Luxury Characteristics in Mass Fashion through the Historical Review of Fashion System

There have been increasing consumption of luxury fashion and recent marketing researches on luxury syndrome, trading up, etc. in mass fashion today. Historically the consumption of luxury had been concentrated on only upper class in the past. But since 20th century, the mass consumers of modern consumptive society show their interests in luxuries which had been preoccupation of few elite class. Accordingly, it can be thought that the historical review on the changes in the meaning of luxury should be necessary for a better understanding of modern luxury consumption in sociocultural context. The purpose of this study is to grasp the sociocultural meaning of luxury in modern fashion with a holistic viewpoint by examining the changes of luxury consumption in mass fashion. It will be helpful as a conceptual approach of modern luxury consumption. For this, the documentary study has been executed. It focused on since 20th century, which can be the root of mass productive and consumptive society in fashion history. The results are as follows. The luxury in court elite system before 20th century had been concentrated on few elite class exclusively but gradually began to be represented as inferior cheaper version by mass production according to their increasing interests since industrial revolution. The luxuries in elite designer system in the first half of 20th century were represented as illegal design piracy and legal genuine reproduction in spite of problems brought about between originality and copy. The concept of mass as consumer was virtually alienated in both systems. But in fashion system since the second half of 20th century, various types of consumer luxuries has appeared on account of the trading up phenomenon in drastic growth of mass culture.

패션시스템의 사적 고찰을 통한 매스페션의 사치 특성