Double the price of old FREITAG on Xianyu, is it a waste of money or is it really worth it?

High quality, good-looking design and very interesting appearance make it a good choice. But are you willing to spend thousands of dollars on a dirty, smelly, but unique luxury bag? This article describes the relevant content and hopes it will be helpful to you.

Would you be willing to spend 2,000 yuan to buy a dirty, smelly truck bag, but a unique luxury bag? FREITAG is a bag and accessories brand from Switzerland. In order to buy its bags, fashionistas at home and abroad have to run around.

Recently, I discovered FREITAG’s social circle on Xianyu. More and more young workers and students, who are no longer a niche fashion, have started to join in and even become die-hard fans, spawning more “F gatekeepers”.

I recommend a way to buy bags without spending much money, and you can change to different colors when you get tired of them: Xianyu. In the five years since I started, I have changed seven or eight bags. If I don’t like them, I will put them on Xianyu and wait for a buyer. Then I will buy a new one that I like, and I don’t spend much money. "F doorman" Jack told the owner that if he really likes the rare colors such as pure black, letters, industrial green, and rose red, he can accept a higher price.

Even for some "F fans", the older and more traced the FREITAG bag is, the more attractive it is and the more worth buying at a premium. The curious owner learned from various sources that at the beginning of its establishment, FREITAG sold a unique bag brand concept of "environmentally friendly and recyclable". All bags are made of torn truck cloth. Designers will choose different positions on different cloths for cutting, so the patterns of each bag strap will never collide. Every color combination of the style will be photographed and recorded to prevent the same style from being collided and destroying the uniqueness of the bag itself. The implication is that each bag is "unique and unique".

The color matching series of bags never have to follow the popular colors of the season in the fashion circle, all of which come from the colors of trucks running on European highways. It is this unique style that has attracted trendsetters around the world to follow FREITAG. For Jack, before buying it, he felt that the brand's "environmental protection" was a gimmick and an IQ tax. The materials used were not valuable, and it could even be said to be waste utilization. Shouldn't it be sold very cheaply? After buying it, it was "really fragrant" and began to indulge in collecting various patterns and color matching. It is worth noting that before, the scenes where people encountered "Fmen" were more in gyms, cafes, designers, and Asians. During this period, after the explosion of city walk, more and more young people carried FREITAG, which became a must-have for cycling and walking.

How come a niche, tattered bag made from truck tarpaulin, without any celebrity endorsement, has become a popular light luxury brand among young people today?

1. How did you become a follower of F?

"Who is interested in FREITAG because it is environmentally friendly? In the beginning, it must be because it looks good, is practical and durable. You don't have to worry about throwing the waterproof tarpaulin anywhere. It is a tarpaulin and you can put it on your head to keep out the rain on rainy days!"

This is the reason why Xiaoba, an early fan, got into the F business. Her favorite model is the F14 in a creamy white and gray color scheme, which is a must-have for working people. It not only has expandable capacity, but also has inner pockets with dividers and external zippers for storing commonly used items, especially laptops. It is no problem to fit them in, and there is no need to worry about the corners getting folded or getting wet in the rain.

The first FREITAG that most people buy is usually a messenger bag. The F40 is the smallest size, suitable for tissues and headphones. The F41 is the most purchased size, suitable for girls to carry when shopping. The F11, F14, and F13 are classic messenger bags, which are similar in shape but slightly different in size. They can hold iPads, books, folding umbrellas, etc., to meet the needs of a day's travel. The width of the seat belt material is also moderate.

The discontinued F12 is currently the most overpriced on platforms like Xianyu. For example, the prices of the polka dot stitching and kraft paper colors have doubled.

For Mumu, a post-00s girl, the main reason she buys FREITAG is that it is easy to match. It even reduces her desire to buy other bags. "Regardless of time or occasion, I only want to carry FREITAG before going out. I used to match the bag with clothes, but now this bag can perfectly match whatever I wear. What I love most is the capacity. It is not big, but it can hold a lot of things. Now when I go out, even if there are many bags next to me, I will subconsciously take the eye-catching FREITAG messenger bag."

