Premium Is Name of the Game

May 5, 2008

By Han Sang-hee

Staff Reporter

People say that the grass is always greener on the other side, but there are various ways to keep one's grass the greenest. As more people want to accentuate their individuality and status, products that are customized, smart and worth every penny may provide an answer. In other words, premium products are still in demand. According to Trendwatching.com, an independent consumer trends firm, this phenomenon nothing new, but the point is that everything and anything, from baby products to jeans, is presented with ``premiumized'' features and packages.

Pampering their little ones is natural for parents, but for those who are looking for something extra special, there are several products that will satisfy.

``The Organic Cotton'' line offers pure organic clothes, diapers, toys and other baby products made with cotton. Being vulnerable to pollutants and various skin problems like atopic dermatitis, more mothers are turning to organic products.

Strollers went through ``premiumization'' a few years ago in Europe and the United States, but with more avid moms appearing here, luxury strollers have hit Korea. ``Inglesina,'' an Italian company offers various strollers, including a 2 million won ``Classic'' stroller. Despite its price, sales are going up both on and offline.

If you want a break from all those house chores, visit www.interparkhm.com and sign up for a personal maid. The Home Cleaning and Maid Service, a house management service, by Interpark started early this month. The service sends a personal maid to your home that will take care of basic chores like cleaning up and cooking while the Cleaning Service takes care of other jobs like cleaning your house after you move in or after you have a baby in the family.

If you are visiting a different country and you need a shopping guide instead of a maid, turn to Eva Hamilton Clarke and her site www.carnettravels.com. The site lists the best restaurants, shopping locations, and hotels that will make you feel right at home.

For a more specific guide that will present places depending on your personal life style, check www.suzannesfiles.com. From personal maids, shopping curators and lifestyle guides, services have reached premium and they show that with a little help, chores and shopping can become much easier.

The history of premium jeans is short, but their reputation us quite high. The beloved garment has turned toward high fashion. Numerous premium jean brands, including Seven for all Mankind, James Jeans and True Religion, have gained popularity, and now, celebrities have pitched in. Korean actress Gianna Jun, or Jun Ji-hyun, who starred in the hit film ``My Sassy Girl,'' (2001) collaborated with True Religion and created Gianna Jeans, while Han Ye-seul from ``Prudent Miss Shin'' (2007) launched her own line of Leslie Edition jeans with James Jeans. Some fashion powerhouses have already joined the trend of working with famous artists, including Louis Vuitton with Japanese pop artist Takashi Murakami, Lesportsac with American singer Gwen Stefani and Celine with Korean actress Song Hye-kyo.

``Can coffee'' is well known in Korea for being convenient and tasty, but it was never considered as gourmet coffee drinks. ``Cantata,'' is a new coffee brand by Lotte Chilsung that is not only cheap, but also tasty. The ``new bottle'' can, which is made of aluminum, is light and keeps the drinks cool or warm. They also come in various flavors, such as ``sweet black,'' ``premium blend'' and ``black.''

For alcohol, Hite offers a lighter and even healthier version of beer. Their S beer contains 1.65 grams of fiber, which is equivalent to that of eight strawberries, half an apple and two cucumbers. Many whisky makers, including Imperial of Jinro Ballantines and Windsor and Johnnie Walker of Diageo Korea, have been fighting against imitations and fake brands, and thus created their own distinctive ``security locks'' to ensure customers they drink what they are paying for.

Special editions are not new in the cell phone industry, and it seems that this trend will continue as more users want exclusive cutting edge gadgets.

Top fashion brands Prada and Armani already released cell phones with locals like Samsung and LG, but more have appeared.

Motorola, famous for reinterpreting their original designs with a little twist here and there, has released their ``Beckham Phone.'' With English football star David Beckham as their spokesperson, the company released ``Razr2 Luxury Edition'' worldwide. Razr2 is black with 18-karat gold plated edges and keypad, giving the cell phones a more luxurious and distinctive look. Sony's laptop brand ``Vaio'' also released their special CR series of compact and lightweight laptops, even one with snakeskin leather. Vibrant colors also give customers the joy to choose gadgets in their own individual style. Anycall's Talk Play Love series come in 24 different colors, giving a much wider range of choice.

The traditional ``premium shopping'' may mean consuming goods that are top-end, but now it refers to buying them in a reasonable, safe and smart way. Coffee is a beloved drink in many places but despite constant consumption, African coffee bean farmers' lives are not getting any better.

At Beautiful Coffee (www.beautifulcoffee.com) or Crop to cup (www.croptocup.com), you can buy coffee directly from African coffee farmers. Not only is this helping the farmers, but consumers can also trace their product back to the farmers, a smart and credible way to buy coffee.

Along with coffee, there is also a system where you can trace back your beef. Hanwoo, or Korean homegrown breed of cattle, can be traced to its origins. Hadong county, South Gyeongsang Province, is implementing a system that allows the consumers to check overall information of their beef, from the date of birth, locations the cow was brought up to medical check ups. Other counties and cities are following suit of implementing the system for the better consuming of hanwoo.

Electronic goods like refrigerators and televisions became premium goods a few years ago, but now the trend is catching up on simple home appliances, like air cleaners and rice cookers. While some electronic giants like LG once again collaborated with artists like Steven N. Meyers, others have come up with their own.

Having one more special feature than others may mean better, but in some cases, less means more. Considering the waste and worries of energy and electricity and natural resources, many products are coming out with a special feature indeed: cutting down all three of them. Lihom offers an electric rice-cooker that ensures the taste and warmth of the rice, but also uses less than 60% electricity, while Woongjin's ``Cairs'' air cleaner has a feature that makes the cleaner switch to the power saving mode when its surroundings is dark for more than three minutes.

When it comes to hobbies, there is no better or worse. Playing golf, watching operas and taking trips abroad may seem luring, but these days, there are many practical and interestingly enough, ``premium hobbies'' that will catch your attention.

Instead of just drinking coffee or walking along the halls of art galleries, people are learning how to brew the best cappuccinos or painting their own artworks. Join a volunteer club or donate your things to the needy. It is the action that defines you and by working with others, you will experience ultimate premiumization.

 

 

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