#Ginger and mint fashion analysis

[softlyspun]

Costuming Research: Bramley Nubbins

Time to give some outfits to the last of the boys for @ginger-and-mint. Bramley Nubbins (I keep wanting to spell it Brambley, I assume because it sounds like brambles) is probably the most well-adjusted and best-dressed of the boys. Let's look at the reason why under the cut.

See, Bramley is from a large family of shepherds. Now, around the turn of the century, you did sometimes have the raw materials being processed somewhere other than the area where they were produced, but, practically speaking, it makes a lot more sense to have wool produced, washed, carded, spun, and woven/knit all in one area. Bramley, as far as I can tell, worked as a shepherd before he was summoned to be a di-mage, and his parents and siblings would likely have been in the same industry. I'm not sure how far industrialization has gotten in this world, but it seems likely that his mother and sisters are involved in spinning or weaving cloth on a professional scale.

We tend to think of wool as a winter fiber, but it's possible, with the right breed of sheep, and the right thickness of thread, to make lightweight, breathable woolen garments suitable for summer.

(Tangent time! Synthetic fibers robbed us of so many fantastic developments in natural fibers. Wool is a fantastic material! It drinks up dye like a dream! It'll keep you warm, even when wet! It's self-extinguishing! You can make entirely non-woven fabrics from it! If oil-based fibers hasn't taken over, I think we'd see a lot more cool variations in felted garments in the modern day.)

Back on topic. Annoyingly, a lot of daily-wear clothing doesn't survive to the modern day, so I'm frustratingly short on primary examples of farmer's shirts from the turn of the century. I picture Bramley wearing somewhat old-fashioned clothes for the period - not because they're actually old, but because they were made by his mother, and she's using the same mental shirt pattern that was fashionable when she was a girl, or made by his sisters, who learned to sew from his mother. Fashions may change slowly out in the countryside, but his clothes would absolutely be well-made and new, with any damage carefully (and possibly decoratively) mended (His character sheet describes him as "neat and well-groomed"). I would picture him wearing something similar to this 1850's shirt, and high-wasted pants, held up with suspenders.

Alternatively, he might wear something similar to this shirt from 1871. This is formal wear (the blog, witness2fashion, suggests that it's a wedding shirt), so it's fancier than he'd wear in the day-to-day, but it might be appropriate for the midwinter ball. Notice the pretty eyelet embroidery

The suspenders bring us to the fun part of his costume, though. See, while there's always something that needs doing on a farm, there's also quite a lot of downtime. Lambing and shearing season would be extremely busy, but otherwise, you have a lot of long hours of just making sure the sheep don't wander off. And downtime gives people time to be creative. Bored people doodle, and what is embroidery if not doodling with string?

Let's look at some extant examples.

This pair of suspenders came from an auction site, and are attributed to 1873. It's a little early for our time period, but just look at that embroidery! And the beautiful shade of red!

This pair is from the Victoria and Albert museum. If you're not in the mood to doodle your pattern free-hand, you can always follow a cross-stitch chart.

This one is also from the Victoria and Albert museum, and also from the 1850's. I just love the little blue flowers and the swirling, two-toned leaves!

So, while all the examples I threw out here were of suspenders, this kind of embroidery could go just as easily on cuffs and collars, to tack down facings, or to hide darning and mending.

Now, I'm not actually sure if Bramley would embroider himself. His poor eyesight might make it difficult (though certainly not impossible.) However, there are plenty of other people in his household who might take up a needle and doodle on his clothes for him as well.

In the winter, I can just about guarantee that he'd have intricately made home-knit sweaters to wear. Fiber arts are addictive, and if you have the time, you

To close off, I'm going to share a link to an absolute treasure trove of charted embroidery/crochet patterns from early 20th century newspapers. If you're at all into embroidery, crochet, or pixel art, it's worth a browse!

Next time, we'll take a look at some of the girls! Probably Malia Pikolt, who'll give us a chance to look at both practical and fashionable women's clothing!