FREITAG's color scheme also has its own "contempt chain". The colors come from the tarpaulins of old trucks. Colors are too easy to buy so they are nothing special. F-men will look up to colored, solid colors, black and white colors or special patterns. However, due to heat absorption, it is difficult to see dark colors. Therefore, the all-black color scheme, as a rare color scheme, is priced very high.

Blue and red were the most popular colors for truck tarpaulins in Europe 5 to 10 years ago, but in China, these strong and bright colors are minefields that many young people dare not touch. After dopamine wear began to become popular among young people this year, the pure blue and bright red colors of FREITAG, which were disliked by fashionistas in the past, have also become popular.

The essence of the popularity of both is a kind of emotional dressing, which is a way for young people to pursue emotional value, release the pressure of life, awaken positive emotions, and pursue a sense of self-satisfaction in life. Mumu is willing to call FREITAG "the most versatile item of dopamine."

Good-looking and easy to match are the first step to get into the game. For Jack, after getting into the game, he would often pick up his phone to open the mini program or official website, and check it out whenever he had time. Because the good-looking ones are sold out as soon as they are put on the shelves, and the ones that cannot be sold are often very ugly. After seeing wave after wave, once you come across one you like, your anticipation will be infinitely magnified, and you will buy it immediately. "I am afraid that if I am slow, someone else will buy it. When I come across a rare color of a popular style, I never hesitate and buy it directly. Anyway, sooner or later I will find the right person on Xianyu."

The owner of the shop found that, unlike the hunger marketing methods of LV and other luxury bags, each FREITAG bag has a unique "ID card" with inherent value and scarcity. Especially after buying a bag, if you happen to see the original appearance of the cloth on the truck on the official website, the fate of the past and present life is really linked to the user. For F-men, although they don't buy in the early stage, they will frequently establish emotional connections with the product, and their loyalty to the brand will continue to rise.

On Xiaohongshu, countless F fans joked: "It's hard to escape FREITAG. If you find something you like, you will write your name on it and carry it with you until you give it to your daughter as a dowry." "It's made to be old, so you don't have to take care of it as carefully as luxury bags. It's really a bag that can be used to pass down the family line."

Another key point is that the brand advocates "only traces can bring charm". For F fans, buying FREITAG is like playing with walnuts.

A brand new condition is good, but it is interesting to have a unique mark on it. FREITAG usually has a 3-year warranty, and damage can be repaired. Hardware can be ordered for free on the official website and replaced by yourself. But in Xiaoba's opinion, if there are various scratches, wrinkles, and wear and tear, they will not be repaired specifically. Instead, they will have an industrial texture and a dirty style with traces of time. "It's like collecting old things. The older, the better."

Jack, who likes to collect FREITAG, takes a different approach and believes that new bags have their own odor, but if you collect second-hand bags, the odor is basically gone. As for whether the price comparable to that of light luxury bags is a tax on IQ, a F-door believer told the owner that the materials used are indeed not valuable. The main reason for the high cost is that the raw materials and processing will produce a lot of carbon emissions, and it is only made in Switzerland, so the labor cost itself is high. However, for loyal F-door believers, if they really like it, it is not a tax on IQ.

2. Citywalk’s new “social currency”

During this period, F-door believers were also wondering why there were suddenly more people carrying FREITAG on their backs on the streets, as if young people had fallen in love with Citywalk almost in an instant.

City walk, also known as city roaming, is a way of traveling that allows you to walk casually and experience the city's landscape, history and culture. It is also one of the most popular urban sports that has emerged on social networks this year. Open Xiaohongshu and you will find that no matter which city you are in, there are people walking with all their heart and soul. There are not only a large number of city walk routes shared, but also special organizers publishing related activities. There are even many netizens looking for "city walk partners", either cycling, or city cross-country running, or just "street strolling".

