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Fashion for the Masses

by Kristin Marino
Fashion School Review Columnist

October 17, 2005

No one seems to know exactly who coined the term "masstige," but get ready for an onslaught of this fashion and lifestyle buzzword derived from the word "mass" and the word "prestige." Masstige is, in simple terms, prestige for the masses. It describes luxury designer goods and services branded for mass consumption.

High Fashion Design Meets Middle Class

Masstige means Isaac Mizrahi and Cynthia Rowley at Target and Karl Lagerfeld designing for the H&M clothing line. Masstige means Diane Von Furstenberg on QVC. Masstige means, ultimately, more options and opportunities for those who desire a fashion career. While a few couture fashion designers might be gnashing their teeth over this phenomenon, many are reaping the benefits of high exposure and huge money.

Fashion designer names used to be known to only the select few that could afford their wares. For those with a fashion design education the story has changed. A fashion career can lead to becoming a household name in middle America. Women in Kansas really are dropping their kids off to school wearing Isaac Mizrahi.

New Opportunities in a Fashion Career

The masstige trend not only helps those of us who would rather make our house payment than buy a new belt, but it helps those of us who desire a fashion career as well. The heightened interest in fashion by the masses means more opportunities to use our fashion design education to create designs that will be worn and seen by millions of people, not just the elite.

Source
  • Vogue Magazine, September 2005, "The Selling of the Socialite"
  • Vogue Magazine


About the Author
Kristin Marino is obsessed with haute couture, even though she lives in Reno, Nevada, where you can't even get Gucci or Louis Vuitton, let alone Jimmy Choo. She has a Bachelor of Art in English Composition from the University of Nevada.

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