That's literally happening at Patagonia and has been for more than twenty years.
It's worth reading Yvonne's book [1]. In it, he talks about Patagonia clothes becoming fashionable in the 80's which led to a spike in demand, then a trough when fashion shifted and layoffs which deeply hurt him and the company. The reaction was to focus severely on attracting customers that were using the products for utility and to discourage others from purchasing. Wonder why you can't buy everything Patagonia makes in black, like you can for anything North Face? This is why. Wondering why effectively everything they make with a hood has an oversized hood that fits a helmet instead of being geared to bay geeks that have to walk two blocks from their Uber in the rain? This is why.
> The reaction was to focus severely on attracting customers that were using the products for utility and to discourage others from purchasing. Wonder why you can't buy everything Patagonia makes in black, like you can for anything North Face? This is why.
What? A black waterproof coat is dorky, it makes you look like a walking garbage bag. I should know, I have one (it was the only color left in my size). They are popular with people who have to wear them on the job, though, because they look "professional" (I don't mean a cool, adventurous job like mountain helicopter rescue who can wear a red and orange coat, think instead of a security guard who has to patrol the same block all day in the rain.)
> Wondering why effectively everything they make with a hood has an oversized hood that fits a helmet instead of being geared to bay geeks that have to walk two blocks from their Uber in the rain? This is why.
First off, do you not understand how Uber works? Second, you think bay geeks don't wear helmets when they go mountain biking or snowboarding? If anything, they need an even bigger hood to fit their GoPro.
You know, that Patagonia post, obvious brand marketing though it is, was actually working. "Patagonia sure cares about the environment and making sturdy, quality goods like in the good old days", I thought. But now, thanks to your comment, my subconscious will instead remember that "Patagonia are a bunch of sanctimonious jerks". Congratulations on ruining it!
I was talking about the "Repair is a Radical Act" post, and my position, like I said, is that it is brand marketing. Therefore, I am not going to make any active effort: I expect the message to be regurgitated directly into my gullet.
Sure, I don't think they have ever hid the fact that they play the game, what they are trying to do is play it in a responsible manner. Yvon Chouinard's book is worth a read, it's a fine line to tread and, in my opinion, lazy to take the cynical way out. (Not that I think you are!)
It's worth reading Yvonne's book [1]. In it, he talks about Patagonia clothes becoming fashionable in the 80's which led to a spike in demand, then a trough when fashion shifted and layoffs which deeply hurt him and the company. The reaction was to focus severely on attracting customers that were using the products for utility and to discourage others from purchasing. Wonder why you can't buy everything Patagonia makes in black, like you can for anything North Face? This is why. Wondering why effectively everything they make with a hood has an oversized hood that fits a helmet instead of being geared to bay geeks that have to walk two blocks from their Uber in the rain? This is why.
[1] http://www.amazon.com/Let-People-Surfing-Education-Businessm...