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                               University of Nebraska - Lincoln
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                               Honors Theses, University of Nebraska-Lincoln                                                                                                      Honors Program
                               Spring 3-12-2018
                               This Book is Valuable: An Anthology of Essays on
                               Design and the Perception of Value in Luxury
                               Fashion Objects
                               Carlos Velasco
                               University of Nebraska-Lincoln
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                               Velasco, Carlos, "This Book is Valuable: An Anthology of Essays on Design and the Perception of Value in Luxury Fashion Objects"
                               (2018).Honors Theses, University of Nebraska-Lincoln. 36.
                               https://digitalcommons.unl.edu/honorstheses/36
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                       This Book Is Valuable: 
         An anthology of essays on design and the perception of value in luxury fashion objects. 
                                 
        
                     An Undergraduate Honors Thesis 
                      Submitted in Partial fulfillment  
                   of University Honors Program Requirements  
                     University of Nebraska-Lincoln 
        
                                 
                            by 
                   Carlos Velasco, Bachelor of Fine Arts, BFA  
                         Graphic Design 
                  Hixson-Lied College of Fine & Performing Arts 
                                  
                              
        
                           2018 
        
                         Faculty Mentors: 
          Stacy Asher, Associate Professor of Art, Department of Art, Art History and Design 
         Aaron Sutherlen, Assistant Professor of Art, Department of Art, Art History and Design 
                                              Velasco, 1 
                          Abstract 
       “This Book is Valuable” seeks to analyze how different concepts related to design and culture 
       have influenced the apparent and perceived value of luxury fashion objects. This question is 
       explored in different contexts to provide clarity and observation to the contemporary 
       construction of value through systems of design.  
       This thesis is an anthology of three essays. The first essay is about immaterial capitalism, a 
       system of knowledge, skill and imagination based capital. The second essay is about the strategy 
       of artification, using fine art as a way to link systems of value together. It is also about how 
       luxury conglomerates use political influence to diversify their portfolio and increase revenue. 
       The final essay is about how popular and everyday culture that is traditionally perceived of 
       having little value, has become utilized extensively in luxury fashion. 
        
        
                              
                              
                              
                              
                              
                              
                              
       Keywords:​ Fashion Studies, Graphic Design, Immaterial Capitalism, Artification, Luxury, 
       Branding, Marketing Strategies, Haute Couture, Lifestyle 
                                              Velasco, 2 
        
        
                          Chapter 1: 
                      A Bag worth more than Gold 
             Immaterial Capitalism and the search for value in designed goods. 
        
                         Introduction 
       Immaterial Capitalism is a concept that has been recently coined to reflect the idea that 
       knowledge, skills, culture, and plans are commodified by companies for capital gain. This 
       research primarily examines the systems involved in creating value by building brands based on 
       immaterial capital and analyzing the ethicality of those practices within independent and luxury 
       brand conglomerates. 
                         Defining Value 
       What is value? It’s simplistic to see this concept summarized in something like the standard 
       dictionary definition where value is described as just being a series of nouns with explanations 
       ranging from “relative worth, merit, or importance” to the interesting and emotionally attached 
       “liking or affection; favorable regard” (Webster Dictionary). 
           Value is, something of worth, whether an object or an idea, that we have as either individual, a 
       market or a society decided has a quality of some sort. For as well-intentioned as we can try to 
       be, thousands of years of political, cultural and social developments have made determining what 
       is and is not valuable all the more difficult and biased. A variety of influences ranging from 
       currency and labor to psychology and culture contribute to the perception of value.