The Great $100 T Shirt Mystery!

The "Happy" shirt is a Mary Kate & Ashley Olsen's branded shirt. I'm sure part of the appeal is that all the other 90210 girls in class know how much it cost. I worked for a guy who's sister had real money (her and her husband would take trips to Italy a few times a year along with a dozen or so friends who they would pay the way for), and she had a minimum amount she would pay for jeans, Levis were beneath her I guess. Or to put it another way, Louis Vuitton knock offs sold in back alleys and flea markets don't hurt Louis Vuitton one bit. The women who pay list for the bags and what not wouldn't be caught dead in a back alley or flea market, they would stand in line to pay list. p.s. If you think about it we are in the business of selling people their own illusions about themselves. A large part of the time in most shops this could mean the illusion that they are designers. I can't count the number of times I would proof out a design to a buyer and they would move the R bug 2 mm to the left and go "ahhhh, now that sets it off!" I'm a little slow, so it took me a few years to start saying back "damn that does work better, are you sure 4 doz. is enough?" lol Making dreams into revenue, or sometimes accounts receivable, is there any better business in the world?

Thanks to everyone who has replied so far - I really appreciate you taking the time to answer my question!

I suppose the "Great $100 T Shirt Mystery" has been solved:

It must all come down to "Perceived Value"

From somewhere on the internet:


"Perceived value is the the anticipated benefit from a consumer's perspective of a product or service. The customer perceived value stems from tangible, psychological and social advantages."


So it's because of a couple things:


1) Tangible Value

I guess this would mean the actual craftsmanship and artistry that goes into the T + the quality of the materials. So the Affliction Ts have a high tangible value.


2) Social Advantages

Like impressing other 90210 girls that you have purchased a $100 shirt and are dressing like a popular celebrity. : )


3) Psychological

What would this be? A lot of different things right? Like a higher price tag would make (most) people think the product was better/more valuable. And maybe branding and marketing? For example, the Happy T by Elizabeth and James - E and J has a very sophisticated designy luxury feel to it - so the psychological perception is that it is of high value.


Even though at the end of the day things are really just things - and when labels are taken off - often you cannot differentiate the $100 Ts from the $20 Ts.

Actually, one time I found a top in a higher end store for a high price - same day went to Sears - found the exact same top with different tags for a lot less. : / And I know it was from the same manufacturer - same knit, materials, colors, clasps, and tags on the inside! haha

What do you think? Is that mystery solved?

@ShirlandDesign - hey - sometimes that 2 mm really makes a huge difference! ; )

@Marcdd - I like your description: "creating a new world". The weird thing is - even when I think of it that way I still feel myself draw to certain brands!

LuluStar said:

What do you think? Is that mystery solved?

Click to expand...

Yep, mystery solved.

In addition to the perceived value of the brand, there is also the "power of retail." Think about it... when someone admires another person's shirt, do they ask "what brand is it?" or "where did you get it?" For many people, the "where" is more important than the "what." This is because many consumers develop a loyalty with the stores they shop in more than the brands they wear.

and there is a perceived value with the stores as well. When you walk into Target or JC Penney, you expect to see $15-20 t-shirts. But if you shop at Macys, Nordstroms or Bloomingdales, you would expect to pay a bit more. And if you shop and Barneys, Nieman Marcus or a high end boutique, you will definitely find plenty of $100 t-shirts. It doesn't even matter what the brand is, the store holds the perceived value that the shirts are of high quality (or of high social standard) and worth the price on the tag. And consumers buy into it because they knew what they were getting into when they walked through the door.