Opción B - 1 · Inglés PAU Navarra Extraordinaria 2022

Opción B

WHY DO PEOPLE BUY DESIGNER BRANDS?

My name is Naomy. Let me tell you what I think about why people buy expensive designer brands like Nike, Adidas, Michael Kors, Rayban, etc. I was sitting in mass last week when a woman sat down in front of me. She was wearing a Michael Kors bag. I looked at it and started to wonder: how much did she pay for that bag? And why? This was just a plain black over the shoulder bag, nothing you couldn't get at a much cheaper prize, except for the fancy logo with the brand name ( Michael Kors) on it, of course. Why did she spend £500 on a handbag? Is it better quality? Will it last longer? As I see things, people don't wear branded clothes, they wear brands. It's not just a top, it's an “Adidas” top. Not just a bag, it's “Michael Kors”, those aren't sunglasses, they're “Raybans”. People don't buy branded clothes to wear them, but to be seen wearing them. If branded clothes didn't have logos on them, would people still buy them? Do you like that Nike top? Yes. Would you pay £50 for it if it was made by Nike but didn't have the logo? Would it still be “worth” the £50 if people couldn't see it was Nike ? Hmm I don't know.

I own no “designer” brands, I never have. All the items I own are affordable. My logic has always been the following: why should I buy 1 top for £50 if I can buy 5 for the same price? In other words, I'd rather have a cheap purse with more money in it, than a designer purse that's nearly empty. However, my no-logo behavior comes at a price. Schoolkids often laugh at me and my clothes. Well, if I can buy the same thing they have but for £60 cheaper, surely I should be laughing at them! This peer pressure, however, drives some people to buy brands purely to fit in, regardless of whether or not they actually like the goods. Honestly, there are some hideous items out there that wouldn't be popular if they weren't made by a designer brand.

If something is a certain style or design that only one designer brand really does or specializes in, then fair enough – I can see why people might want to buy it. But I don't really get the concept of paying extortionate amounts of money to buy an item just because of its logo. Shouldn't the brand companies be paying you? Wearing clothes with obvious branding kind of makes you a walking billboard advertising for them. I get it from the companies' points of view, I mean why pay models to promote your clothes when you can get consumers to do it for free?

1. Answer these questions about the text. Use your own words wherever possible.

[2 points, 1 each]

a)

According to Naomy, why do people buy expensive designer brands like Nike, Adidas, Michael Kors, Rayban, etc.?

b)

What's Naomy's logic when buying items? What price does she pay for it?