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That's pretty cool. They talk about how getting period clothes basically required custom work. Must be pricey.
by ChrisMarshallNY 8mo ago
That's pretty cool. They talk about how getting period clothes basically required custom work.
Must be pricey.
- tenuousemphasis 8mo agoThere was a time not all that long ago that the most expensive thing most people owned was clothing.
- IAmBroom 8mo ago"Dear Mother: school is fine. I'm getting good grades. Please send money for a new tunic, as I have torn my only one. Love, John" - gist of an actual 15th-century letter home from a university student.
- eucyclos 8mo agoMy wife studied costume design with a focus on historical European garments a few years back. Fascinating field! And yes, when you can't mass produce clothing it goes up in price massively. Most mass produced clothing costs slightly more than the fabric, but even a very fast couturier will spend hours on a single piece. On top of that, it's one of those industries where price sensitivity inverts at the upper end.
- robocat 8mo ago> it's one of those industries where price sensitivity inverts at the upper end What does that mean?
- eucyclos 8mo agoCustom clothing is used to signal wealth, so past a certain point, more expensive actually becomes more desirable. It happens when something is supply constrained and a costly signal. Universities are the classic example, Harvard would never lower its prices to be more appealing than Yale.
- thaumasiotes 8mo ago> Universities are the classic example, Harvard would never lower its prices to be more appealing than Yale. This would sound more convincing if Princeton hadn't already done that exact thing.
- eucyclos 8mo agoWell, obviously there's an upper limit to that game, but I would bet Princeton's issue wasn't that they were failing to fill classrooms at the higher price point.
- robocat 8mo agoApparently further beyond "Veblen", price stops being a signal because the very wealthy have money. The signal has to change to other more scarce resources: https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=47265889 https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=47265889
- snowwrestler 8mo agoHarvard’s signal is how hard it is to get in. There are less prestigious universities with a higher sticker price. Bad example, but I agree with your point in general.
- manarth 8mo ago> Must be pricey Suppliers will often sponsor/partner with high-profile athletes, providing kit for free and treating it as an advertising expense. Still "pricey", but accounted in a different way. The Turner Twins website has sections on their – fairly significant – PR/Media work and Brand Partnerships.