I went through an enormous vintage Lacoste phase in 2001, and this was one of my best finds. I used to love that Lacoste was for scallies up north, casual revisionists down south and posh tennis playing businessmen everywhere else. Then they re-launched and now everyone's on the crocodile. I did a big feature on Lacoste in Sleazenation, went over to Paris to meet them all, and do you know what they gave me in return? One lousy tennis ball. Tight arses.
I think I'm going to miss the LCD TV hugely, though I should watch less TV, especially as most of the good stuff is available ad-free online now. The joke about this telly is that although its made by Sharp, the picture isn't, you know, very sharp. The whole Plasma/ LCD thing is a huge con and I got sucked in. Still, there's nothing like eating Green & Blacks chocolate with a cup of tea in front of the (slim wall-mounted) box after a hard days work.
Colgate, Aquafresh, Arm & Hammer, whatever the brand, I just wish I could find a non-branded alternative. The home made stuff I've been experimenting with is awful.
Bought for loads of money that I didn't really have at a vintage stall in Camden run by label obsessed Jehovah's Witnesses in 1999, this Westwood vest is pretty crass in its label whoredom, but look at the detail! Look at the stitching!
I forked out big time for this silk Raf Simmons bomber jacket many years ago, after seeing it worn by a very handsome man in a magazine advert. I was convinced that my owning the thing would make me lots more handsome and appealing too; yes that was a lean period for me in the bedroom department, and no it didn't work.
9 Comments:
Hello Neil. Christ, I'm faintly surprised you haven't burnt the Westwood vest already. Mind you, you’ve got the pecs for it.
Some interesting stuff on brands, and their supposed decline, from John Hagel, by way of Chris Anderson's blog. John and Chris quote fellow Wired contributor, Jim Surowiecki. Jim says that brands are becoming less influential. Once they acted as a mark of decent manufacturing. Now that role is a little redundant, because:
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1. There are more brands than ever, yet the power of individual brands is falling (measured by the price premium they can command).
2. Historically brands were a proxy for quality, which varied widely from product to product. Now, with globalized manufacturing, those differences in quality across brands are shrinking, and consumers know it.
3. The reason they know it is that it now takes little more than a Google search to become a remarkably sophisticated buyer. Likewise, they can "rank by price" or "rank by rating" with one click. For discriminating consumers who want to shop smart, information power is replacing brand power.
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However, rather than disappearing, the role of brands is changing. Chris Anderson writes:
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In broad strokes, we are moving from product-centric brands to customer-centric brands. Product-centric brands represent promises about products (or retailers) – “buy this product from us because you can trust that it will be a quality product at good value.” Customer-centric brands offer a radically different promise – “buy from us because we know and understand you as an individual customer and we can tailor an appropriate bundle of products and services to meet your individual needs better than anyone else.” In other words, customer-centric brands promise that, if you give them their attention, they will give you a better return on attention than anyone else.
Sounds good, but the problem, as John acknowledges, is that "relatively few customer-centric brands exist today". Indeed, he doesn't name any. I think the reason he's struggling to find examples is that he hasn't gone far enough. Yes, the center of gravity of brands is shifting from products to customers, but I think John trips over the fuzzy term "-centric". Instead, I suspect that tomorrow's most powerful brands probably won't be companies at all. They'll be the customers themselves.
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Don’t quite understand that last sentence, but its interesting, no?
Anderson's blog is, I believe, published under creative commons, so you can quote the shit out of it.
Here’s to the big send off. I’ll get in some Tesco’s champagne.
Alex
wow, thanks for posting such a great comment, and for spoiling the climaxing arguments of the book..now everyone knows!
Seriously though, I partly agree with that argument, but I still say that billions of people the world over will pay ten times more money to own a leather handbag with a logo than get the exact same thing down the market.
The one thing I've learnt from researching this book is that there are plenty of convincing soothsayers who predict plausible futures for branding, but not one of them really applies to the man in the street.
That's my version of events anyhow. Now please stop ruining any chances of this book selling... some woman has already released a book this week about stopping shopping for a year.
Neil.
Balls, sorry.
Like I say, I didn't really understand that last comment.
And, yes, having your own name on your bag is a bit like having your school tag stitched into your socks.
did you keep the tennis ball?
Hey Neil,
I am a bit wonderous how you are gonna get the non branding through your wardrobe...
Buying stuff off the market or in Tesco's still makes them branded doesn't it??/
Even the small tags in the market clothes try to give the buyer a sense of quality with them...
And I was wondering if the uber luxury of getting your shoes custom made by shoemaker or a suit by a bespoke tailor would cut out the branding for you as well?...
Re the tennis ball... yes I did keep it. Would you like it?
Re non-branded clothes: I won't be shopping at supermarkets such as Tescos, so no problem there. If you look hard enough, there are non-branded goods to be bought at markets; i picked up some new footwear at one the other day, and it had no trace of ownership or origin whatsoever (thats not particularly a good thing though, as i'll explain in the book). The rest I am having made to measure, but not in some fancy place on Saville Row... I'm off to Hong Kong to get a whole load made up... and yes, i'll be checking the factory before hand. See, I am taking this seriously!
I've tried to think of anywhere I actually give a stuff about brands.
I came up with two: Canon cameras and Apple Computers, but then released I was locked into these products and even if something better came along if would be hard to dump my investment. I find these products to be the best for my work, for my needs. However, am I buying them for the brand image? I've found Apple's laptops a bit flimsy for years - I just don't want a PC.
In terms of clothes I can barely think of any brand influence since I thought about getting some Reebok Hexalites when I was 14 because my Golas were 'HAHA- Gola!' to the other kids (ironically, Gola's now kind of hip).
I've always been anti-fashion, anti-brands, although did go through a phase of only buying Wrangler jeans because a 30-32 always fitted and I didn't have to waste time trying them on at the local Outlet centre. For similar reasons I've always worn DM boots - size 8 just fits, choose a different colour each time for a change. Leave shop. I don't know what I'll do now they're chinese. Is Tredair still UK? Ooops, another brandname. You have a mountain to climb, Neil!
My wife picked up some nice unbranded clothes from a Thai lady at one of the Spittalfields markets the other week. That said, the lack of branding could have been a downside - they may have ultimately come from a Thai sweatshop.
I suppose if you buy a Traidcraft tshirt you know for sure... Is Traidcraft a brand? Or is it merely the name of an organisation? Would it become a brand if gangsta rappers starter flashing their Traidcraft kecks in music videos?
David
I had a pair of Reebok Hexalites. They were very cool in Sidcup, where I come from.
The question you raise about Traidcraft is interesting... a low level, largely unknown market brand like this could well become a super brand if the 'right' people started wearing it (see every article ever written by Malcolm Gladwell). It does bring into question the social hierachies that we live with and take for granted, also, how the way we value things changes according to the brand that is attached to it.
Thanks for the comment.. i'm going to write a post about this today.
Not The Raf!!!!!!
You Sidcup murderer!!!!!
That could have gone in my collection!!!!!!
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