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Dr Martens
I grew up with Dr Martens, and they represented everything that my Generation X upbringing stood for: independence, individuality, and more than a little of not pandering to the status quo. And they did it all with exemplary quality and high design standards. But they sold out in 2013.
This volte face is a two fingered response by a company whose principles underlined a significant part of helping my generation walk a path of original thinking, activism, and the courage to call out those who had tried to control and manipulate us.
Business: it's actions that matter
There are a lot of great companies out there and I love discovering them. They may not always get it right and their own suppliers may themselves be dubious, but the business and the management seem to have integrity and a willingness to push forward through discrimination and identity labelling. However, to those who allocate large budgets to share a message similar to: ‘black / gay / trans / disabled people we want to show our support to you, let us tell the world how great we are for doing this’ I doubt I will be using you any time soon. It is not just your product that is critical to whether or not I make a purchase; it is how you act that makes a difference.