PS: To everyone landing here, this is NOT a GP Essay!
One of the aims of our first bloggers’ meeting seems indeed to be successful!
Other persons also seem to show their interest for this activity which is slowing gaining popularity in Mauritius!
While commenting on his 2nd article today about “The fascinating world of Design” (which briefly gives an overview of his work), I raised an important factor, essential for the success of some new product/trend.
As I said on this blog, I believe that the name of the company which is launching this new trend is a very important in determining the success of this new trend/product.
Indeed, being in this field himself, he confirms this fact in this mini interview, exclusivity of yashvinblogs.com
1. To which extent is this fact true?
I would say about 90%.
Its true that some brands can afford to innovate due to their impressive brand value but it also depends on the type of product. Customers are sometimes used to a certain minimum requirement, and would not really dare to go over that.
The field that this is mostly seen ( brand name making successful product ) is the fashion industry.
It is one of the rare fields that u can defy the norms and go beyond consumer expectation and still be confident about the success of the product. Great designers like Chanel, Dior, Cartier can afford to go beyond norms, as their brand value would ensure the integrity of the product. Other inferior brands can only copy what others do, they are not precursors, they don’t invent. They are just here to ensure the similar product as those brands mentioned above are being made available to a more modest audience
2.And in Mauritius, any examples in the local market?
So yeah, u do have some local brands copying from various sources, such as tshirthell.com. These shirts are awesome, they just add lil more graphics to it. In the world of design we call this process to “inspire” from another brand, lol.
I mean its funny really, coz usually its called plagiarism and in the world of design, its called inspiration. But sure there is a limit to how much we can inspire from smthing, u cant copy a product exactly, copyright issues u know…
3. Some last words about fashion n trends in Mauritius.
Ah interesting!
Mauritius still has a long way to go in that field ( like in every other field actually) lol.
I think with the media, and the internet, Mauritians are more up to date with fashion trends, but most of us still lack the maturity to chose the proper trend. TEKTONIK is a sad example, and btw for those who dont know TEKTONIK IS GAY.
Im not joking, it is GAY : Im not saying that to be rude. Tektonik originated from VOGUEing which was invented by Japanese. Its involved taking different poses from the famous VOGUE magazine and making a dance out of it.
Japanese Gays during the gay pride thingy, it then evolved to become tektonik in France. If u dont bliv me, analyse carefully the tektonik style, its basically woman’s clothing modified for men.
Keep blogging coz its one of the rarest form of free speech there still exists!
btw Big thanks to Doorgesh since some of the pictures featuring on my posts come from his Flickr.
Examples:
Again, I will take the example from my comment :
Bollywood movies
Lets consider bollywood movies like “Billu Barber†or “Rab Seâ€
The story are not so exceptional, still, they can be considered as hits.
Coincidence, Shah Rukh Khan plays the main role in both.
For those who watched Billu Barber, I take a specific scene.
The same scene where there are lots of poor people in the village, and the main focus is on the barber shop (an old one).
Suddenly, the scene stops here, and immediately, you see a space shuttle flying in space, towards a big one, lands and then there is one of the most popular songs introducing the main actor.
Completely unrelated scenes, without any links, but because its shah rukh khan, its a success.
Sunglasses
The huge Sunglasses, I am damn sure you know what I am talking about…
You know those ones which look like “Pare brise camion”, lol.
Who would ever guess that they would be so trendy nowadays?
Torn Trousers
This kind of clothes has now become kinda of normal things. They are so famous that loads of smaller companies have even copied the designs and selling them under other names, such as “Replay” or things like that. There are so much examples available everywhere!
So, next time you have a nice idea, get yourself affiliated with a famous company for the commercialization, else you will find you alone wearing/using your product 😛
Original Pictures from Doorgesh Photography (Then, modified inspired, lol)
Yashvinblogs 
**Cough**
Apple…
**Cough**
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I’ll just say it in one word: Apple
It is the perfect example of what you have said.
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@ Everyone : Both Carrot and Sjdvda mentioned apple at the same time, without really knowing the reply of each other.
Indeed, take for instance, Ipod Shuffle!
No screen display!
This would not have been so profitable if some other company made this!
Another one, iphone!
Who would carve for a phone with low 2.0 MP camera?
And now, who would for an iphone? lol
You already have the answer.
Thanks to sjdvda and carrot for quoting such a nice example!
