Basic versus luxury

At the beginning of Sebastian Glubrecht’s hysterically funny book, Na servus!: wie ich lernte die Bayern zu lieben, the author is flying from Berlin to Munich to start working for a local newspaper. Seated on the plane next to him is the lovely shop assistant, Theresa. A newcomer to the de rigeur fashions in the Bavarian metropolis, Sebastian, aka Wastl, innocently asks what the letters LV on Theresa’s bag stand for. Disdainfully, Theresa explains to him that she works at the Louis Vuitton dependance in Maximilianstrasse. Sebastian is blind to Theresa’s signal about her social standing via outward appearance, at least this first time around.

We’ve all learned “don’t judge a book by its cover,” but “clothes make the man” is the advice we usually follow. What we wear does say something about us, and the business of fashion is no different than the business of finance. So what happens when something affordable comes along that everyone simply has to have? A trend is born.

Love them or hate them, Crocs became one of the biggest fashion trends of this decade. Those colorful plastic clogs had us throwing style and sleek lines out the window. All of the sudden we were aspiring to have fat feet. The shoes were comfortable and easy on the pocketbook but, unfortunately for the company, also easy to do without.

The recent Washington Post article about what happens when trendy products are both cheap and indestructible is a great read and a mini economics lesson. You can discuss the business models behind LVMH (Louis Vuitton Moët Hennessey) and Crocs for fool-proof business English lessons.

Less fashion-minded students can have a look at the new Microsoft PC hunter ads that outraged Apple marketing and advertising executives who even demanded that these ads be taken off the air. Red-headed Lauren is on a mission to find herself a new 17” under-$1000-laptop and goes for the jugular when she says, “I guess I’m just not cool enough to be a Mac person.” In tough times, luxury has its price.

Business Spotlight 5/2009 offers must-have vocabulary in "English for fasion" in the language section. And read Vicki Sussens-Messerer's article "All that glitters" to learn more about the luxury industry and "conspicuous consumption." Combine the articles with some of the above ideas for a fashionable, even luxurious, session in the classroom.