At this time, FREITAG emerged as a kind of social currency. Due to its extremely prominent circle characteristics, it involves various young groups such as the middle class and Asians. At the same time, there are a large proportion of die-hard fans. When users see someone carrying FREITAG on the street, they will immediately smell the same taste as themselves, and thus generate recognition.

At the same time, they discuss not only the practicality and good looks of the bag, but also the past and present of this oil-proof and water-proof cloth and the owners who have handled it. Socially anxious young people can choose to post a good-looking FREITAG on social platforms and seek exchanges with the original players when they encounter it on the street. At the same time, the trend of City Walk has inevitably spread to the FREITAG fan group, and the first scene it hits is cycling. This just fits in with Freitag's brand concept of "cycling-friendly".

The original motivation for the Freitag brothers to found Freitag was based on their daily cycling experience. They wanted a bag that could be used safely even in rainy Zurich. The F14 and the discontinued F17 are the most common series in cycling scenes. "With a small bag and a FREITAG backpack, grabbing a cup of coffee on Julu Road, Changle Road, and Fumin Road has become a must-have on Xiaohongshu." Jack exclaimed.

The advantage of Xiaohongshu lies in the superposition of multi-layered content ecology. There are countless native demand feedbacks and advocacy of trendy styles every day, which can tap into potential trend directions, such as #dopaminewear##City walk#. F-men who fit in with the circle can build a field value of interesting experience through content sharing.

The same trend experience also happened on Xianyu, which has the mentality of "exchange purchase" and "content community". Because of its strong social and circle attributes, it triggered new ideas for F-men such as Jack to buy and sell idle items. Offline, from the opening of the first store in Shanghai in 2018 to now, FREITAG has penetrated into the trendy strongholds in various cities in China.

Different from traditional luggage retailers, FREITAG chooses to enter more offline stores such as art galleries, cycling lifestyle brand stores, lifestyle experience halls, art districts, buyer-based fashion concepts, bookstores, etc. Online and offline, FREITAG will hold various city history and cultural discussion activities to pay attention to the city's development process, think about the connection and value between individuals and society, and use a positive attitude to build and participate in urban possibilities. Most of these "seed users" come from the creative, media, trend and cultural industries.

Within FREITAG, consumers are not divided by age, occupation, or consumption level. They are described as YCU (Young Conscious Urbanites), that is, conscious young urbanites. In March this year, FREITAG opened its first direct-sale store in Shanghai, trying to create a landmark for urban cultural trends. Oliver Fischhaber, the project leader, once mentioned that this place is like a park, which does not only belong to FREITAG, but also to the residents living nearby. You can come here to exercise, have lunch, or take a walk with friends at any time.

The direct-sale store also added the experience of making bags by F-men, who can select their favorite truck tarpaulin through virtual operation, cut it freely, and place an order to buy it. Eventually, the order will be synchronized to the Zurich headquarters, and after several weeks of production, it will be shipped from the Zurich factory to the user.

When users buy FREITAG and it becomes an experience, it means that it has occupied a place in the user's life. If branding is likened to practicing martial arts, then traffic, delivery, conversion and other marketing methods are actually "external skills", and user experience is the "internal skills" that truly determine the level. Today's young people prefer to weave their own three-dimensional cognition of the brand through fragments and details, and have certain requirements and judgments for their own consumption and spiritual experience.

Therefore, it is more accurate to say that FREITAG's popularity has found a common intersection with young people's emotional values ​​of experiencing the new urban lifestyle and looking forward to a "sense of relaxation". At the same time, it has hit popular experience scenarios such as cycling and urban roaming, and has accumulated word-of-mouth over time and "user experience" to form its current scale and characteristics.

More importantly, after FREITAG becomes a trendy currency with its own social attributes, with the help of platforms such as Xianyu and Xiaohongshu, it has actually achieved a second-hand circulation and distribution in another sense. Isn't this another kind of sustainability and sharing?

Author: 24

Source: WeChat public account "Doujiao TMT (ID: ylwanjia)"