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the thing is.. i find it quite the opposite, i like to wear things people don’t have or rare things that people can’t get. Which is why, if my mom boughtm e some weird tshirt depi la foire, i will probably wear it coz it is original [i.e mo sure pa pou ena boukou ki pou wear this].
Unfortunately, original and beautiful stuffs are very rare nowadays.
So i have to stick with liquid or blunt attitude [coz the messages are fair enough :p]
and yes you are right… many like to show off.. hence like to wear big name’s garments.
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@carrot
That’s parallel thinking rofl
@yashvin
I’d take an iPhone even if it didn’t have a camera tvr 😛
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@ sjdvda : lol, mo comprend toi… ene grand fan d’Apple…
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It’s quite obvious that an established brand name inspires more confidence than an unknown or new brand. Brand names are an asset to the company owning them and carry a value as a result.
Brand name is all about confidence. But it doesn’t mean a new brand can’t be as good as an established brand.
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YES it does. Some of them are always on the forefront with technology or style and foremostly “Quality”. It applies to everything.
Compare the following:
AMC vs With some other stuff being sold @ Shoprite @ Rs. 600
Tefal vs with some frying pan sold @ Rs. 150
IV Play Jeans vs With some other brands being sold 10 times cheaper @ La Foire QBornes.
SONY DVD Players vs some brand that you’ve never heard before @ Courts
You can find thousand of same comparisons in anything you might think of.
To answer you Post Yashvin. YES It makes hell a lot of difference
I do believe Quality is the major factor which make people go for brand. BUT we have a serious issues in Mauritius regarding trademarks. GOVT bodies do not enforce the right laws. SO many fakes are being sold. Just see how pirated movies are available on the market.
Now when it come to clothes. Il n’y a pas photo. Someone mentioned above… I quote “…Show Off hence wear big name garments.” Its clear for me that Selven does not know the pleasure of wearing clothes that are so comfy and trendy. Some brands have cuts for any type of body. Whatever your physical appearance they have clothes that makes you and do you good. You would not find this on the corner shop. Unfortunately in Mauritius we are way behind in terms of the latest fashion. Some shops who claim selling originals here sell fake one. Others you sell originals sell them at such a high price and are limited in their styles and size
Thank god, there is internet. Buy your stuff online directly from the trademarks. It cost cheaper than buying them locally and you are sure not to be cheated, moreover you’ll find styles not available on the market.
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*I’ll be short but sweet*
It’s all about fooling people which I equate to MARKETING
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On fashion trends and torn trousers in particular – at least with the younger generation sporting torn trousers I am no longer ashamed of wearing dirty jeans…. whatever turns you on!
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Very nice article dear
Mo aret aster kisoz de mark pu twa aster yash lol…pou buy from bazar qb at lower prices, mo kass va rester un peu hihihi
I fully agree wiz zis “TEKTONIK IS GAY” TVR
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@ Yashi
You are right, a new brand can be as good as or even better than an established one. BUT, taking the case of CARTIER for example, they can afford to go off track and defy extremes by proposing a new style of eccentric jewelery, and it is sure to sell. But a less popular brand cant afford to do the same, simply because consumers would find it too aggressive. Where as in the former case, CARTIER is a reason enough for consumers to buy the product. coz after all its CARTIER.
i think u get my point.
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U`ve mark a point… everything is branded nowadays …even political parties 😀
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so true.. yet still ethical..(talking about design here)
TEKTONIK IS GAY??? ki vrai? well.. never really liked that thing.. i have another reason not to like it now..
Apple.. yeah.. thats it.. 🙂 lol..
@yashvin, What is “rab se”??????
u wrote that on doorgesh’s blog as well.. i dnt remember any movie “Rab Se” feat. SRK. I know “Dil se” and “Rab Ne Banadi Jori”.. umm… perharhs u would want to clear this point!
Nice article!
PS. Dan morice, gaspillage koz fashion.. 1 lepok ti pantalon patte elephant… aster gro gro linette kuma parbrise camion.. ti ena ban underwear ki depasse canson.. ban casket ki ena 1 troue laO.. pantalon COLER (beurk).. enfin.. list is long.. original ress original! aster dan lafoire mo dir!
