Conspicuous clothes usage as a semiotic message

Abstract

[Abstract] This paper attempts to investigate conspicuous clothes usage as a means of transmitting semiotic messages. The idea is further developed, dividing this usage into different sub-types, each sending a different message. The first to write on the topic of conspicuous consumption is the American economist Torstein Veblen (1899). On his view, the consumption of certain goods is mostly based on the desire for showing a high social standard. The interest in conspicuous consumption has grown since the 1980’s, which is also when brand image starts to increase i n importance and companies begin to communicate through their brands a certain lifestyle and attitude towards life. If we consider the etymology of the word ‘conspicuous’ - “very noticeable or tending to attract attention”, there we can already see the main message; namely, that (and how) clothes’ users want to be perceived. In my view, conspicuous clothes’ usage could be divided into two main groups – wearing branded clothes and wearing fashionable or trendy clothes. As branded are defined clothes labeled by a popular, well-known brand which, in addition, communicates a certain lifestyle and values since brand communication usually spreads far beyond the phenomenon of clothing and fashion. Fashionable clothes are defined according to Laver’s law (1940) and wearing clothes that are trendy communicates a different message to the surrounding world from wearing branded ones. For, wearing clothes that are in line with the latest fashion is a sign that the person wants to stand out from the crowd. Individuals striving to wear fashionable clothes could de defined according to the theory of Everett M. Rogers for the Diffusion of Innovations (1962). His theory refers to innovations in general and the way different people adopt them but it could be fruitfully applied to the usage of fashionable clothes. These two types of conspicuous clothes usage could be visually presented as a coordination system, where the Y axis is the branded clothes usage, while the X axis is the fashionable clothes axis