This is admittedly not a brand new phenomenon but it is still emerging and rare enough to mention in a consumption era largely defined by throwaway culture and fast-everything: durability is making a comeback.
In the words chosen to name businesses and describe their products, first.
- Online shopping platform BuyMeOnce, for instance, which "started with a pot...", a Le Creuset casserole pot founder Tara Button was given for her 30th birthday and made her realize she potentially never had to buy another pot again. And therein lied the idea of a webshop that would only sell products that never have to be replaced.
- Another example is Australian social entreprise Thankyou and its recently released refillable Forever Bottles – "Purchase once, use forever":
We don't need no advertising
An addition to this movement is the advertising campaign recently launched by French clothing company Asphalte, which is based on a preorder model and whose goal is to create "fashion that makes sense and teaches us to consume less".
The 3 videos released a few days ago skilfully expose and explore the question a brand selling jumpers and jeans designed to last a lifetime has had to tackle from the start: how do you address the paradox of selling your products while promoting more conscious consumption models, i.e. buying less?
Asphalte's answer: "This will be the last time we ask you to buy our product. [...] If you don't buy this jumper again in ten years' time because it's still in good shape, it will be our best advertising campaign."
And that's how you build planned obsolescence into your advertising strategy rather than into your products!
As for the reference to "Another brick in the wall", customers do need education to understand how products are made and this is an area in which Asphalte stands out, with posts explaining the choice of cuts and fabrics, down to fabric weight and humorous videos like this one for instance listing all the good reasons to buy an Asphalte polo shirt. Just once.
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