Wonderfully written! As a consumer, I’m so tired of being sold to. And as a marketer, I see this as a massive problem.

I love the solution you pose at the end and agree that the ladder is the right path — but it’s definitely harder to get discovered this way. I wonder if we’ll evolve by focusing more on local options again, returning to small-batch... See more

Consumers are more visually fluent, harder to impress, and uninterested in volume. Scarcity doesn’t create desire — conviction does. You see this in the resurgence of pieces meant to endure: vintage Armani, Miyake, Versace. The question becomes: What’s worth keeping?

disciplined—quality, craft, materials, and long-term growth rather than hype-for-hype’s sake.