Largely it is because you are cool af. In addition, just as uniforms can indicate belonging to a particular group, owning specific items and brands can signal our association with social groups, both to others and ourselves. A brand's success can be partly linked to people wanting to display their membership in a consumer tribe associated with being "cool." More and more, people seem willing to go to great lengths, whether by waiting in long lines or paying high prices, to demonstrate their loyalty to a brand/product and their group identity. As traditional sources of fulfilment and community, such as family, country, and religion, become less central, people increasingly seek these connections through the marketplace instead. Sources: Christian Jarrett, Robert Kozinets, Philip Cushman, Robert Putnam.