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The Newsletter | Edition 054
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In our Off-White Papers, we provide practical guidance on how to respond to our rapidly-changing world. This newsletter explores those topics in real-time, with information and action steps on how to make progress now.
IN TODAY'S NEWSLETTER...DISPOSABLE CULTURE
Throughout the 20th century, consumer brands played a big part in influencing our beliefs, habits, and cultural practices. They were omnipresent in our lives. But today, brands are playing defense, pandering to fleeting trends and scrambling for relevance in an ever-mercurial world. Why? Because popular culture today is fast-paced and disposable. From TikTok trends to language and lingo, fast fashion and the news cycle, to the products we use every day—there’s always something newer, better, and more exciting that steals our attention. So how do brands provide lasting significance when culture’s collective interest is always fleeting? Can they ever connect with us again in the ways they once did? And if so, how?
- How to tap into the right gems of the past, from Ilana Bondell
- When too much of a good thing is just too much, from Nora Mestrich
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On the mend from disposable to reparable, from Payal Pereira
And this time, our illustrations from Ash Casper.
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THE POWER OF ROOTSFrom Ilana Bondell
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TL;DRWhile it’s not a new method of brand storytelling, don’t underestimate the enduring power of exploring brand heritage as a way to find footing in the fast-moving future.
WHY IT MATTERSFashion has always been a category that leans heavily into the prestige and richness of heritage. But this becomes an especially potent tool in uncertain, transient times, and today, storied fashion houses are returning to this strategy more than any time since the Great Recession. In many other categories that are grappling with today’s disposable culture, there is inspiration to be found in looking back to a company’s founding principles, former innovations and products, and even lessons or mistakes from the past—all as a foundation for renewed purpose and clarity moving forward.
ONE THING YOU CAN DO RIGHT NOW
Prioritize learning from the past to make authentic moves into the future
TIPSCarve out time to look back through company archives, founding mission statements, or even just old internal documents as a way to re-immerse yourself in the intention of the past, and consider how it can be an inspiring—and adaptable—anchor for the future. But make sure you’re thoughtfully building from the past rather than just superficially repurposing it. More on how 'nostalgia' can be overdone, from Nora Mestrich below.
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NOSTALGIA ULTRA From Nora Mestrich
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TL;DRAs the pace of culture increases, consumers are struggling to forge meaningful connections with brands. In fact, 78% of people feel brands never emotionally connect with them. In trying to re-establish these relationships with consumers, brands are over-indexing on a once reliable emotional lever—nostalgia.
WHY IT MATTERSBrands often capitalize on nostalgia as a driving force to remain an intimate part of consumers' lives. However, in a world where almost every brand is leaning into nostalgia as a marketing strategy, consumers have become increasingly aware of when it’s being used inauthentically. It makes me wonder: Has nostalgia been warped into a commodity rather than a shared emotional connection? And at what point will it lose its genuine, romantic effect on us? It’s time for brands to consider new ways of reaching us, before nostalgia loses its potency altogether.
ONE THING YOU CAN DO RIGHT NOW
Remind yourself that too much of a good thing isn’t always a good—or productive—thing.
THOUGHTSA message for brands: Try tapping into additional emotional levers, beyond nostalgia, to create meaningful connections with your audience. For example, align around shared virtue, use intrigue to capture their imagination, create a sense of awe by challenging their view of the world, and spark something new within them through surprise.
Wanna learn more about how to do it? Check out our Founder & CEO Alain Sylvain's talk at The Next Web, which was the inspiration for this edition of Progress Report (and this write-up). A recording of “Brands and Disposable Culture: How can brands provide lasting significance when culture’s collective interest is always fleeting?” will be available in their digital library from today with the purchase of a digital ticket ;)
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MENDING OUR WAYS THROUGH REPAIR CULTURE From Payal Pereira
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TL;DRThe concept of repair culture has been around for centuries—especially in developing nations. It’s time for brands in developed nations to take a page out of their books and make an attempt to shift cultural norms around consumerism and repair.
WHY IT MATTERSThe idea of disposing of things just because they’ve aged (and there are usually newer, better options available) is an unfamiliar one to me. Growing up in India, I always had access to a cobbler, a tailor, a mechanic, or an electrician within a one mile radius of where I lived, so repair culture is in my DNA. But when I moved to the US, I wondered why Americans who prided themselves as resourceful DIYers didn’t use those skills when it came to repairing the things they once loved. And in my opinion, brands are to blame. Brands determine so many of our cultural mindsets, trends, and habits. They also have the power to change people’s mentalities in throwaway societies.
Hermès artistic director Pierre-Alexis Dumas told Vogue last year “I remember my grandfather telling me as a kid, that luxury is that which you can repair.” Following his grandfather’s advice, brands like Hermès, Brunello Cucinelli, Patagonia, and more have been building repairability into their products. Frustrated by disposable culture, entrepreneurs like Alicia Minnaard and Martine Postma have launched platforms and spaces like Fixing Fashion and Repair Cafes to provide people with the right skills, or access to affordable repair solutions.
ONE THING YOU CAN DO RIGHT NOW
No matter your industry, create space for the repair economy (and mindset) to grow and take hold.
TIPS
- Increase the value of a product based on its repairability: Make a repaired product seem better than new and build brand loyalty as a result.
- Host repair workshops both in-person and online: Every repair has a story behind it, so build community and increase customer engagement through the emotional power of repair.
- Create space for repair professionals to grow: Hire more repair people and make them feel seen and heard by helping the repair economy grow.
And even if your company doesn’t offer a tangible product, you can still contribute. Use the mindset of repair culture to innovate in the face of adversity.
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