What brands do you associate with?

Well if you know me at all you will know that I don’t place any value on brands. I don’t associate with brands. And I feel slightly uncomfortable with the idea that brands “say” something about you as the consumer. It seems like a way of showing how much money you make or are prepared to spend, it seems to help people show off their status. I might be treading on some toes but I think a lot of my followers probably feel similarly. Who do you have to impress and why?

Unbranded

I did a quick search on the internet for the word “unbranded.” This is what I came up with:  No branding. No washes. No Embroidery. No Ad Campaigns. No Celebrities. The UNBRANDED BRAND

and “Here at UNBRΛNDED™ we’re bucking the trend of BIG brands making BIG profits with NO morals and NO accountability.” unbranded. No I am not advertising, I am just saying that at least they are trying.

What about branding?

I know from the little marketing I come across in our company branding is a useful tool because it DOES say something about the company. Branding should tell the customer about the company. It should point to the direction of the product. For instance the “About page” is like the front of the shop, it should draw you in. We want to say in as few words as possible that we are proud to offer a quality product that can save end users of buildings a lot of money if they are planning to change their systems; that being done at no cost to the environment. Website visuals such as colour  and the esthetics play a big part. Once our new website is up and running I will show you what I mean. So yes, brands say something about themselves. 

I find it slightly disturbing that many people like to wear labels in order to establish a look. I wore a school uniform my whole school life and sure it told everybody which school I belong to but why would we want to dress like everyone else and try to identify so specifically with some impersonal standard? You might think that it is because I have grown old and don’t care what others think of me but I sewed my own work clothes when I was in my twenties because I enjoyed creating my own unique look. Come to think of it, it’s probably something my mother fostered in me from a young age. She would take me to the haberdashery shop and let me choose my own dress patterns and fabric for my next garment. I have my mother to thank for fostering my individuality in dressing. In the eighties, as a young adult, I designed my own clothes to suit my personality and my needs. Nothing about what I wore identified with the eighties.

my needs were:

1. comfort: I have never been attracted to clothes that are tight, even when I was notably thinner. I don’t like things pulling and poking. I like to be sure if I ate a meal I would still be able to comfortably, continue socializing (and breathing).
2. style: I believed when I was working that I had to dress for work. I still think you need to dress for the occasion. How you dress is your choice.
3. my colours: pastel and blue toned colours. I was heavily influenced by “colour coding” – wearing a certain colour palette that suits you. I now believe that, yes, you must wear colours that suit you or flatter you but not to be tied into a system.
4. feminine and graceful: I thought it reflected who I was, and yes, I am feminine and graceful but I am so much more.
5. elegance: I wore high healed shoes even although it hurt my feat, I now think that is a silly idea to conform to.
6. dyed and hand made: this was the emerging of my true self. It showed I valued handmade garments made by myself, I valued over-dying as a way of reviving old clothes and extending the life of them.

These qualities said  something about me as I was then. I was not confident enough yet to emerge as I truly was, yet I didn’t believe in brands, or fashion or society’s demands even at that time.

My needs now:

1. comfort: I style my clothes according to my shape which is unique, especially after breast cancer and my double mastectomy. I am fortunate that I can sew and knit and that I can adapt patterns and alter factory made clothing.
2. Style: I believe this comes from expressing myself as honestly as possible, along with my need for comfort, and my need to be environmentally conscious.
3. earthly colours: my desire for an ever shifting colour palette often follows the earths cycles. I love greens, purples, salmons, rich colours, full bodied colours; colours that might greet you with a generous welcome one day and then with quiet authenticity another day.
4. practical: my clothes are created for suiting my daily activities: cooking, baking, bottling, cleaning, gardening, painting, dyeing, walking on muddy lanes, exercise, going into town, entertaining and meeting people. I like sitting on the floor and I like being able move comfortably in everything I do so I also only wear shoes that are comfy.
5. they are artistic and unique because I am the creator or curator of my garments.
6. environmental: upcycled and recycled clothing bought from secondhand shops or any shop so long as it is made sustainably. This satisfies my creative urges, my desire to make our earth a better place and my innate desire to be thrifty.
7. dyed and often hand made but not always.

These qualities say something about myself now. At a glance one would be able to concede that it is the same person who has changed over time. Is it a brand of my own? I don’t think so. I don’t really care. It is me. It is how I present myself.

I am aware that not everyone can sew and make their own clothes or even want to dye their clothes. And I am not saying that everyone should have my values or my makeup. I am just sharing my response to the prompt: “What brands do you associate with?” To be honest the question really got a reaction out of me. I enjoyed exploring my reaction and what I thought; and reflecting on my behaviour over the years. Thank you for reading my answer. How do you feel about brands? How do you live?

A warm smile coming your way,

cheers,
Morag