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Brands I love

There are few brands I am loyal to. Levi's (501s), Fred Perry, Ray Ban, Mont Blanc and Moleskine probably covers them.

But then there's San Pellegrino. I love the fact that it's been bottled in Italy for more than 600 years, but I hate the fact that it's now a Nestle brand. When it was bought by them in the late 1990s, I stopped drinking it for a while, but nothing else comes close. It's not something I buy often but when I do, I suddenly remember why I do.

Just can't help myself. And I suppose that's why brands appeal to us. Just because they seem to fill a tiny, indefinable need. So, I can't be too critical of people who love the brands I despise (Ugg boots more than most), because those people probably feel the same way I do about the brands I love. Even if I think the brands they love are hideous.

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