For people weary of the relentless marketing of happiness, rainwear brand Stutterheim’s embrace of melancholia is a breath of fresh air. Using the tagline ‘Swedish melancholy at its driest’, it taps into people’s desire for brands that represent them on an emotional level. We explore the science behind why people are taking up Stutterheim’s invitation to lean into the blues.
Stutterheim positions melancholy as an essential part of what makes us human, suggesting that embracing the blues could allow us to be more creative, engaged with our surroundings, and in touch with our ‘authentic selves’. Consciously aiming to build a narrative of ‘embracing the rain’, founder Alexander Stutterheim drew inspiration from his grandfather’s old fishing jacket to design the minimalist, vintage lines of the brand’s luxury raincoats. In doing so, he hoped to encourage an emotional response from customers and create a lasting connection. “We are the opposite of companies who say, ‘buy our stuff and a happy-go-lucky lifestyle will happen to you,’" he points out.
With over 18,000 posts on Instagram currently sporting the company’s hashtag, it is safe to say that people are connecting with Stutterheim’s emotionally engaging narrative. Alongside a continuing emphasis on keeping its rainwear high-quality and hand-made, the company’s focus on the blues promises people not just a product, but an emotional experience. Its website even features a ‘melancholy blog’ and markets on-sale items under the pensive header of ’memories’. "When you have a more upscale brand," says fashion scholar Emma Lindblad, "it’s a lot more important to have a good story, to have an almost mythical aspect... Alexander has a real life narrative that gives a history and a heritage to the brand."
Research has shown that happiness isn't necessarily derived from positivity, and the positive response to Stutterheim’s approach shows the efficacy of making nuanced appeals to people’s emotional sensibilities. In fact, the company saw 25% growth in 2017, up from £4.3 million in 2016, and has made celebrity fans out of Kanye West and Jay-Z. Its melancholic focus, coupled with its rain-centred pitch, hits the sweet spot of seasonal influences on consumer behaviour. People are growing tired of pretending to be perfect, and taking sadness seriously is seen as a step towards achieving a deeper fulfilment. At a time when many brands still seek to sell happiness and combat the blues, Stutterheim’s novel embrace of melancholia has people feeling right as rain.
Helen Jambunathan recently graduated with a Masters in social anthropology from Cambridge, and has spent five years researching the specialty coffee industry in Malaysia. She is a die-hard tennis fan, wearer of many rings, and reader of many things.
