Trickle-down in Action

Fashion collaborations run on trickle-down theory: prestige flows from high fashion to mass retailers, who borrow cultural capital rather than create it. Zara isn't selling quality — it's selling proximity to luxury. From Madame Bovary to The Devil Wears Prada, fashion consumption has always been about identity and belonging, not need. Social media just sped that up. The gap between luxury and mass market looks smaller, but structurally, it never closes.