offered and adopted by the top strata of society and gradually becomes accepted by subordinate groups. This is because fashion is considered a vehicle of conspicuous consumption and upward mobility within society and allowed people to express their individuality whilst maintaining the security of conformity with other members of their social stratum. DAVIS. When a lower social class, or a class simply perceived to be subordinate, adopt the fashion, it is rejected by the superordinate social class as it is no longer desirable, and another fashion assumed. The trickle-down theory offers a straightforward way of predicting fashion diffusion. If a lesser social group begins to appropriate superordinate fashion by wearing cheaper versions of styles, the superordinate group will likely differentiate themselves by assuming a new trend, leading to further acts of appropriation by the subordinate group. A trickle-down theory that supplies a cultural context (EXAMPLE) can predict not only the fact that the fashion change will take place but also the direction and properties of the change. The affordability aspect of the trickle-down theory is still highly applicable to the contemporary fashion industry. This can be seen, for example, when looking at the movement of a trend from the catwalk to the high street. When a catwalk trend is assumed by the affluent at a high price, comparable pieces may be released by high street stores at a cheaper price to meet the demand of the perceived lower classes, who seek to imitate the fashion behavior of the affluent. Furthermore, it has been claimed that in most cases the diffusion of trends follows a trickle-down movement, even when at a quick glance they seem to be emerging from the street (Bubble-up model). Often, an innovation that seems to originate from the fringes of society does not become a trend until it is adopted by some form of "elite" within a society. In other words, a single product can be originated from the streets, but the process that turns its adoption into a trend requires some form of elite to leverage the masses, hence it is nothing but a trickle-down in disguise. Basically, in a shorter description who started the trend in the upper class and how they influenced others to use/wear/carry on the trend down to the lower class. Criticisms Whilst the theory has received a considerable amount of attention due to its pioneering nature, conceptual development and its use