Why is the discourse that “real rich people don’t wear luxury brand clothes” believable?

Why is it that people say, “Only rich people wear high-brand clothes,” and “Rich people from respectable families choose UNIQLO? We explore the background.

Real rich people don't wear luxury brand clothesDon't spend money on things that will lower the value of your assets

The reason why wealthy people are wealthy is that they are good at maintaining and expanding their assets. The basic premise is the common attitude of ” not spending money on useless things. They tend to avoid mere wasteful spending and only invest money in things that will basically maintain or increase the value of their assets. This is even more so if the family has been wealthy for generations, a philosophy that is passed down from parents to children. For them, luxury brand T-shirts and sneakers are consumable items that lose their resale value the moment they are purchased, and eventually reach zero value due to wear and tear. On the other hand, a Patek Philippe watch or a Ferrari limited edition car can even increase in value after purchase, making it a strong investment, no matter how expensive. The discourse that they do not wear high-brand clothes derived from the above context has a certain persuasive power, which is why many people believe it.

Real rich people do not wear luxury brand clothesActually wearing high-brand clothes but not being noticed

The discourse that “rich people do not wear high brands” is based on the perception that “high brands = flashy clothes with logos. However, in reality, luxury brand clothes are not the norm. In reality, however, there are many luxury brand clothes with understated designs that are not obvious at a glance. For example, Brunello Cucinelli and Hermès have many sophisticated items that do not push their logos to the forefront, and even brands that have an image of showing off their logos tend to offer more clothes that do not show off their logos when viewed as a whole. For those who do not have a deep knowledge of fashion, it may seem that “simple clothes = UNIQLO or no brand. In the case of business wear, for example, even if you are wearing a bespoke suit by Zegna or a custom-made shirt by Charvet, you may not notice that it is brand-name clothing at first glance, because many of these items have the brand tag only on the inside. In many cases, people are actually wearing luxury brand clothing, but they are just unaware of it.

Reasons why the truly rich do not wear luxury brand clothes3The rich should be modest

There is a strong sense of value in Japanese society that says “successful people should be virtuous. Politicians and celebrities are heavily bashed when they cause scandals because there is an unconscious expectation among the public that “those in positions of power should be frugal and modest. By extension, it is easy to spread the idea that “truly successful people do not flaunt brand-name goods. The social desire that “rich people should be frugal” biases people toward interpreting their fashion as “a modest life of choosing Uniqlo. In addition, “the taste for luxury” tends to be viewed negatively in Japan. This is the reason why people who prefer flashy brand logos are often regarded as “the rich who made their fortune in their lifetime. On the other hand, when people talk about the ideal that “real rich people are discreet and lead a frugal life,” their fashion choices are misinterpreted as “frugal.