Whether a person is a part of the upper, middle or lower class, he or she always seems to want to fit in with name brand clothing and accessories. For some products, name brands can be more durable, better quality items, but most of the time all you’re paying for is the recognizable logo.

When people think of name brand products, they usually think of clothing items; however, clothing brands are what you want to pay attention to most when you’re ordering online or trying something on. Name brands are usually known for better quality and sizing while off-brands tend to be cheap and see-through.

Although this reigns true for the vast majority of clothes, I have personally found some great outfits where you can barely tell the difference. For example, I ordered some leggings on Amazon that look and feel exactly like Lululemon, but the leggings are $50-60 cheaper! No one even notices. If you take the time to read reviews, then I say take your chances with clothes that are off-brand and cheaper because it’ll probably be worth it.

“I mainly shop online, and most of my closet isn’t even name brand. I love everything I wear, so I would say that name brand clothing can be overrated,” junior Leah Maxvill said.

Along with clothing, food products often fool us with their off-brand neighbors. Most of us have most likely stumbled upon an off-brand food product in the grocery store and purchased it without thinking, probably not even noticing a difference in taste at first. 

For starters, food products’ only real difference is the advertisement and packaging. The better the style of the packaging, the more likely it’ll be to catch your attention. For the most part the actual food is made of the same ingredients in the same way; however, everyone has their own taste, so some people could think name brands taste better while some other people could think off-brands taste superior. The more you adventure into trying different brands, the more you’ll find what you really like. With that in mind, don’t always steer clear of off-brand stuff because of stereotypes, as you’ll never know what you could be missing.

If you’re worried about not fitting in with name brands, remember that most of the time people don’t notice or don’t care if your sweats aren’t Nike. Trust me when I tell you that no one knows if your cereal you eat for breakfast is an off-brand version of Frosted Flakes or the real thing. Just buy whatever fits your budget, makes you feel comfortable and/or is the most delicious!