The purpose of brands and high fashion is not to be functional in the utilitarian sense. They are meant purely for signalling and their utility is an afterthoug

The purpose of brands and high fashion is not to be functional in the utilitarian sense. They are meant purely for signalling and their utility is an afterthought at best. See for e.g. women's jeans which have fake pockets. For people who care about such things, its more important for their outfit to be congruent to some fashion principles (color, fit etc.) rather than the actual utility that such things provide.