Latest news with #Viberg
Business Insider
20-06-2025
- Lifestyle
- Business Insider
8 status symbols that last a lifetime, from Herman Miller chairs to the royal family's jacket of choice
Buy It For Life is a community on Reddit that highlights durable, high-quality products worth investing in. For some, that means splurging on expensive items known for their craftsmanship. Pricey items like Rolex watches and Le Creuset cookware can be seen as lasting investments. How much would you spend on a handmade comforter for your bed? For some, $5,000 — the price of some eiderdown bedding — is worth the splurge if it lasts a lifetime. This concept of buying something for life is a consumer movement with a thriving Reddit community of 3.1 million members. The r/BuyItForLife subreddit serves people searching for products that will outlive them, or at least that they won't have to replace for a decade or more. The subreddit says it was created to showcase "high-quality, durable, and practical products that can be bought once and used for life." High quality and durable don't always mean expensive, but Business Insider set out to find long-lasting items worth investing in. Many are pricier than the average person might pay. "Quality lasts, and when it comes to these investment pieces, you're not just buying an object, you're shaping how you live," Niki Cheng, designer and cofounder of 18th Street Design Collective, said. Here are eight items with a reputation for being symbols of wealth or good taste that have appeared in the BuyItForLife subreddit. Stylists, interior designers, and the makers themselves explained to BI why they stand the test of time. Fashion Apparel can be tricky to buy for life, stylist and content creator Timothy Chernyaev said. Trends change, people grow, and clothes endure everyday wear and tear. Quality clothing can still last a long time, though. "Generally, as a rule, you get what you pay for, and a quality item, especially clothing, should last you 10 years," style consultant Reginald Ferguson of the NY Fashion Geek told BI. Meanwhile, accessories, like a high-quality handbag, can outlive you. The highly exclusive and expensive Hermès Birkin bag, for example, can be passed down to family or sold later in life. The prototype Birkin, first worn by Jane Birkin almost 40 years ago, is coming up for auction this summer on Sotheby's. "Buy the jacket that outlives seasons, the watch that feels like an heirloom the moment you fasten it," said Nicole Pollard Bayme, stylist and founder of Lalaluxe. Here are four other fashion items known for their quality and longevity: Viberg boots - $800+ Viberg, a family-run Canadian brand that has operated since 1931, is frequently recommended in r/BuyItForLife posts asking about boots with a long shelf life. The full-grain leather boots sell for around $800 or more. Pollard Bayme says it's worth it if buyers intend to wear them "a thousand times." Loro Piana Loro Piana is a textile mill that manufactures wool, cotton, silk, and more for brands throughout the world, Ferguson said. It controls its supply chain from building relationships with cashmere farmers in Mongolia to placing a $3,500 sweater on its shelves. "A Loro Piana coat isn't expensive if it's worn a thousand times and makes you feel powerful every time you slip it on," Pollard Bayme said. Rolex - $4,000+ The Swiss-made watches are known widely for their craftsmanship, exclusivity, and materials. For some, watches are an introduction to luxury shopping. Their longevity can make them an investment more than a purchase. "A Rolex isn't just a watch — it's one of the rare luxury items that can be worn daily, handed down through generations, and still hold its value," Bob's Watches CEO Paul Altieri said. "It's not just something you own — it's something you pass on." Barbour waxed jacket - $400+ Barbour is an English family-owned brand beloved by the British royal family. Snapshots of various royals in the rainy UK throughout the brand's 130-year history are all over the internet. Its iconic Bedale and Beaufort wax jackets are made by hand in a North East London factory,Barbour's website says. Customers can have their $435 jacket re-waxed and repaired over the years to keep it in good shape. "A Barbour is certainly an investment worth owning. Strong, durable, water resistant," Ferguson said. "If it's good for the royal family, it's good for me." Barbour declined a request for comment from Business Insider. Lifestyle Unlike apparel, lifestyle products must be functional in addition to long-lasting. An office chair must endure hours of pressure and movement for years, while cookware withstands 400-degree heat. "The 'buy it once' approach isn't just about saving money over time, it's about surrounding yourself with objects that hold up and hold meaning," Isfira Jensen, interior designer and CEO of Jensen & Co. design firm, said. These four lifestyle products stand the test of time, according to interior design professionals: Herman Miller office chair - $1,800+ Herman Miller office chairs are "ergonomically flawless and visually timeless," Cheng said. To hold up during eight-hour days at your desk, Herman Miller told BI that it does extensive testing. It runs over 2,500 