Quote:
Originally Posted by
winston86dit 
Rarity, exclusivity, fabric, treatment, detailing, difficult pattern work, zips, etc. etc.
All the Balmain jeans are made in Japan and are of high quality. Do they cost $250 to manufacture? Maybe, maybe not. But the same logic you speak can be used for pretty much any designer item out there. I personally think that Rick Owens' sneakers are too high for something with so many quality issues but I can see the appeal. Because the biggest thing you're paying for, is the design. You just have to consider if that design is worth the amount being asked.
I too have a few of their jeans. None of the moto versions as the fit is something I cannot get into as much but the slim 18cm jeans are fantastic. Best fitting jeans I own, hands down.
Justify to an individual? Desire and appreciation. Even if something was worth its exact manufacturing price it wouldnt mean that it its still justifiable. The ps3 is a great example of something that even though it was initially sold at a loss, was not desired or appreciated by plenty of consumers. If you want it bad enough, because it taps into some aspect of your psyche, you will buy it. In this case its all those things outlined above.
Justify in terms of their own pricing economics? same thing pretty much as above but more so that there exist atleast one person in the above category that also can afford it.
For a long time I did not understand why people paid butt loads of money for original paintings. I mean if anything there is less of an argument for the original work in that case. You can just get a replica and it pretty much is the same thing since fabric quality etc etc aren't really a factor. However there seems to be more esteem for collecting paintings than clothing. I think the snootiness is somewhat arbitrary.