#perfectobjects
Merch culture x perfect objects Seletti x Bic
How we made merchandise bigger than product, and why we do not shy brand as a statement?
Merchandise is no longer just an extension of a brand’s core product-it can surpass it in cultural relevance and emotional value. While collectibles have long demonstrated this phenomenon, we are now seeing it emerge at an unprecedented scale in brand merchandise, especially in tech, gaming, fashion, and lifestyle spaces.
Today, people often feel a stronger attachment to what a brand represents than to what it sells. This emotional connection turns merch into a symbol of identity, nostalgia, or belonging-sometimes more desirable than the original product itself
A perfect mix of design, marketing, and branding. Mario Paroli and Seletti has made it again. They have „elevated the minimalist form of the world’s simplest and most recognizable pen to the status of an art installation and at a price within the reach of the common mortal.
Brand merch rose to it’s own category. Perfect objects. Collaboration between Seletti and Bic proves nothing but this, at the same time placing product even above the logo and branding. Creating this perfect upscaled statement. Adoring it’s simplicity and reliability of form.
Brands act as visual shortcuts that signal a person’s values, lifestyle, social status, and aspirations. What someone wears, carries, or uses often tells others what they believe in, what they can afford, or what they want to be associated with.
But why we are not shy of showing brands?
When people align themselves with a particular brand, they feel connected to a larger community that shares similar tastes or ideals. Wearing a luxury brand may express ambition and success, while choosing sustainable or local brands may signal environmental awareness or social responsibility. In this way, brands become symbols of shared identity.
For some brands started to offer trust and reassurance but … only in decision process. People rely on well-known brands not because they represent consistency, quality, and reliability but safety of choice / process. Now especially people lean to trust the choice that others have made for them.
Displaying such brands publicly is not just about showing off wealth; it is also about expressing confidence in one’s choices and avoiding the risk of being judged for choices.
In a consumer-driven culture, brand merch have evolved into cultural symbols. Advertising, social media, and celebrity endorsements have amplified their emotional appeal. As a result, people embrace merch as tools of self-expression, using them consciously or unconsciously to shape how they are perceived by others.
Power of merch and collectables rose to never before seen scale. We seen this with modern collectables but never with brand merchandise. Our interest in some brands overpowers even the actual brand products. Which creates amazing opportunities for designers and marketers
shop collection here