different tests on its furniture — "ranging from staining, cleanability, UV exposure, scratch and dent, to structural component durability" — to make sure it lasts, a spokesperson for Herman Miller said. Outside office chairs, Herman Miller produces the Eames chair and ottoman, a status symbol highly coveted by young, wealthy men in particular. Le Creuset Dutch oven - $200+ Is a Le Creuset Dutch oven worth the up to $800 price tag? For some members of the BuyItForLife subreddit, the answer is a resounding yes. "Le Creuset is definitely BIFL. I've been using my dutch oven every week to bake bread for years and it still as good as new," one user said. The cookware is crafted in France with a porcelain enamel glaze. It can also be a popular heirloom among families. "Many people find that their first Dutch oven turns into a go-to kitchen companion, eventually passed down to the next generation," Jensen said. "It's less of a splurge, and more of a lifelong relationship." Montblanc fountain pen - $200+ In a world where texting and emails are the standard for written communication, handwritten notes hold more weight. "When you write something on a handwritten letter, you don't just pass on the content, you are actually passing on meaning," Zaim Kamal, former creative director of Montblanc, told BI in 2020. Montblanc provides long-term services and restoration for its artisan-made fountain pens that retail for over $200, making them ideal family heirlooms. "A Montblanc pen is about legacy," Cheng said. "My first pen was given to me by my dad. It's not just for writing for me." Eiderdown duvet - $4,000+ Eiderdown duvets and comforters are hand-crafted covers that are made using feathers from eider ducks in subarctic and arctic regions. They're scarcer than gold, diamonds, and platinum, retailer Icelandic Down told BI. "Eiderdown is painstakingly collected from the abandoned nests of eider ducks. It takes around 50 to 70 nests to make 2.2 pounds of eiderdown — involving dozens of hours of manual labor," a spokesperson said. The duvets and comforters at Icelandic Down retail for $4,000 or more and, when treated well, can last up to 50 years, according to the company. "Great bedding is like a bespoke suit — you feel the quality every single day," Cheng said.
Forbes
01-06-2025
- Business
- Forbes
Brett Viberg On The Craft, Heritage, And Evolution Of Viberg Boots
Viberg campaign Canadian bootmakers since 1931, Viberg has built a reputation for offering handcrafted boots that last. Established in 1931 by Ed Viberg, originally the brand made work boots for loggers in British Columbia, and now they're loved not only by loggers, but by those who appreciate design, heritage, and well crafted footwear; cue their famous Service Boot, which draws inspiration from military designs, complete with rugged leathers — break them in, and then they're grab-and-go-type boots for life. Viberg campaign Expanding the offering, in recent years Viberg has included suede sneakers, slippers, and casual styles into the collection, but still anchored by their beloved boots. At the helm of the family-run company is owner, Brett Viberg, and he talks tradition, design, and the evolution of the brand. Viberg is a family-owned Canadian company that makes the high quality, utilitarian footwear that honors its 90 year heritage of expert craftsmanship and commitment to excellence in shoemaking. Our aesthetic is functional refinement - meaning everything we make is rooted in traditional shoemaking techniques but fine-tuned to with modern proportions, minimal branding, using the best materials available. Viberg campaign As a family-owned business since 1931, our decisions are made for the long term. There's an inherent continuity and set of inherited values that informs everything we do but it's not tradition just for tradition's sake. We are still guided by a curiosity of the craft and a collective interest in wanting to learn and become better. By understanding that maintaining tradition and embracing modernity is not zero sum. We constantly evaluate what needs to change and what doesn't. Core methods like Stitchdown Constructions don't need to be improved upon, but how these methods are implemented and interpreted – whether it's a new style or with new materials – is always something we are looking to refine. Viberg campaign We take an inside-out approach that starts with function and construction. How it fits and how the material behaves before focusing on how it looks. From there we refine the aesthetics to ensure that it's both purposeful and timeless. All of our leathers are carefully selected from the finest tanneries in the world for their exceptional quality and functional capability. We source leathers that have character and bring depth to the product but are also durable so that they age well and maintain their structure. Viberg campaign Our customers value uncompromising quality and maintain discretion with what they spend their money on. A collector's mindset. We've responded by making smaller batches of product with the highest level of craftsmanship at every step. Everything we make is the product of extensive research, resulting in fine details synonymous with a high-quality luxury product. Viberg campaign
