My students ask about this all the time. I thought it may be common knowledge and I'm sure a bit of it is. But I want to be sure we understand about the stores and brands that we support. Marketing teams target certain customers and group us into segments. These are also known as markets. I put them in order of hierarchy so you can see just where your coins fall. Are you better than you think? Or are you just ready-to-wear? LOL.

 

Haute Couture is limited to syndicate members producing made to measure pieces. They hold license in Paris. Their design houses are located there and usually are managed by a couturier with years of experience. This is so exclusive that only a small percent of the world's population can afford it. 

Well known, well established brands that have labored in the industry for years...Designer markets have a following and secure customer base. True some of the designers are still living but all have brands that succeed them well after death. Their garments are reminiscent of couture with inspiration and detail but fall at a lower price point. Don't weep for their pockets though. These designers make enough to go global. Often, they have items in other genres such as furniture, bedding and even restaurants.

Luxury is more of a brand that has no "face". With many designing for it, luxury is a lifestyle brand that supplies an image customers want to feel.

Many people want the real designer purses and clothing. Knock-offs are selling out of trunks and in the stock rooms of accessory stores in every city. Bridge is a lower price point of a designer label. Still the essence of the brand but with much more affordable garments to obtain.

This is the lowest market that a designer will go. Most children's wear stops here because a child grows too fast for a middle class family to logically afford high priced clothing excessively.

Super trendy and fashion forward. Still great quality. Need I say more? Well, I will say that these contemporary garments are not classic staples rather trendy in the moment fun garments. This allows the price point to drop a bit. Just a bit.

This would be considered average prices. These brands can be recognized and respected as quality clothing. Its difficult to define exactly since many stores carry items that border this price point.

Ready to wear. This means that most thought isn't put into the design as much as the accessibility. The quality is usually substituted for quantity. Actually, RTW is readily available and at your local mall right now, haha.

Think cheap. They call it Fast Fashion now. But it means cheap clothes quickly.

There are two kinds of discount goods. The first kind are produced specifically for the discount market, usually low quality throw away type items. Some items produced for discount are known designer names who’ve over licensed their brand.