2 Brands I’m loyal to, and the lessons I am learning from them
My love for the Danish shoe brand Bubetti, and trousers from the German brand Oska, have me thinking, about what makes me a loyal customer, and how can I, as a creator, build that kind of loyalty in my business too.
6 or 7 years ago, I decided that I wanted to start wearing good quality clothes, mainly linen, and wool. I wanted to wear natural materials.
Having a capsule wardrobe was a thing. A friend of mine had years earlier done a 30-piece challenge (I think it was 30). The challenge was to only have 30 pieces in your wardrobe, including shoes and jewelry.
A fixed number and challenges aren’t my things, but I could see the good sense in being mindful, and very particular, about what you wear.
I like simple and easy. I don’t like a lot of “stuff”. I like to wear the same clothes, earrings, and eyeliner every day.
My mind is a busy place, I like my surroundings to be calm, tidy, clean, and simple.
Discovering the brands Bubetti and Oska
When you make a decision to focus on something, it’s like life steers you in that direction.
For the last year and a half (writing this) I’ve worked with a small clothes shop in Skanderborg that’s been selling clothes and footwear in natural materials on the High Street for 50 years. I’ve built the webshop www.anbimode.dk, and do everything from branding, graphics, photography, and web design.
Two of the brands in Anbi are Bubetti and Oska.
Bubetti is a Danish shoe brand with every pair of shoes and boots being handmade in a small family factory in Florence, Italy.
Oska is a big German company that has the most amazing trousers. They sell all kinds of clothes, but it’s their trouser we love in Anbi, and I’m a big fan. The fit is incredible, especially if you find it difficult to find trousers that fit your waist, bum, and thighs, and you’re done trying to squeeze yourself into tight trousers.
What these two very different companies have in common is a focus on a more environmentally friendly production, and on quality of material, fit, and craftsmanship.
Bubetti is owned by a husband and wife team in Aalborg, Denmark, and I have asked Jesper whether they have plans to expand internationally. They don’t, because they want the family-owned factory, that has handmade Bubetti footwear since the beginning in 1986, to be able to keep up the quality of the production.
Bubetti wouldn’t be Bubetti if Signore and his team weren’t making every pair of shoes and boots by hand.
I massively respect that choice.
“A loyal customer doesn’t consider alternatives.”
The values that build customer loyalty
As a customer, sharing the same values as a business is a starting point for becoming, not just a customer, but a loyal customer.
I could not be a loyal customer to a brand that doesn’t care about the environment, and isn’t committed to quality and finding a more sustainable and environmentally friendly process. Also, a company that has a toxic work environment is a massive no-no.
You have to love the product or service they sell too, but I reckon the subtle difference that builds loyalty, is a shared deep feeling about something bigger than just the product.
There seems to be a movement leaning towards doing business with the heart, not just the head. Mary Portas is leading the Kindness Economy movement in the UK, and it’s bloomin’ marvelous!
It’s no longer just about looking good but doing good.
How can we, as creators, build that kind of loyalty too?
Be clear about who you are as a creative
What an opportunity we have, as creators, to be part of the force for the better. We can put our creative energy to good use, and create a strong sense of self along the way.
Hold your values and boundaries dear and proudly. Show what’s truly important to you, and tell us the story of why that is.
Whatever your creative outlet and medium are, you have such creative goodness inside, and we’d like you to share it with us.
It’s lovely when good craftsmanship, which has taken years, perhaps generations, to learn, is at the forefront.
It’s exciting what is happening within the design industries with reusing, upcycling, and innovative ways to tackle the challenges we all face.
We have incredible opportunities to create good in our own tiny, small ways.
Customer loyalty has to be earned over and over. No one gets it right all the time, and no one’s perfect. But the businesses that practice their values, that take a stand (Oska doesn’t do Black Friday, for example), that practice a more environmentally friendly of doing business decently, get my attention, and perhaps, I become a loyal customer.
Lead with values and integrity
I think that’s the biggest lesson I take away from Bubetti and Oska.
I value craftsmanship and a focus on making fashion more sustainable for the environment. Sticking to those values means I stay in my integrity and that means saying no to other brands perhaps.
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