It's about the selling. Most unfortunate customers will buy something they perceive as above their station to feel fortunate (see "kitsch"). The elites buy things that exclude the unfortunate, so they pay ridiculous money to keep up the pretense, and producers milk that market as long as possible. When it fades, they use facsimilies of fortune to sell crappier products to lower classes at a seemingly fortunate 'discount'. It works best when the whole system is based on false perceptions of value(price substituted for usefulness).

The tail end is trademark licensing (t-shirts, toys) turned into a revenue generator supporting the original product in an adapted middle market (see Harley-Davidson).