Fashion trends come and go. But there are products that have been on the market in their unchanged form for decades, in some cases even hundreds. Why not too. Judging by how much money they make every year, it’s clear that people consider them a time-tested classic and don’t want any revolution in their case.
The saying «Adapt or die» definitely does not apply to them. While the vast majority of established brands have been adapting their image and even technical parameters to contemporary tastes for a long time, these companies have understood that consumers expect the exact opposite from them – namely, that they will never change.
And if any of them hinted at certain innovations, they were so insignificant that they basically went unnoticed.
BIC Cristal
A favorite of students especially during exams (if you don’t know why, the benefits of its transparent packaging have probably been kept secret from you), this pen was first created in France in the 1950s. still the same today.
Minor variations, such as a more durable ball added in 1961 or a small hole in the 1991 stopper to prevent choking if swallowed, are barely noticeable to the user.
In 2004, the company surpassed the mark of one hundred billion units sold. At the end of 2022, Société BIC’s sales increased by 13.8 percent year-on-year, which translated into a total profit of 208 million euros.
Nivea cream
Launched back in 1925, the iconic blue box has seen little change in nearly a century, except for an update to the German company’s logo. The container contains a significant dose of nostalgia. For more than one generation, its snow-white content will remind of happy summer days on the beach and mom’s scent, before it was not customary for men to moisturize their skin.
The cream derives its name from the Latin nivis, meaning snow. Beiersdorf, the company that produces it, has a turnover of 8.7 billion euros in 2022 and a profit of 771 million euros, 17.8 percent more than the previous year. Nivea is particularly popular in Mexico, where it holds an 80 percent market share.
Zippo lighter
You can get it in a wide range of designs and modifications, but its shape and concept have not changed in any way since 1936, when it was invented. It is made of brass, has a hinged hinged lid, inside you will find a wick, a throttle wheel, three cotton balls that are in contact with the wick, and a felt pad.
This ingenious system, along with the famous lifetime warranty, continues to attract many smokers who like to add their vices to the American way of life. By 2012, more than 500 million units had been sold. And in 2022, Zippo Manufacturing Company, based in Pennsylvania, USA, will achieve record annual sales of $390 million.
Chanel No. 5
Every year, an avalanche of new fragrances and improved versions of older models flood the counters of specialty stores, shopping centers and television commercials. However, only a few of them will go down in history. Such rarities also include the timeless perfume Chanel Nº 5, which has become synonymous with elegance and subtle sensuality.
The essence was created by Ernest Beaux in 1921 and three years later he put it in the familiar padded bottle. In the course of one century, practically only the plug has changed, which grew slightly in the 1970s.
The iconic label has become famous far and wide, from Europe to Beijing. On a sober white rectangle, the name of the fragrance, its place of origin «Paris» and the French word «parfum» stand out in black. Ten million bottles are sold annually.
Fender Stratocaster
Rock lovers have always remembered the past as the good old days. This might explain why this 1954 electric guitar is still so popular with professionals and amateurs alike.
The Fender brand has, of course, launched other guitars on the market, including older models, such as the equally popular Telecaster, but the standard Stratocaster model, which has passed through the hands of Jimi Hendrix, Eric Clapton and David Gilmour, continues to evoke envious glances.
If you own a Strato, you own a treasure. Millions of them have been sold around the world, and in 2017, the Fender Stratocaster became the best-selling electric guitar in the United States with approximately 38,000 units per year.
Stella Artois
During its long history, this Belgian beer has not even changed its logo, which is considered to be the oldest still valid logo in the world. However, this is as remarkable as it is difficult to prove. After all, the first bottling of the famous beer in the town of Lovaň dates back to 1366. However, we do not have many records from the fourteenth century.
What is certain, however, is that, according to later available documents, the design and the beer recipe itself never changed, except for the introduction of new brewing procedures.
The brand received a huge response, especially in Great Britain and Latin America. In 2022, the company achieved sales of $57.8 billion and earnings before interest, taxes, depreciation, and amortization of nearly $20 billion.
L
evi’s 501
The truth is that today’s 501 models certainly bear little resemblance to those patented by Levi Strauss and tailor Jacob Davis (founders of Levi & Co.) in 1872.
A ground-breaking innovation since then was the addition of a more durable fabric and a system that allowed the pants to adapt to all waist sizes. In the first half of the twentieth century, a red label and a leather patch with a pattern of two horses on the right side were added.
Since then, however, these sensational jeans did not have to go through any further modifications,
and if this did happen, for example in the zippered, women’s or skinny version, the manufacturer gave them a new name — for example, the version with a zipper is called 501Z.
Since the classic «five-piece» is neither excessively wide nor unnecessarily narrow, it resists the whims of fashion trends. After all, in 2022, sales of the 501 model increased by thirty percent.
