Want less and love more

My studio is full of stuff. Books stacked on books, old Another Shop inventory we couldn’t part with, samples from collaborations that never quite happened (or those I wanted to keep), things we found and had to have (you know, that thing some people call hoarding – haha). Somehow… It’s never becoming less…

And yet, I hate buying new things now. Not hate in the absolute sense, I love stuff, I love making new stuff, and I love putting our creativity to work to get more stuff out there…. I just hate the act of buying. That small lie each purchase tells: that this will complete something. The dopamine flicker that fades before the box is even empty. It started years ago, when I learned that quality is a hollow phrase, even for many luxury brands. But it went further. It’s really the realisation that we, as a society, have enough things and that it is a problem.

But then… there are so many nice things made, by lovely brands and friends… We love to see there are still many interesting things being made and sold. Things of real quality and intention. This list is something like that. Or at least those things Christoph and myself are getting excited about. It’s our way of loving things without needing to own them (ok, maybe some things we actually do need…). You can have a look. You may appreciate it. You may even understand why someone made this particular belt or coat or book. You can even buy it, if you actually need it. With need being subjective: replacing something broken, completing a collection, it being a thing that you think about for six months and it still means something. This isn’t the need: the algorithm showed me, I pay for it with minimum clicks and never look at it again.

Here’s the paradox: we’re about to recommend 60+ objects while advocating you buy less. We’re working on pushing more stuff into the world ourselves, brands we’re working for, the collaborations we’re about to launch, things we’re building. We’re far from perfect. I think we’re pretty good at creating desire, actually. It’s what we do. So what gives us the right? Nothing. That’s the point. We’re not standing outside the system pointing in. We’re in it, loving it and questioning it simultaneously. The anti-capitalist who makes beautiful things that cost money. The post-growth advocate with a studio full of stuff. Or as a good friend of mine always says: Something something the duality of man…

This guide isn’t permission. It’s not absolution through curation. It’s an honest catalog of tension: between wanting less and loving more, between critique and complicity, between the world as it is and the world we’d prefer. Buy less. But if you buy, buy this.

The list itself tells the story. Japanese matcha in recyclable tins. An enamel sign that says ‘Go Slow’, your call to find craft in the task at hand. A physical habit tracker called Nudge Counter because maybe not everything needs an app. The Internet Phone Book, a printed directory of personal websites as antidote to algorithmic feeds. Handmade oyster plates and this crazy incense. Initialled pendants cast in heavy metal. A book of insects from a faraway galaxy.
Bags built to last decades, woven leather from Hereu, canvas from Tanner Krolle, technical gear from Raide and Db. Clothing from makers who’ve abandoned seasonal drops: MAN-TLE’s fleece jackets with flat seams and bound edges, gnuhr’s powe hoodie, Auralee’s organic cotton barn coat and these brushed wool trousers by Cas Atlantic. A crochet hat handmade in Peru by female artisans, designed to be worn until it becomes you. The beautiful new perfume bottles from Abel and an Hermès scarf with artwork by our fav Viktor Hachmang because sometimes luxury is just choosing one perfect thing.
What connects them isn’t price point or aesthetic. It’s intention. Things made by people whose names you can find. Objects designed to age rather than date. Replacements for ten cheaper versions. The kind of stuff that makes you stop buying other stuff.

The full list + links is available on are.na. Enjoy!