Real life MMD: Should I buy my sons' clothes from Burberry?

Surfer

Keeping up with the Jones's is partly what caused the present recession as every one was buying on credit. Do your kids really want to be followers all their lives and do the same as others or do they want to be leaders and do their own thing? Tell them that they must stand out and be different fronm every one else and to be proud of being different.

milvusvestal

By yielding to your child's demands, you are merely adding to today's problems about image, and also boosting the profits of Burberry, in which I hold shares. I don't mind that, but I cannot see why you should be dictated to by your offspring.

Buy him something sensible and smart, but without the expensive label. If his friends are really friends, they will look beyond his clothes and won't mind what he wears.

careerbee

Firstly, dont do it. Designer stuff just to follow the crowd is never a good look, or a good message.

Clothes for birthday or christmas would work better as an incentive to look after them as well. If you have a wardrobe full of designer stuff, its all just the same and if it ends up getting slightly worn or tattered, never mind mummy or daddy will buy me some more. Its not a healthy attitude.

My parents taught me to budget with my pocket money since I was 7. I had to keep 'accounts' of what went in and out on what. If I could show that I could account for all the money that I had, my dad would give me a bit of extra money. It worked brilliantly on helping me to save up for the things I really wanted. If I wanted something like a particular brand of clothing I would either put it on my birthday list, or ask if there were any jobs I could do around the house to up my pocket money. When I got older, I did paper rounds and odd jobs for neighbours. I appreciate everything Ive got because I realise how much they cost.

groovygarden

I agree that "school is not a fashion parade", and that Burberry / Superdry etc are very over priced, and that kids have to learn the value of money. However, those aren't the only issues.

It's all very well for us adults to dismiss label fads, but I think we forget how tough school can be. If I had (HAD) to go somewhere everyday for the next 4 years where people were looking down on me/teasing me because I wasn't wearing the right clothes - I'd buy the clothes.

If my child was hankering after a (yes, overpriced) Burberry jacket we'd have to negotiate (after I'd given them a labels-are-nonsense-value-of-money talk). I'd give them the cost of a normal jacket and they'd have to work to make up the rest. Or I'd take a look at eBay. I like Superdry clothes, but hate the prices, so buy a lot of stuff from their eBay store (most recent success: £25 instead of £85 for a pair of jeans). Or I'd get them the jacket, but make it clear that that was their "signature piece" and all their other clothes would be normal high street stuff!

19lottie82

JoannaS wrote: »

What's wrong with supermarket clothes? They have become just as competititve and up-to-date as most high street stores and their prices are much more tolerable!

I actually get quite a lot of my clothes in Sainsbury's and there is nothing worng with them; especially when they have 25% off!! Can you tell when I wear them they are "supermarket own brand cloths"?? No you can't and neither would the kid's school friends either!!!

Bottom line they are all made in the same sweat shops whether from Primark, Sainsbury's or Burberry so why spend the extra on Burberry?! When actually it looks cheaper than Primark anyway!!

I didn't say anything was wrong wiht them. I buy a lot of my work stuff from George. But at the end of the day, if a teenagers peers were to find out that all his clothes were from Tesco (for example), the likelyhood of bullying is a stong possibility. Sad but true I'm afraid.

And for you or me wearing these clothes may not be a problem but for image concious teenagers it might be a cardinal sin!

stmartinsdiver

If you want the majority verdict on this the common sense view, which I support is certainly not. If you can't afford it that is the simple message back to the kids. By all means suggest you will fund their clothes for sensibly priced items, but if they feel the need to spend more just to sport a particular label then they should earn some money of their own and pay the extra themselves.
Kids are very good at convincing parents that everyone else has already got what they want and probably used to getting what they want without having to work for it. Say no and mean it.

jgriggle

When I was at school the kids of rich parents had expensive clothes and trainers.

Of course I wanted them too but my parents saw them for the rip off that they were, and refused to buy them telling me that if I wanted them I should earn the money.

So, a friend and I got a couple of buckets, sponges and car shampoo and went round the village washing cars. At the end of our first day we had earned the grand sum of £14 each. At the time I was getting £2 a week pocket money from my parents so it was like a small fortune to me.

In the end it took three days and LOTS of cars to get the £45 I needed for a pair of Nike Airs. £45 was more money than I'd ever possessed in my young life. I felt rich, and it was all money that I'd earned through hard work. The trainers suddenly didn't seem like such a good deal and I never did buy them.

I'm sure though, that had I just been given the £45, I would have gone straight out and bought them.

Augustus_the_Strong

AS a few people have said, either give the lads an allowance from which all their designer stuff has to come (maybe you could buy them the cheap basics instead?) or suggest they get jobs and pay for their designer habits themselves. You'll be doing them a favour in the long run (and not bankrupting yourself with their insatiable fashion requirements).

Augustus_the_Strong

jgriggle wrote: »

When I was at school the kids of rich parents had expensive clothes and trainers.

Of course I wanted them too but my parents saw them for the rip off that they were, and refused to buy them telling me that if I wanted them I should earn the money.

So, a friend and I got a couple of buckets, sponges and car shampoo and went round the village washing cars. At the end of our first day we had earned the grand sum of £14 each. At the time I was getting £2 a week pocket money from my parents so it was like a small fortune to me.

In the end it took three days and LOTS of cars to get the £45 I needed for a pair of Nike Airs. £45 was more money than I'd ever possessed in my young life. I felt rich, and it was all money that I'd earned through hard work. The trainers suddenly didn't seem like such a good deal and I never did buy them.

I'm sure though, that had I just been given the £45, I would have gone straight out and bought them.

This is such a great story, and a real lesson to follow.

IslandGirl06

The most important thing that you can do for your son is equip him with a strong sense of self worth and good self esteem so that he values himself for who he is and not what he wears. It's easy to cave in for the sake of peace and buy him what he feels he needs to be "cool" but that lesson goes on into later life. Will he then buy for himself clothes, houses, cars so that he can "keep up with the Joneses"? Children need love and support, not labels. Good luck!