I think Moleskin just jumped the shark. They grew their reputation on the assertion that some of the literary greats wrote in little notebooks like the ones they sell. Some people think Moleskin actually made the notebooks used by Oscar Wilde, Hemingway, etc. but the brand goes back only to 1997. Wikipedia says:
“In 1997 a small company based in Milan named Modo & Modo SpA decided to bring this kind of notebook back to life, establishing the Moleskine trademark and starting production of Moleskine notebooks with 5000 pieces. In 1999 Modo & Modo SpA started distributing outside Italy, in the US and Europe. In 2004 Moleskine notebooks arrived in Japan and from there Moleskine started distribution in the rest of Asia. Perhaps due to their link to the literary and cultural heritage of the Moleskine notebooks, bookshop retailers and design stores everywhere are the main distribution channel.
In 2006, according to an article in The Daily Telegraph, the company’s small staff was unable to keep up with demand. In August 2006, the French investment fund Société Générale Capital purchased Modo & Modo SpA and started investing in its expansion. The company name changed into “Moleskine Srl”. According to an article in the German magazine Brand Eins, Moleskine notebooks are now distributed in 53 countries, through 14,000 stores, 65% of which are bookshops.”
What prompts me to say they’ve jumped the shark is the announcement I saw today that they have issued a limited edition of products dedicated to Star Wars. I don’t have anything against Star Wars, in fact I enjoyed those films when they first came out, but it’s a link not consistent with the literary associations that built the company.
We'll see whether we've just watched a brand self-destruct.
AND ONE MORE EXCERPT FROM THE "HUMOUR BOOKS" SECTION OF AMAZON.CO.UK. (Is somebody in the listings department bored and having a little fun?)
