Branding is not something you create. Brands are made of experience.
I've been considering how we have let brokers in between us and what's important to us. How we have let ourselves be seduced into believing a confection created by clever people to convince us to believe something is what it plainly is not.
It goes alongside the pressure to consume. How much pleasure do we get from mindlessly consuming something relatively anonymous several times, versus the pleasure of ownership and maintenance of something we value?
The thought struck me as I was polishing a pair of Loake Boots I've had for years, which have been resoled twice, and still look great. They were expensive in absolute terms, but have lasted years, and they have developed a personality. They are like friends, and worth looking after.
Or my Hiut Selvedge denim jeans. About the same price as the boots. Signed by the person who made them. Free repairs for life. I've just bought a second pair after a few years. Again, they have…
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