In the world of fashion, people will spend hundreds of dollars to wear certain brands. We have seen this with luxury brands such as Louis Vuitton, Prada, Gucci, etc. Street fashion has also taken is grip onto today’s society. Celebrities like Kayne West have created their own brand that many choose to indulge in like his Yeezy brand. Warren Lotas created his own brand around 2014 as an 18 year old college freshmen, that has since flourished due to his unique use of hand-drawn skulls, flames, and bold graphics. His brand gained its initial popularity due to a lawsuit from Nike after Lotas released a shoe that has the Nike swoosh on it to look like a dunk. However, his heavy graphic designs reached the streetwear audience that landed his clothes to be worn by big celebrities including a collaboration with the NBA.
Warren Lotas specifically drop ships his clothing line. This means all of his designs are 1 of 1 and never gets released again unless he decides to make it a different color. Every single design of his has some type or version of his signature skull and violence is almost always a theme. His website only opens up for a few hours when he releases his designs and will only order the exact amount that people placed. Due to this, shipping has been known to take several months before it arrives. In addition, his prices aren’t the cheapest either. Supply and demand continues to thrive as do his prices. One sweater can range from $220 – $250 plus shipping and tax. His shirts can range anywhere between $190 – $210 depending on what it is. Knowing that his apparel is definitely on the pricier side and shipping takes several months, it’s interesting that people still choose to drop quite a bit of money for them. Although his line has catered to the streetwear community, one can’t help but notice the recurring theme of death and violence. Nonetheless, he continues to have a successful line that has hooked many.
Jaslyn Saini
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With Lotas having limited edition clothing that never repeats and that is only ordered in specific quantities, I can see why this streetwear brand is more expensive. Although the brand’s design describes death and violence, I do not notice these themes, as the artistic approach catches my attention at first glance. If you compare Lotas to other pricey streetwear brands, let’s say Supreme, there is a clear difference in how each is produced. For Lotas, shipping may be longer and products might be expensive due to the unique designs that go through production. For Supreme, the simplistic red logo with the word “Supreme” could be mass-produced onto any clothing and sold for hundreds of dollars. Thus, I’d instead sport Lotas than more prominent luxurious brands such as Supreme.
Lotas is utilizing a scarcity marketing tactic that drives consumers to fall into the ad populum snobbery fallacy. Although deceptive, it is strategic move that allowed him to break into the luxury fashion market and cement his legacy among other major fashion houses and competing streetwear brands.