Shopping has evolved from fulfilling basic needs to shaping personal identity. As Barbara Kruger said, “I shop, therefore I am.” Today, buying isn’t just about products—it’s about projecting who we are.
Premium brands exploit this by charging more for perceived status rather than quality. Anti-Social Club, for instance, sells simple items at steep prices, relying on logo appeal and exclusivity. Consumers pay not for what the product is, but for what it represents.
This trend extends beyond fashion into wellness, furniture, and fragrances, raising critical questions: Are we buying better products—or a branded identity? Is our taste evolving—or are we just paying for the illusion of prestige?
Understanding this reveals deeper truths about modern consumer culture and how identity is shaped in a world driven by image and perception.
Brand Strategy
Building a brand only out of desirability
Fike Air explores how brands operate through exclusive membership schemes, using “breathing” as a symbolic commodity—something essential yet commercialized. Drawing inspiration from premium models like American Express’s exclusive cards, Fike Air turns wellness into a status-driven journey.
Scheme
Users engage with breathing practices through structured levels of sensitivity and wellness, progressing toward higher membership tiers marked by distinct emblems. These emblems serve as social symbols, reflecting personal achievement and commitment to the brand’s philosophy. The more advanced the level, the more prestigious the membership—a motivator for continued engagement.
Commodified necessity driven by status exclusivity
This project critically examines how modern brands commodify even the most essential human functions, turning necessities into aspirational lifestyle products through carefully crafted narratives of exclusivity and status. By transforming something as fundamental as breathing into a premium experience, Fike Air highlights how consumer culture thrives on creating desires where none existed—blurring the line between need and want.
Through strategic design, brands build ecosystems that reward loyalty with symbolic status markers, trapping consumers in a cycle of continuous engagement. Membership levels become both a personal achievement and a social currency, reinforcing the idea that self-worth can be upgraded—at a cost. This reflects a deeper cultural reality: consumption isn’t just about products—it’s about identity, belonging, and the endless pursuit of perceived value.
Fike Air Pop-up records
2022
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