The New Poverty and the Masstige Fad--How Fluid Class Identities Influence Fashion Consumption

The macro-societal changes such as the economic recession in recent years are moving many people in the younger generation from the middle class to the working poor or the new poor class, which echoes the worldwide scholarly discussions of the “dwindling middle class” or the “M-shaped society.” Taking a consumer culture theory (CCT) approach, this paper first investigates the consumption tendency of the new poor class consumers since they may retain their middle-class identities but find themselves with limited disposable incomes. The present study explores what happens when there is a break between consumers’ class identities and their income levels. By conducting in-depth interviews among self-defined “new poor” consumers in Taiwan, we see how they distance themselves from class they don’t identify themselves with, and deal with an ambivalence mindset. This study provides a snapshot of the new poverty milieu in East Asia also indirectly answers the question that in terms of consumption, is it shaped more by people’s incomes or by their taste and identity?

Second, this paper argues that the inconsistency between consumers’ purchasing power and class identities may provide an ideal market for the masstige (short for mass prestige) products which come with affordable prices and high-end images. By conducting a broadly-defined textual analysis of the communication strategies ranging from the advertising texts to store layouts adopted by the masstige fashion brands such as ZARA, UNIQLO, and H&M, we examine how the myth of “democratizing luxuries” is constructed and see if consumers perceive the brand image in the ways that the merchandisers intend.

By bringing in both industrial practices and consumers’ perspectives, we better understand the role of mobile class identity in the field of consumer behavior, and uncover how the brands may leverage the ambivalent consumers’ mindsets to tap into an emerging market.