I remember when The North Face was the best technical outdoor apparel money could buy.
When “Wilderness Chic” exploded in, when, the late 90’s(?) they sold out and started mass producing a lot of crap along side the dwindling good stuff.
I think Mountain Hardware and Arc’teryx make the best stuff now.
The truth is that no one knows what gives a brand permanency across the generations - Ford, Coke, Nabisco - other than being part of a very big company that’s not owned by another company. Once a takeover happens, the taker-over automatically puts their brand names first. It’s a tradition as ironclad as a wife taking her husband’s name - the exception points to the rule, as it did when Westinghouse bought CBS and immediately changed its name to CBS.
For the most part, good old brand names get bought out and, inevitably, downgraded. Part of is it the rule that you must market to youth - if too many generations know a brand but it’s not a market leader, it’s got to be cheapened. Philco and Lux had huge audiences on radio, but when television came, they had to be content with second-rate, then by and by, bottom-of-the-market status. And finally, oblivion.
This is a great example, as years back The North Face was indeed one of the very best around, and is now just another mass produced brand made in Malaysia; Patagonia has also gone downhill, but they are still a hell of a lot better quality than what The North Face is…
Remember the ads about how lonely the Maytag repairman was? Not any more, he isn’t. They have changed from being farmers to being miners.
Farmers build things (soil, herds, etc.) while miners simply extract what value there is and then walk away when nothing remains.
Bringing the thread into the realm of food…
Au Bon Pain. I remember when it was a real French bakery. Their croissants were things of beauty. I remember when the owner excitedly told me about how they just opened a third store.
Now they’re about as exciting (and ubiquitous) as Panera or Subway.
What manner of sneak bragging hipsterism is this, then.
By the way, are the croissants no longer things of beauty? Or just too common to excite you anymore.
I don’t think they are as well made.
But the thing is, they’re not really a bakery anymore. They are now primarily a sandwich shop, and the sandwiches are nothing to write home about.
Nzinga, if I thought I could get it to you, I would bake you a cake. You are, as always, a peach. 
Add to your list lots of audio product manufacturers,
Sansui
Cambridge Audio
Goodmans
Wharfedale
Sharp/Optonica
Technics - these still do top end stuff, but they have withdrawn from many markets and all you can get is just rubbish.
Sony - their portable radios were things of envy, not any more - they seem to have problems understanding DAB and designing products to fit the market in the true hi end sense of the word.
The audio market seems to have declined unless you wish to pay out startling amounts of cash - you would probably be better off buying vintage and replacing consumable components such as electrolytic capacitors.
It was before that. When I worked in that industry in 1995 TNF was already way past it’s prime.
It’s still well-made stuff, but it isn’t the best of the best. I have a 10-year-old rain shell of their’s (not my first chiice) that I have absolutely abused. It’s held up very well.
Anything named “ACME,” thanks to Wile E. Coyote.
Au contraire. Not the best Pale Ale I’ve ever had, but it is quite tasty. Lots of North Coast’s stuff is really good, especially Rasputin.
Agreed, but I think the same of all of that style–Coach comes to mind as the other one, but I think there are more than that. This may be colored by my general aversion to making yourself a walking billboard or, as in the case of these bags and other items, ostentatiously flashing your oh-so-exclusive/expensive item.
For the brands, Zenith comes to mind–once upon a time, they made radios like the Trans-Oceanic and did things like invent the first TV remote. Now they’re a low-rent LG subsidiary. (LG, incidentally, went the other way–they used to be Goldstar, the absolute bottom of the barrel at WalMart.)
Louis Vuitton is in some way cheapening their product. I’ve bought 3 bags this year for my girlfriend and purchased a piece of luggage for myself though, so they haven’t cheapened it to the point where I’m unwilling to spend money on their products. One of the things I like about LV is that the never, ever, ever put anything on sale and never reduce the price of any product, only raise them over time. So often you can buy an item new, then sell it used for almost what you paid for it 5 to 10 years later.
However, they are getting carried away with the bright colors, neon logos, flashy stuff marketed primarily to the teeny-bopper crowd. Those items are their cheapest products, and while still very well made, just seem to dilute their brand. They should stick with the classic, more subdued patterns and styles, instead of just trying to grab more market share. I don’t think they will go down the same path as Coach, but they seem to be leaning that way just a little.
Herman boots.
I bought a pair of Herman Survivors in 1981 when I went to work on the North Sea oil rigs. I finally had to replace them in 2008. Turns out Herman is now nothing but WalMart crap.
That really made me sad. I ended up buying something in the Cabela’s brand. They’re passable, but they ain’t Herman’s.
Armani clothes-cheaply sewn, low end material, and generally low end. For a hge price, of course. Their “Armani Exchange” brand is one step up from K-Mart.
I’ve never had money but this is what I’ve seen…rich women wearing scarfs (scarves to those who say vahz instead of vase) with big gold chains on it, with some kind of nautical theme. (Hermes?)
It should be sold at Target. It’s ugly. Quit it.
Thank you for making me think of camping gear. At one time Coleman was literally the best there was (old Coleman lanterns, when properly maintained, last forever. And the old green camp-stoves? They were Awesome!)
Today, Coleman makes so-so tents and battery powered lanterns. I heard they might be trying to make a comeback, but I doubt they’ll ever be where they were…
Their high-end line is still beautifully made.
Was about to chime in with something similar. They do have quite a few lines, however, and quality can be surprisingly variable. The forum at Ask Andy About Clothes (Example thread from 2009 on Armani vs Collezioni) is full of information if you’ve an interest in this sort of thing. A good precis of their lines, circa 2006, is this post from the same forum.
They go for a thinner look than what suits me, but I haven’t noticed quality flaws in their high end stuff that I’ve seen at their boutique or when screwing around in Neimans. Unlike, say, some of the stuff from Zegna. (Seriously guys, I shouldn’t be seeing puckering on the shoulders of a new suit sitting on the mannequin. That doesn’t make me feel good about dropping $1800+ for a jacket.)
I have many fond memories of the old green Coleman lanterns and camp stoves. Though I hated pumping that damned fuel tank on the latter.