FashBlog.com

By Christina VanGinkel

What is behind a name brand clothing label, other than the name stamped on it and a high price tag attached? I often hear parents asking each other these very questions, especially when their teenager wants them to shell out X amount of dollars for a pair of jeans or a dress that resembles others on the adjoining store shelves and racks, except for the price tag and the name.

I have asked others and myself this same question, yet never really understood the answers others gave, or the conclusions I could come up with myself. That was until I met a young designer in training who hoped to have her designs someday make a splash on the walkway and catch the eye of a big distributor.

The name on the label represents years of training and desire, years of loving clothing design itself. The name represents all the years of hard work put into making a dream a reality. Does this equal the price difference so often accompanying the labels? Sometimes it does, sometimes it does not. A major label charges more to not only profit from this year's line. They want the high profit to spend on designing next year's popular favorite.

Does this all equal a reason for you to shell out the X amount of dollars to append your teen's desires? Absolutely not! What I have done with my own teenager is to talk to them about why they so want an item, and to discover if there is some way to mutually share in the cost, or to tell them why I will not pay a dime towards their wanted purchase. I do believe in buying name brands when I can afford it, as they are what drive the styles of the off brand clothing lines. They are often constructed better, and I recognize that. Still, sometimes I just cannot fit the wanted item into an already tight budget. If it is a seasonal item, I will let my teen take money from their savings if we agree that that it is something they will wear a lot or need. Last year for example, my son needed a pair of new snowboard boots. We found two pair that compared except in price and the name on the side. He did some quick research on why the name brand pair was top quality. Not to mention he absolutely loved anything by this one label. I still could not agree to the price difference, but I did allow him to take out the difference from his own savings. If it is not a seasonal item, I will discuss with them a way they could possibly earn enough to buy it in a few weeks time.

Therefore, the answer is a definite yes! Name brand labels do have a reason they cost more. However, it is still up to the parent and their pocketbook on whether that label is worth the extra on every single purchase or just a select few.