If it’s not branded, it ain’t cool. This is perhaps the mantra most youngsters follow today. From branded shoes, watches, T-shirts, school bag, deosprays, perfumes, jeans, you name and any youngster would happily admit that “brands” are an intrinsic part of their lives.
And it is not surprising considering India at the third position after Greece and Hong Kong among the most brand-conscious countries globally, according to a survey in the Nielsen Global Luxury Brands.
Shivani Mallik, mother of 16-year-old son Rehaan tries to strike a healthy balance between Rishabh’s demands and her sanity. “I try and strike a balance between a Sarojini Nagar tee and a T-90 from Nike. Out of ten demands Rishabh makes I listen and implement only two. I think a child must be told that it is not about the money, but about knowing what you need and when.”
When asked if it gets tough for a 16-year-old to agree with her and his friends, who flaunt the latest stuff, Shivani says, “Yes, all the time, but he knows that pestering won’t help so he waits for a birthday or Diwali for a gift. I feel every parent must strive to strike a balance between kids’ demands. The key to good parenting is give some and ignore the rest, unless the demand is justified.”
Nineteen-year-old Smriti Shukla says she is very brand conscious when it comes to her shoes and jeans. “I very particular about what jeans and shoes I wear. I cannot wear anything tacky. My favourite brands are Adidas, Nike and All Stars. For tees I like Tantra T-shirts and spend almost Rs 600-800 on them every month,” she says. She adds, “I buy my accessories mainly bangles at Kamla Nagar and Janpath, and sometimes buy regular tees which look cool.”
However, Smriti says she doesn’t pester her parents with demands and most often they let her buy what she wants.
BBA student Sankalp says he likes to wear everything branded from top to bottom. “If I can afford it, why not wear the best. It’s about being conscious of what brands are there in the world and being an educated and stylish person you will buy whatever is best and not settle for anything but the best.”
However, Geeta Arora, a parent says, “At times meeting my son’s demands gets very expensive. He is just 15 and wants a laptop like his friends. How am I to explain that his PC is good enough, he needn’t spend on a laptop, but he is persistent.”