[swedishproductsonlinestuff]

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Americans wanted nicotine, but not tobacco It all started in the United States. Americans demanded a new way to enjoy nicotine without tobacco. Therefore, the work began to develop a completely new product. A product that would be totally free of tobacco, but which would also be fresh and tasty. The result was ZYN – all-white mini portions without tobacco, but with nicotine. ZYN was released in the states in 2014 and today ZYN is sold all over the US and is the market leader when it comes to nicotine pouches. At the same time as Swedish Match continues to expand in the rest of the Nordics and has started to launch ZYN in Europe.

What is ZYN?

ZYN is a further development of traditional snus – a snus completely without tobacco, but with nicotine. ZYN is sold in a package with about 20 mini portions, or “pods”, and is available in the flavors Cool Mint and Citrus. With two nicotine strengths, 3 mg and 6 mg, there will be four variants. ZYN’s portions are completely white and should be a product for you who want nicotine with a fresh taste, without it being visible. At SWEDISHPRODUCTS.ONLINE you will find ZYN under the category All White Portion. no-title ZYN Citrus 3 mg & 6 mg and ZYN Cool Mint 3 mg & 6 mg

What does ZYN contain?

– Nicotine: Extracted from tobacco leaves, but no part of the plant remains in the final product. – Fillers: In order for ZYN to get the right shape, there are fillers in them. – Stabilizer: To give you a smooth and stable nicotine and taste delivery. – Sweetener: To give the product a balanced sweetness. – Acidity regulators: To provide a more effective nicotine release. Aromas: To give ZYN its fresh taste. ZYN – new but still familiar.

ZYN gives you a good nicokick! ZYN nicokick is instant!

The white color felt fresh, especially in combination with Cool Mint. Summa summarum – a new but still familiar experience. The ZYN nicokick is instant and pleasant. The two higher doses of ZYN (6 and 8 mg) deliver nicotine as quickly and to a similar extent as existing smokeless products, with no significant adverse effects.

ZYN flavors

Available ZYN flavors:

Cool Mint

Apple Mint

Spearmint

Ginger Blood Orange

Citrus

Espressino

Dark Frost

Northern Woods

Lemon Spritz

Deep Freeze

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ZYN study in 2020

The American Journal on Addictions has just published (here) an analysis by my colleagues and me of the consumer appeal of a new nicotine product, ZYN.

Swedish Match test-marketed ZYN six years ago in Colorado; distribution expanded to 11 states in the western U.S. in 2016, and nationwide in April 2019.  While ZYN marketing was limited to a website and point-of-sale promotions, press reports (here, here and here) indicated remarkable sales success.

In 2018, the company commissioned from a private contractor two marketing surveys on ZYN perceptions and use.  Last year a research group consisting of Drs. Karl Fagerström from Sweden and John Hughes from the University of Vermont, as well as Nantaporn Plurphanswat and me from the University of Louisville, was granted full access by Swedish Match to that survey data so that we could produce an independent analysis.  Our group previously published a research article describing how proposed changes in Swedish snus warning labels would affect tobacco users’ perceptions and use of the products (here).  Other than providing us with the data, the company had no role in our analysis or reporting of the results.

In the current study, we assess adult appeal and interest in buying ZYN, and we describe the characteristics of ZYN users and patterns of ZYN use after purchase.

We found that while nearly 90% of never and former tobacco users did not find ZYN to be appealing, one-third of current smokers, more than half of current smokeless tobacco (ST) users, and two-thirds of dual cigarette-ST users did.  More importantly, only 3% of never, and 2% of former users were interested in buying the product.

In addition, we found that the likelihood of buying ZYN compared with other tobacco products was highest among exclusive ST users.  That cohort may be more inclined to buy ZYN because its manner of use is similar to that of other ST products, i.e., placing the product between the lip and gum; additionally, Swedish Match was offering the product on stores’ ST shelves.

