The Naming of Scarves
... is a bit like the naming of cats. As T S Eliot distinguishes, a cat has three names:
1. His sensible everyday name
2. His peculiar, dignified name (a name that never belongs to more than one cat) and;
3. The name that only the cat himself knows.
It's worth underlining at this point that I understand that scarves aren't cats.
However part of my job is to name the products we make.
"Why don't you just call a scarf a scarf and be done with it. Who cares?" you might proclaim.
"Fair point," I might reply. And then I would run away as I am scared of a) strangers and b) confrontation.
After a while, I would catch myself in reflective isolation considering your question and would respond in this manner:
1. We have in our inventory around 40 different styles of scarf so each requires a name to set it apart from the other.
2. Within this inventory are six different fabrics: woven cashmere; knitted cashmere; hand-woven cashmere; 50:50 cashmere silk blend; 70:30 cashmere silk blend; silk; silk and wool; merino wool; silk, wool, linen and cashmere. And each of these has its unique tactility.
3. There are also five different sizes of scarf ranging from 160 x 33cm to a whopping 200 x 100cm. Size matters in the Land of Scarf because it dictates how a scarf can be worn and its weight.
4. The internet precludes the sense of touch when it comes to shopping. This sense holds a key function in decision making in the physical realm that must be somehow bolstered in the virtual. One way of doing this is through the power of language. Words can trigger the touch memory; 'feather light', 'sandpaper coarse', 'whisper soft' helping our customers to visualise the weight and feel of our fabrics on their skin.
Case in point:
The Mist Scarves (pictured: Lagoon Mist)
I know what you're thinking. Blue Steel.
This is indeed a highfalutin name for an accessory. But when I tried it on and felt its silken softness; the way it slipped gracefully through my fingers and how the light, liquid colours gave way to an immediate sense of summer, I thought 'to heck with it. This is my Blue Steel'.
So in the tradition of the naming of cats, what we have here is a:
1. Blue and White Cashmere and Silk Shawl
2. Lagoon Mist Cashmere and Silk Shawl
3. [never you mind]
