Once, possessing a Hermès Birkin served as the definitive indicator of immense affluence. Due to lengthy waiting periods and exorbitant costs, the handbag represented the pinnacle of opulence—until Walmart began offering a visually indistinguishable replica priced at $80 instead of $25,000.
TL;DR
- Walmart's $80 Birkin replica made designer fashion accessible, challenging exclusivity and promoting equality.
- Luxury brands face declining interest as prices rise without innovation, leading the wealthy to seek new status symbols.
- Privacy, leisure time, and personal expression are emerging as new indicators of affluence for the elite.
- The wealthy now prioritize well-being, physical attractiveness, and unique self-expression over conspicuous consumption.
TikTok fashion enthusiasts rapidly promoted the budget-friendly store's inexpensive Birkin imitation, expressing joy that they could now obtain the handbag previously exclusive to the wealthy. Influencers criticized those rejecting counterfeit items, asserting that individuals without vast wealth are also entitled to possess the design. Replicas like the Walmart “Birkin” made designer fashion accessible to the general public. This represented progress toward greater equality.
“The shame of buying these things has gone,” Alice Sherwood, author of Authenticity: Reclaiming Reality in a Counterfeit Culture, toldWired. “Luxury prices have skyrocketed while the trend cycle has rapidly accelerated. People no longer want to spend upwards of [thousands] on the latest ‘it’ bag that might be out of vogue within a year.”
The Walmart Birkin is just one of many luxury product knockoffs that have flooded the market. No item or brand is impervious from cheap imitation—from specialty Jordan sneakers, to the purse dupes sold on Canal Street, to high-end hair care. Other elements of a luxury lifestyle have become more accessible too. Looking “healthy” or aesthetically pleasing—with clear skin, a symmetrical face, and slim-fit body—became the new signifier of wealth. But with the rise of Ozempic and lower-cost cosmetic procedures, that’s no longer out of reach for people in different tax brackets, either.
Wealthy individuals have likewise shown less interest in luxury brands lately, particularly in China. The prices of high-end goods are escalating, yet this price hike hasn't been matched by advancements in creativity or excellence. Furthermore, when the COVID-19 pandemic struck and financial resources became strained, fewer individuals were spending on items that no longer captivated them.
The extremely wealthy are now abandoning their former benchmarks for opulence and indicating their standing through novel methods.
The wealthy elite's opposition and novel markers of prestige for the top one percent.
Affluent individuals are now showcasing their wealth through more inventive methods, some of which don't involve conspicuous consumption. Seclusion, recreational pursuits, unique possessions, and personal expression have emerged as fresh indicators of affluence. The focus has shifted from merely possessing the financial capacity for a purchase to having the resources to abandon the relentless pursuit of success and advancement.
Privacy and unplugging
Eugene Healey, a consultant specializing in brand strategy and a TikTok content creator boasting more than 115,000 followers on the app, explored some of his ideas in a video. One concept is that privacy and a disconnection from the internet will emerge as indicators of status. In the video, Healey elaborated that as an increasing number of individuals find themselves caught in a perpetual cycle of scrolling through their days, being able to disconnect is a display of affluence. Furthermore, when someone is aware of all the fashionable eateries and chic brands without having discovered them online, it demonstrates their authentic connection to wealth. These individuals don't require online searches for top cocktail lounges; they belong to an economic stratum that already patronizes the popular establishments.
“Being chronically offline is the new flex,” Healey said in the video posted in January.
Leisure time and activities
A further indicator of the wealthiest segment of society is possessing the means to decide how to occupy their free time. The affluent enjoying their relaxation stands in sharp opposition to the numerous individuals in the middle class juggling multiple employment positions. Healey said that living a life free from struggle signifies that the wealthy lack the common monetary limitations faced by others—and scholars are also offering their perspectives.
Silvia Bellezza, an associate professor of business at Columbia Business School, found that indicates that how people spend their free time can signify their social standing. In her 2023 study, she stated that there's a link between engaging in active or passive leisure, and the demonstration of affluence. The way individuals elect to occupy their non-working hours is connected to how they are perceived socially—and Bellezza's research suggests that even during their personal time, affluent individuals are “often using physical or mental energy to pursue wellness, health, and personal development.” This might involve participating in pickleball at an exclusive club; perusing literature on entrepreneurship and personal development; or preparing homemade bread from scratch.
Novel and expressive clothing
A primary factor behind the wealthiest individuals' reluctance to embrace opulent markers of status stems from premium labels failing to deliver on their commitments, prompting former patrons to seek alternative tangible signs. Fifty million individuals with significant purchasing power for luxury goods exited the market from 2022 to 2024, as indicated by a report released last year by Bain & Company. The affluent demographic Chinese buyers—previously anticipated to be the subsequent group of high-end purchasers—also departed during the period of confinement. Companies such as Dior, Estée Lauder, Louis Vuitton, and Burberry experienced substantial losses when consumers became disillusioned with costly products they deemed unoriginal.
“Since 2019, there’s been a high price increase across luxury without a corresponding increase in innovation, service, quality, or appeal that a luxury brand should provide,” Marie Driscoll, an equity analyst focused on luxury retail, toldCoins2Day last year. “This year [2024], that really hit consumers, and we felt the full impact.”
Because of this, Bellezza predicted that novel clothing items that reflect the buyer’s self-expression or values of sustainability will be the new “it” items. Buying a Prada bag or Jimmy Choo heels says nothing personal about the consumer. And since knockoffs are so accessible and clothing has become uninspiring, signaling self will be the next frontier.
Burberry has addressed this shift by introducing a personalization hub that emphasizes personalizing high-end goods with a client's initials, and Louis Vuitton has lately adopted brighter designs, moving away from its signature brown leather aesthetic.
Achieving a wealthy appearance is now more attainable than at any prior point.
The era of gazing longingly at Saks Fifth Avenue's storefronts is over. Now, even shoppers of average means can replicate those styles at a lower cost.
Dupes have become a huge market over the years. Many fast-fashion retailers recognized the middle class’s insatiable appetite for clothing items worn by the affluent, and the industry became the Hunger Games for who could push out dupes faster. This demand for low-price fashion coincided with a rise in consumerism and “buy now” mentality. People see an item and want it immediately; loving something their favorite celebrity wore, they buy a cheap imitation version of it on the spot.
Following the emergence of inexpensive imitations, the extremely wealthy then shifted their focus to a new standard of affluence: well-being and physical attractiveness. This included putting money into $40 Pilates sessions, home IV infusions, lip augmentation, natural foods, or slimming medications, with famous individuals and the wealthiest one percent showcasing their methods for defying aging. Being slender indicated that someone possessed more “self control,” or could afford nutritious foods and exclusive fitness memberships. Appearing young was another indicator—but then the general populace gained access to cosmetic surgery and Wegovy. Greater need, rivalry, and broader insurance provisions have reduced expenses; the actual cost of Ozempic in the U.S. Declined by 40% from 2024 to 2017, when it first became available in the United States.
Traditionally, the markers of wealth for the top tier centered on outward presentation. However, due to the widespread availability of beauty products, skincare, aesthetic procedures, and apparel, fresh indicators of achievement are now more about conduct. Furthermore, as high-end labels have struggled to retain consumer interest, an increasing number are exploring intangible alternatives.
A version of this story originally published on Coins2Day.com on February 7, 2025.