The vast majority of ZYN users were white men, which is consistent with ST use. About 90% used the pouches every day, and most chose the 6 mg nicotine pouch, rather than the 3 mg version.  More than one-third had used ZYN about 3-6 months.

When offered a variety of reasons for using ZYN, participants frequently chose options such as “less harmful…”, “no one can tell when using”, and “to avoid spitting”.  Among current smokers, the top answers were, “less harmful for my health than cigarettes” and “do not cause me to smell like smoke/tobacco.”

There was no information about tobacco cessation due to ZYN, and time since quitting tobacco, so we cannot know if participants used ZYN to quit other products.  We also had no information about how frequently and how many pouches were used.

ZYN’s striking entry was quickly followed by similar products LYFT (https://swedishproducts.online/brand/lyft) and On! (www.swedishproducts.online/brand/on/ ).  None of these brands contain tobacco, only pharmaceutical-grade nicotine at different levels: ZYN pouches contain either 3 or 6 mg; On! is available in 2, 4 and 8 mg strengths; and LYFT pouches have 6,8, 12 and 14 mg. The highest nicotine dose approved by the FDA for medicinal nicotine gum and lozenges is 4 mg. Higher nicotine doses in the new pouch products may explain their popularity, since medicinal nicotine offerings have proven unsatisfying to consumers who can’t or don’t want to achieve nicotine abstinence.

Our study was the first to assess interest in and actual usage of a new tobacco product, ZYN nicotine pouches.  Non-users of tobacco had little interest, and ST users constituted the majority of ZYN regular users.

Nicotine pouches the new dip alternatives!

Big cigarette companies are latching on to oral nicotine pouches. That could mean trouble for the tobacco industry’s top performer, Swedish Match . A new product category is emerging with several large tobacco companies now selling ‘tobacco-free’ nicotine pouches. These products are sold as preportioned pouches similar to snus, but instead of containing tobacco leaf, they are filled with white nicotine-containing powder. The pouches are placed between the lip and gum, and require no spitting or refrigeration.1

The Stockholm-based business said this past week that sales in the fourth quarter increased by 15% compared with the same period of 2018, stripping out currency moves. Behind that strong growth is the U.S. rollout of Zyn—a tobacco-free oral nicotine pouch that slips between the upper gum and cheek, where it releases nicotine into the bloodstream.

Swedish Match is an outlier in the tobacco industry. While it still owns cigar brands that contribute almost 30% of total revenue, its stock is the closest investors can currently get to a pure play on the fashionable world of cigarette alternatives. As well as Zyn nicotine pouches, its portfolio includes chewing tobacco and snus—a pasteurized oral tobacco that is more socially acceptable than traditional chewing tobacco because it doesn’t require spitting.

But the market for modern oral nicotine pouches is getting more competitive. Last summer, Marlboro-maker Altria bought a majority stake in the company that owns the on! brand and is increasing production. Lucky Strike’s owner, British American Tobacco , is investing in its Velo oral pouches.

ZYN gives you a nicokick!

In the US, Swedish Match expanded the availability of ZYN nicotine pouches nationally from the Western region test. By the end of 2019, ZYN was available in more than 67,000 stores. During the year, Swedish Match has also launched ZYN on a limited scale in a number of European markets outside of Scandinavia, and by the end of the year, the Company was present in stores in markets such as Austria, Croatia, the Czech Republic, Estonia, Germany, Greenland, Slovenia, and the UK. Driven by the efforts mentioned above, the contribution from our smokefree portfolio to the total group has further increased during 2019. Currently our smokefree business accounts for 83 percent of total Swedish Match volumes of tobacco and nicotine products, and 68 percent of corresponding sales.

In 2019, we also continued to invest heavily behind our smokefree products to fuel future growth. Out of our total R&D expenditure, 96 percent was related to smokefree products. These expenditures include the costs related to scientific studies, facility and machinery development and prototypes. We will continue to engage with the scientific community to verify the public health benefits of our products and allocate investments accordingly. Similar as previous years, we have committed more than 90 percent of our capital expenditure to our smokefree portfolio. In 2019, we have further scaled up the investment of ZYN production capacity in the US to support the strong growth.

