Lifestyle
Luxury
Less
for
O
utlet shopping is no longer frowned upon and we all love
to bring home a bargain, so we have put together the
best outlet centres worldwide that offer you top quality
for less.
In recent decades, outlet shopping has become a mega-trend in
the fashion world, and is popular with shoppers the world over (not
just the Asian market), with designer labels becoming more accessible by the day. Outlet shopping could be for you if you have
your own sense of style and can spot classics that will not go out of
fashion in the blink of an eye. You will be proud of owning a piece
of the luxury dream, especially if it costs you a fraction of what
everyone else paid! There is definitely no better way to spend a
luxurious weekend away with your girlfriends, than shopping for
designer bargains in the likes of Milan, Paris or New York.
The outlet shopping concept originated when luxury brands became more accessible during the civil rights movement in the ‘60s
that broke down the strict barrier of class structure reigning in the
United States. Everything was suddenly possible and the American dream became one of wealth, increased spending power and
endless possibilities. Social priorities moved away from
old-fashioned values to modern materialism.
To begin with, luxury brands responded to the new demand by
including lower priced products in their line. These items such as
scarves, perfumes and handbags still conveyed the brand prestige but were affordable to everyone. The luxury brands came to
be in the business of selling a dream and the middle market was
buying into it fully. By the ‘80s the middle market was the main focus for many luxury brands and with the market for luxury growing
day by day. The ideas of “new” collections were produced more
frequently, creating a new problem of leftover stock. Initially, this
was sold to discount chains or burnt but with substantial growth
the amount of obsolete clothes became even bigger due to
products having a shorter lifespan in fashion luxury brands had to
come up with a better idea. This was the birth of outlet shopping,
as we know it today.
Many brands originally flocked to Las Vegas – where lower real
estate prices meant they were not taking a high risk in the event
that the outlet concept failed. Quite the opposite happened and,
according to Dana Thomas, accomplished author and writer for
Paris Newsweek, Las Vegas became a very important market for
luxury fashion business, offering brand exposure to a wider target
market.
Desert Hills Premium Outlets is located in the desert near Palm
Springs and was one of the pioneers in the concept of selling
past luxury co