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Comment by Spivak | Hacker News Reader

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Spivak·

I feel like it's a bad form to infer a markup based on the price of a lower quality dupe.

Like would you compare a Canada Goose jacket with it's dupe at Hollister and say they're "comparable"?

https://www.canadagoose.com/ca/en/victoria-parka-3037L.html?...

https://www.hollisterco.com/shop/us/p/cozy-lined-thermore-pa...

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There's always going to be knock-offs, but perhaps it would be better to compare Away to, say, Travel-pro? [https://thewirecutter.com/reviews/best-carry-on-luggage/]

It's not like Away is an artisanal product that's going to be used for decades. It's just half-decent luggage with a fresh look. It's OK as a product, but the aspirations of their leadership and investors is WAYYY oversized.

I'm sure they're quite nice jackets, but they're a flex. You're telling the world you can drop a grand on a jacket.

Nothing wrong with that, or enjoying a great jacket in the process. But it's clearly a signal of wealth.

Those jackets are 100% a flex, but they (and their competition like Arc'teryx, Moose Knuckles, etc.) aren't a flex in the typical middle-class way of overpaying for a middling product because it has a trendy design. They're a flex because you're telling the world that you're willing to drop $800-1200 on a coat so you can wear whatever you want underneath and don't have mess up your outfit with layers.

The point I was trying to make is that there's a significant value to the "brand" of Away that's independent from costs that went into making up the product.

Mentally adjust the cost that Away is paying per item up 20% if that makes sense to you, but the point is that this is a product with big margins that Away is pushing even higher as a result of their brand.

Like how an identical pair of sneakers can roll out of a factory but the one with a swoosh on the side is able to sell for 10x.

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