The purpose of any product

Whatever the product, the reason why it exists, is to be used. A car’s purpose is to be used to transport people and stuff. The purpose of a laptop is to be used to browse the internet, or type documents. The purpose of a pan is to be used to cook food.

I had to remind myself of this today when I was outside with my daughter. She was rolling down a small grassy hill with a friend from school. They were having lots of fun of course, but the first thing I thought was: ‘Oh no, why are you making your clothes dirty like that?’ A little later, I caught myself thinking the same, when we were at a playground. She was walking on socks and frolicking in the sand. ‘Oh boy, your mom is not going to like that’, I thought. Maybe I even said it out loud. I know, such a grownup thing to think, right? I felt embarrased hearing myself say it.

Because I don’t want to be the kind of parent who forbids their child to have fun outside and get dirty. Kids are supposed to do that. Clothes can be washed. So being a designer, I reminded myself that the purpose of any product is to be used.

The purpose of clothes is to protect our bodies. Whether it’s cold, heat, a grassy hill or a sandy playground — clothes form a barrier between our naked skin and our environment. So when my daughter is playing outside and getting her nice dress dirty, that means a product is serving its purpose. It also means we make another product happy, because it also gets to be used: the washing machine.