![Shoppers carry Gucci Ltd. luxury goods shopping bags as they walk along New Bond Street in central London, U.K., on Thursday, Aug. 31, 2017. U.K. consumer confidence staged a slight rebound from its lowest level since just after the Brexit vote. Photographer: Simon Dawson/Bloomberg](https://thenational-the-national-prod.cdn.arcpublishing.com/resizer/v2/7OZWK2XAXRHKWCTDDM7FEJQQ4Q.jpg?smart=true&auth=282ea2b4af3df68f8fe754d6ac64cb4d4b859a42967668532e76eb4fc269d537&width=400&height=225)
Buying designer brands sends a signal to our peers that we are wealthy and powerful. Simon Dawson / Bloomberg
Buying designer brands sends a signal to our peers that we are wealthy and powerful. Simon Dawson / Bloomberg
Why 'keeping up with the Joneses' never pays off
Omar Al Ubaydli investigates how our consumption affects our social status