I feel bad that I really enjoy nicer clothing and expensive shoes/watches/bags. I make low six figures and have quite a lot in retirement accounts and no debt. My living expenses are very reasonable and I'm pretty frugal outside of my wardrobe stuff.
I feel dumb for supporting some of these luxury good companies. But I really like their products because they're high quality and last a long time and look really nice.
Am I lib?
Hand wringing over luxury goods is almost as bad as hand wringing over media consumption. Buying a $500 sweater from some Italian woolen mill is probably better for everybody involved than spending $50 every year on a fast fashion sweater made by Bangladeshi sweat shop workers. It's ironic, but "luxury goods" are often way more "ethically sourced" than the cheap stuff. Donate to your local activists and those in need, participate in mutual aid, organize in your community, and enjoy your Goodyear welt boots or whatever.
Agree with the comment already on here. I'll add that during quarantine, I definitely fell into using shopping as a means of coping. To quell how selfish I was being, I would make myself donate half the amount of money of whatever I bought to various GFMs or stuff that needed money.
To quote Big Bill Haywood “Nothing is too good for the proletariat”
Can you help pay off my loans I'm so close and I'm tired of doing shift work and having two jobs, i want to quit one
I wear $100 shoes, I use a computer that costs $1500
I don't really care and neither should you
Two things: no ethical consumption under capitalism. And people like to consume and to have nice things. The problem is not in that per se. The problem is when consuming turns into consumerism, when it becomes a reason for existence if you will.
If it's the part that you have the money to afford these things where others don't - I get you. You can donate to food banks and other mutual aids stuff as someone suggested, help people out and donate your old clothes
If you are buying quality goods that are still useful even if you change your mind about wanting them or whatever, I don't see a huge problem with this. Even if you are being personally wasteful (and decent luxury goods aren't if you can afford them), you aren't wasting resources on a societal level. If that stuff ends up in a thrift store when you are done, or you use it, it's fine.
Like others have mentioned, it's not any worse than supporting fast fashion stuff. Buying things that last a long time vs. always replacing things is probably one of the better things you can as a consumer if you have the means to do so.
Have you considered buying 2nd hand luxury? It's more work to shop for since you're not able to always choose colors/styles but you're not directly supporting these companies and it's slightly more sustainable. It's what I've been doing with heels/boots and I got a pair of fendi booties in great condition that I wear all the time for a fraction of the price.