During the year, we have also seen an increasing consumer appeal of our smokefree products. In Sweden and Norway, Swedish Match defines success of our product attractiveness by tracking the share decline of daily smokers among total daily tobacco users. In Norway, the share of daily cigarette users among total daily tobacco users decreased to 39 percent in 20191) (50 percent in 2018). This means that Norway is now approaching Sweden in terms of converting cigarette consumers to snus usage. In the group of legal age consumers below the age of 25 measured, snus has almost completely replaced cigarette consumption. Only two percent among the men are daily cigarette users and only one percent among the women. In North America, Swedish Match defines success in terms of volume growth of its smokefree products and in 2019, it was 35 percent.

Educating consumers about the difference in health effects between smokefree products and cigarettes continues to be a difficult task. This difference is probably best understood in Sweden and Norway, but there is widespread misunderstanding even in these markets. In the general population in Sweden, 32.9 percent believes that snus is at least as dangerous as cigarettes or answers that they don’t know. In Norway the same number is 34.5 percent. Only 20.8 percent of the Swedish population believes that snus is much less dangerous than cigarettes and in Norway this number is only 19.5 percent. Thus continuous efforts to further increase consumer awareness will remain a focus going forward.

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As Bob Dylan said, “these times, they are a changin’”.  As the world changes, so does demand for new, innovative, and different products.  As that demand grows, companies have to adapt to meet it.  The growing “all white” /

“nicotine pouch”

/ “nicopod” category is a reflection of that.  Also, it is a reflection of how people quit smoking.  But, more on that later.  First, I want to take you on a trip down memory lane to the summer of 2009.But, to recap, I quit smoking in 2009 thank to Swedish Snus.  Prior to that, I tried other things such as the nicotine gum, the nicotine patch, as well as pharmaceutical options such as Chantix.

Nothing worked until I discovered Swedish Snus. That was what finally did the trick for me.  Now, we are seeing that there are people who want to quit smoking but also all forms of tobacco, and this is where products like nicotine pouches come in handy. As an advocate for tobacco harm reduction, I personally support anything that helps people quit smoking as long as it is safer than traditional, combustible tobacco.

I think at this point, it is important to break down the term “all white” a little further.  That term is thrown around often, and it can mean different things.  “All White” can mean White Tobacco, Nicotine Pouches (Moist), and Nicotine Pouches (Dry). This article will primarily focus on nicotine pouches, but I wanted to differentiate for those who may be wondering what all these all white products are.

White Epok & G4

First, there are white tobacco products such as Epok and G4.  These products contain tobacco, but the tobacco is “washed” or “treated” until it is completely white.  The pouch also remains white before, during, and after use.  These pouches look like regular snus except the pouch is completely white.  Again, this article is on nicotine pouches primarily, but I wanted to address white tobacco as the term ‘all white’ seems to be used interchangeably with white tobacco products and nicotine pouch products.

What is nicotine without tobacco?

Next, there are also nicotine pouches which look very much like white tobacco pouches, except they do not contain tobacco.  Nicotine pouches contain, of course, nicotine, but instead of tobacco they contain some form of plant fiber.  In the lip they feel just like regular snus, but these are tobacco-free products.  These products are incredibly easy to use.  Like snus, you simply put them in your upper lip.  They are discrete and completely spit-free.  These products are also white before, during, and after use.

The difference between dry and moist pouches?

Not only that, but you can break nicotine pouches down even further into two types: dry and moist.  There are moist products such as Skruf Super White, Zyn, Nordic Spirit, Lyft, and White Fox.  Those products look and feel like regular snus in the lip but, again, they are tobacco free and completely white.  There are dry products such as, again, Zyn, as well as on! Nicotine Pouches. These nicotine pouch products range from 3mg/g all the way up to the extra strong level. Nicotine Pouches come in a wide variety of flavors such as citrus, blueberry, melon, mint, rhubarb, black currant, lime, licorice, bergamot wild berry, apple mint, ginger blood orange, and more!

