher price tag: they tack on a few hundred extra for the ripped seams etc. all in all you have to pay more to get in on the ground floor.

[fenrost]

I applaud PH for restricting internet sale policy, advocating buy with "tactile experience". I really do think more labels should followsuit. Internet/reselling is destructive tbh.

One should always buy with balance : stop gambling, stop looking/listening from the internet, make an effort and support the closest store, try those clothes and look into the mirror with common sense.

I have lust many items I see here but never pull trigger. I guess I have decide to stop making myself like an idiot and, proudly say most of my clothes comes from XXX physical store when asked, not from the internet.

[AKA*NYC]

i agree with you to some degree fenrost (for example ccp is ideally bought in a retail store) but sometimes gambling is fun and price competition notwithstanding it's nice to have access to a diverse assortment of buys on the interwebz.

[Nikov]

yes, gambling can be fun, and sometimes it can be a great success, but i've found that my most loved items have always been purchased in store.

[fenrost]

most reselling loss are not small, and they could have been used more intelligently on other necessities.

now I am saying this on my safe to say "had enough" experience, I feel that pictures of one person's fitting may not necessarily look good on another person. thus there should be a balance when it comes to buying clothes, both in physical stores and (if inevitable) online.

now pricing is another touchy subject, most people argue that why would one want to pay 1k+ extra if one can get it cheaper elsewhere? I would like to think it's a privilege to try these clothes in person, for the stores, it's not easy to import them, not to mention knowing not everyone can afford/appreciate them - it's especially unfortunate when the locals tried them and go elsewhere... this is potentially destructive to the labels itself in the end, why would any boutique stores want to carry a label that are not profitable enough to support the stores?

I think it's the "cheapskates" that should avoid into all these labels to begin with.

[Sombre]

In response to the "make an effort" post, Fenrost, you have a point. What can I say, I'm a product of my generation. I admire the way the internet has caused rapid dissemination of information, and I take advantage of that as much as I can. There is a local store for me to see some of these rare pieces, but I start with the internet. I see a piece online that I like, and then I look for it in a store. For me that is a guard against impulse purchasing. I don't really see how that is destructive.

Anyway, many times the store will not have that specific piece. At that point anything else just feels like a substitute. Additionally, I feel more relaxed in front of my mirror at home than I do in the store dressing room with the SA waiting eagerly on the other side of the door.

Just as you take pride in saying you got your piece from X store, I take pride in saying I got my piece online. For all intents and purposes, the internet is infinite. To sift through vast quantities of rubbish and find the exact item I'm looking for feels like an accomplishment in itself, and makes the result that much sweeter. There's nothing wrong with buying from the internet IMO and IME, as long as you know the possible pitfalls and are prepared to accept them.

EDIT: In response to your post directly above, if by "cheapskates" you mean the people who opt to get an item $1,000 cheaper elsewhere, I think you're delusional. A lot of people save to buy the items they have, and to call them cheap when they choose a different avenue in order to save hundreds of dollars is harsh, to say the least. You're only a cheapskate if you have the money but refuse to spend it (and by "have the money" I mean have enough so that the price difference is inconsequential to you). If you're saving for something, then saving a significant amount of money is not being cheap. I agree it's disingenuous to try a garment at a store knowing you'll likely purchase it elsewhere, but in my mind that's not the norm. I think the norm is the desire of people who are saving for an item to get that item for as good a price as possible.

[Faust]

with balmain homme (the many-headed hydra that dogs this thread) i get the sense that one of the reasons the prices are currently so high is because the line is still very, very limited. in fact some of the items i've handled look more like samples, at least to my untrained eye. so whether or not the price tag is reflected in the quality or uniqueness of any given piece (and even as a fan of the line i concede that in most if not all cases it's not) i think the current price point may simply reflect the actual cost of producing these pieces in very small quantities. once they get more orders and the volume increases i suspect the prices will go down. also it seems that their distressed items have a significantly higher price tag: they tack on a few hundred extra for the ripped seams etc. all in all you have to pay more to get in on the ground floor.

are you sure you don't want to retract this statement before I immortalize it and blackmail you in the future?

[fenrost]

Fenrost, you have a point. What can I say, I'm a product of my generation. I admire the way the internet has caused rapid dissemination of information, and I take advantage of that as much as I can. There is a local store for me to see some of these rare pieces, but I start with the internet. I see a piece online that I like, and then I look for it in a store. For me that is a guard against impulse purchasing. I don't really see how that is destructive.

You may want to re-read what I feel about boutiques that are not earning enough to run a physical store when their regulars runs away to get it cheaper elsewhere... you can say i am delusional about how one should spend the money, but it's even more delusional, when one doesn't think alot the consequences of local stores shut down/dropping labels.

I will be damned if the whole menswear are accessible on the internet only.