I am not much of a fashion guy, but when I see the prices on new shoes and clothing from popular designers I get the idea that people are probably just wearing something for the name.

It is crazy to think that shoes made by top designers cost more than a new computer or some people’s first car. It is even crazier to look and see that these high-end shoes are designed to look worn and just flat-out ugly.

I really have no experience with the fashion world or what makes something so expensive, but it’s sad that if a top artist put out a piece of garbage, someone would likely buy it solely because of the name.

Take Virgil Abloh’s brand, “Off White”, for example. Abloh is an established street wear brand designer who has collaborated with the likes of Kanye West. His new collaboration with Nike features many classic Nike shoes, just with different words like “Air”, “Foam” and “Strap” printed in bold black on the side.

I have no problem with the artist putting his own spin on the classic sneakers. The problem I do have is the insane price hike a product takes when a certain name has put their spin on the product. Abloh’s collection of sneakers up the price by almost ten times the original sale price.

Another prime example of the effect of the name is with Kanye West’s “Yeezy” collection. West is a popular rap mogul and fashion designer, best known in the sneaker world for his collaboration with Adidas.

Some shoes in this collection look like regular brown or grey boots. The material used is not waterproof and the soles are not that comfy from personal experience. Overall, the shoe looks like something you might find at a local Goodwill and could pass as a regular ugly boot if you did not know they were Yeezys.

His Adidas Yeezy Boost collection has been a highlight for the sneaker community.

For example, the Adidas Yeezy 750 ‘Light Brown’ shoes are sold for $350. According to Solecollector.com, a popular sneaker website, the shoes have an upsale price of over $2,500.

If you have seen the shoes, you can understand how absurd it is to pay over six times the original cost. This is a prime example of something that was created by a name brand person and is upcharged just because people are willing to pay more.

This is the crime that the fashion industry is currently committing. People are interested more in the person’s name than the actual value of the object, whether it be shoes or a piece of clothing.

Not all fashion falls under the category of overpriced and overhyped. Some designers have created astounding work that will not break the bank.

Paying more for something will not always get you better quality or value. Many current artists style can look like actual garbage, but will still sell because of their name and the prestige they hold in the eyes of the media.