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@ Sun : Film la appelle Rab Ne Bana Di Jodi!!!
lol, et mwa mo ti p ekrire rab se tvr!
sorry for any inconvenience 😛
mo al ekrire sa lo so blog lol
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@ Doorgesh : That’s exactly what I meant, established brand names inspire confidence, which is usually validated by their track record. The brand name itself is sometimes more of a statement than the product and are capable of influencing fashion trends.
It’s like paintings, if I splash a paint brush haphazardly on painting canvas (or whatever you call it), it’s ugly. But if Picasso does it, it could be worth millions! Brands are big in the arts industry too. Not taking anything away from Picasso though, he was a brilliant painter!
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@ Yashvin : It’s good you got the name of that abomination of a movie wrong. No-one wants that movie on their blogs… It’s actually a good example of a despicable movie becoming a success of its superstar’s brand power.
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Yeah… Apple xD I’m an Apple addict 😛 Though the iPhone’s not that great. I used it for a week.
M aster linz dans la foire moi xD Ek m bane jean dechirer paski mne tro servi zot 😛
People are attracted by what others do, and they need a name, which is where the brands come from. They simply play with people’s… desire xD
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Mo mette mayo adidas moi! ;/
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Techtonic is gay..hahaha… wai sa bout la mo entierment dakor 😛
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At the risk of appearing pedantic, i should point out that you should be careful when talking about trademark, because it’s a wide term!
To be able to answer the question, it is important to look into the roles of trademarks. They have 2 fundamental functions: the quality function and the advertising function. Consumers associate a certain quality with a trademark, which also serves as advertisement for the product.
So, do trademarks play an important role in launching new concepts/trends? Keeping in mind what was said in the previous paragraph, of course they do. Trademark products give consumers proof of their quality in themselves, so they are more likely to trust those marks, especially it’s in relation to new concepts or trends.
Also, i think it was Bhooks who said that government bodies do not enforce the law relating to trademark when they allow fakes to be sold everywhere. I think this is more a problem of copyright or passing off than trademark. Once again, trademarks are much more than what people usually think they are!
Finally…Picasso stinks!!! 😀
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@selven- “and yes you are right… many like to show off.. hence like to wear big name’s garments.”
I do not agree on that point of urs. U said you like wearing original things and that people wont be wearing and all..
For ex.. i like wearing a shirt…from HW..a brand which not much persons wear.. it is not cheap and not expensive either.. however it is original, comfortable and they are the only brand at caudan that uses a UNIQUE style.. the one of putting their brand the least on their garments.. or very small characters.. :)))
Which also the style of Apple, Mac, and many foreign brands..
The brands do not promote a style, the style is the brand ..
By that i am saying that, when someone who knows about brands sees a HW shirt.. no need to look for the brand on it .. when seeing the style of shirt.. u can already know its an HW.. same for an ipod.. no need to look for the apple logo .. That’s called style 🙂
And Big brands have style…which mauritian brands like 4play, peace won’t eveer have.. and that’s also why i hate them.. but shhh hihihihi lolzz
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Speaking of trademarks , it depends of the economic situation . In times of crisis , people tend to go back to satisfying basic needs like food and shelter .It is in fact a simple illustration of the pyramid of maslow(psychological,safety,social,esteem followed by self-actualization).”ashfaq” was speaking of apple ,but you may have noticed that apple is NO MORE putting its brand name as its prominent distinguishing attribute when it comes to fashioning ads but rather the features of its products .
What is more, building up the reputation of a trademark is rather a long-term strategy for many businesses ,simply because it takes much time .Added to this is the fact that the www has totally revamped the background of new trends and concepts .Don’t you think you can launch a new craze ? I assure you that you can if you appraise the needs and expectations of potential followers . In this sense you must be both reactive and proactive.
A trademark is blatantly a mean of reaching targets but no more end IMHO.
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When I was a teenager I thought that it was a must to have branded shoes, bag, jeans, etc… (Arc Pro, Peace Angel, Habit, IV Play etc..sa lepok la…)
Now I simply don’t give a damn…I buy my stuff on the road, unless in very rare cases I really fell in love with a Split top or so…
I have tops dating 10 years which I can still wear for I create my own style (meme si li bom pa grave, I feel at ease wearing it and that’s the very core use of clothing.)
As for bags or so I stitched my own when I was in School of Design.
Brands are there for they help teens group themselves. However it’s awfully sad that some kids are so influenced by fashion and brands that they prostitute themselves to buy the very expensive ones (A fact…)
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