Resumen

FRY, Aaron  y  FAERM, Steven. Post-Recession consumerism in the U.S.: the influence of cheap and chic consumer products on perceptions of income inequality. Cuad. Cent. Estud. Diseñ. Comun., Ensayos [online]. 2015, n.53, pp.169-188. ISSN 1853-3523.

Disparities in both income and net wealth have been on the increase in the U.S. since the 1970s. Over this period, the wages of lower and middle income Americans have grown at a slower rate than the GDP growth of the country as a whole, and at a much slower rate than incomes of the top 1% of earners; the latter disparity having widened dramatically in years following the recession of 2008. In this paper we discuss the subjective and relative factors that determine perceptions of financial well-being. Despite a widening income inequality, American consumers, in all income groups, own larger, newer, better and more possessions than ever before. In an environment in which income concentration is likely to continue to favor those at the top for the foreseeable future, we discuss the psychological effect of consumer access to well designed, affordable mass-market and luxury mass-market products. We examine four dimensions of luxury perception and discuss these in the context of two different luxury brands. We propose that the increased purchasing power that the American consumer currently enjoys is a factor that may offset or cushion adverse social and political effects of income stagnation and economic stress.

Palabras clave : Income inequality; Design and business; Mass market luxury; Fashion business strategy; Design business strategy.

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