Every week I try to get in my daily dose of podcasts. I have a good handful that I listen too, all having a different subject or topic they discuss each week. I do this mainly to broaden the way I think, act and react to everyday life situations. It is a way for me to become more well-rounded, learning though other people’s life experiences and stories.
A while back I had listened to Terry O’Riley’s podcast appropriately titled “under the influence”, a podcast dedicated to talking about the marketing world and in influence it has on society. In this particular podcast episode Terry had talked about companies that sell goods or products with stories attached to them, with the concept that when you put a meaning behind a good or product they become almost invaluable.
It used to be that in order to obtain luxury you had to travel (depending on where in the world your were of course), and when you travel there is always inevitably a story about that journey. Whether it was the restaurants you frequented, the people you met, or the hobo who chased you through the streets, you would undoubtedly always associate the item to that trip. Knowing that whatever you bought would now have some sort of sentimental value, possessing the ability to bring out an emotion or memory.
SO, DO YOU INVEST IN A BRAND OR SIMPLY JUST WEAR A LABEL?
I prefer to invest in a brand rather than just to wear a label. I enjoy knowing the heritage of a company. Walking into a shop and having the associates be able to speak to the make and quality of the brand and its goods in such an in-depth way it becomes almost romantic, the idea that there is a story behind the product instead of just something you need to buy.
It is what I continue to aspire to with my own brand. As a fourth generation tailor, having the ability to make garments from scratch and having the relations with vendors and suppliers around Europe, it changes the game a bit when buying a suit. The suit is no longer just a suit… it becomes a suit “made and designed by a handcraft tailor”with cloth that is recognized by people with wealth around the world.
The allure is the exclusivity and the ability to say, “I have a tailor who makes all my clothing”. Having that person to lean on and ask for advice or a suggestion only to get an honest response back without the added pressure of needing to buy. It is the ability to then turn around and tell people about the reason you bought your suit, the process of purchasing a suit, the time that went into picking the cloth, choosing the design, understanding the workmanship and learning about how it all should fit.
That’s the story you tell. The process of creativity and learning that goes on becomes the memory and the story.
The greatest thing we can do is to learn about what we buy and why we buy it.
So, is it just about a label you wear and feeling of being included? Or do you start to learn about the companies that create the goods you buy?
Food for thought.