THE BILLIONAIRE BRAND TRICK: How the Rich Inflate Prices to Trap the Middle Class

This text argues that high-end brands are not primarily about selling quality or exclusivity to the middle class, but rather serve as financial tools for the ultra-wealthy. According to the source, luxury goods facilitate asset laundering, social gatekeeping, and market control for the elite. The history of luxury is presented as rooted in tools of empire and control rather than taste. The text contends that modern tactics like manufactured scarcity, staged influencer promotions, and credit financing are used to keep the middle class aspiring to status they can't truly attain, while the wealthy use these markets for untaxed asset storage and influence building. Ultimately, the author suggests that the true elite focus on acquiring equity and control, not outward displays of wealth through luxury logos.