The ones you supported before the concept of 'brand loyalty' was imbibed, before status was the overwhelming deciding factor? I used to wear gotcha, island style and Brut.
My choices were largely a factor of circumstance (we used to get discounts on local surf wear brands). I liked Brut because it came in a bottle, and I could recreate that scene from Home Alone. I used to have one of those black Velcro wallets (it had a bright red and white gotcha shark on it). I never had an allowance, but used to get paid for helping my dad in the weekends. So every time I wretched that wallet open to pay for something (mostly KFC Hawaiian rounders, video game cartridges and movie tickets) it was like a part of me was being torn as well. Like an eighties horcrux.
Now I have a 'grown-up wallet filled with loyalty cards (as opposed to that single see-through plastic area where I used to keep unpeeled stickers WWF trading cards). I miss that wretching noise sometimes. The feeling that I've worked hard for something. The euphoria of changing into my stonewashed hand-me-down denim jacket and white t-shirt and going to London House Arcade in town to get a new game cartridge. I don't feel I work hard for things anymore. I feel like I just work and buy things I want or need (more want really, we don't need Tin roof ice cream, although that's arguable). I've started believing that if i can't afford to buy something, then I convince myself I don't need it.
I realize as I type all this, that I'm just highlighting various aspects of my privilege. It comes in many forms, the greatest being the privilege of being raised by my parents. And the gotcha wallet in times of rounder cravings. But mostly the being raised by my parents bit. If you've stuck it out to this point, I'd like to know - what were the brands of your youth? Was it similar to mine, with Dettol, Sunlight soap, telefunken and Toyota? Or was it something else?
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