Why all white?

Before answering this question, it is important to address something else.  I originally started reviewing Swedish Snus ten years ago.  I am a Swedish Snus purist.  However, over the years I’ve began reviewing chew bags/Nordic Chew as well as these nicotine pouches.  These aren’t products I personally use, but I’m glad they exist.  I am, first and foremost, an advocate for tobacco harm reduction.  This means I want people to quit smoking.  Many can’t quit with the pharmaceutical means, so I advocate for Swedish Snus.  Some want to quit smoking and tobacco, but can’t quit nicotine. This is why I am glad these nicotine pouch products exist.  Are they for me?  No.  But, will I suggest them to people who are wanting to quit smoking and tobacco?  You bet I will.

A problem we are seeing, especially in the online communities, is gatekeeping.  Not a day goes by that I don’t notice a comment on a YouTube video I made, or a comment on Reddit, or a comment on a Facebook post, where a user of Swedish Snus is attacking someone who is asking about nicotine pouches because they consider these products “fake snus”.  I try not to get hostile when this occurs, but I do try to reiterate to these people that nicotine pouches are something different, and they exist to help people who want to quit smoking and tobacco but not nicotine.  Gatekeeping is a major hurdle in the tobacco harm reduction community.  I understand that many, like myself, are major snus fans / snus purists, but to advocate for harm reduction we must truly advocate for all forms of tobacco harm reduction, including nicotine pouches.

Also, around the world there are other markets where snus is illegal, or taxed very high.  While Sweden is the land of snus, and yes, I am jealous, there are places around the world that are not so lucky.  This is where nicotine pouches can play a major difference.  As mentioned before, people in these countries may find nicotine pouches as a suitable alternative for their nicotine cravings.  The UK, for example, is not a snus market, but nicotine pouches are becoming more popular there. The website SWEDISHPRODUCTS.ONLINE comes to mind.  In fact, they delivery in boxes that fit in the letterbox in apartments, which is something very unique that you don’t really see other online stores focusing on.  Like the UK, we are seeing nicotine pouches pushing their way into these markets and being embraced by smokers looking for a way to kick cigarettes to the curb.  While governments may not embrace tobacco harm reduction and safer alternatives such as Swedish Snus, nicotine pouches are providing an alternative in these markets for people who, like myself, couldn’t quit with pharmaceutical means.

The future of nicotine pouches

This category has grown relatively fast.  White tobacco burst onto the market in 2004 with the Epok product line.  Zyn came around in 2016, and really made an impact in the nicotine pouch category with their dry, mini pouches.  And within the past few years we’ve seen moist nicotine pouch products such as Skruf Super White, Zyn (the moist kind), Lyft, Nordic Spirit, and White Fox.  I believe this is only the beginning.  As these products grow in popularity I imagine we will see more flavors, a larger range of nicotine strengths, and even more manufacturers getting in on this trend.  Right now we only see Swedish Match, Skruf, Fiedler & Lundgren, Nordic Snus AB, and GN Tobacco making these products.  But, I firmly believe we will see more companies getting in on this growing product category as the years progress.  I do not think these products will replace traditional snus.  I believe they will stand alone as their own category of harm reduced products, much like nasal snuff and vaping do.  So, do not fear fellow snus purists, these products will not harm our beloved Swedish Snus.

If you know me, you know my snus of choice is General.  I frequently get asked the question, “If Swedish Match made a tobacco free product with the same nicotine level and exact same flavor as General Snus, would you quit tobacco and switch to nicotine pouches?”  I always have to stop and think, but my answer is usually no.  I enjoy tobacco.  I frequently say this, but these nicotine pouch products aren’t for me.  And there’s nothing wrong with that.  Because while these products aren’t for me, they are for somebody.  And as an advocate for tobacco harm reduction, that’s okay with me.  Because I want to see as many people quit smoking as possible.  Whether it is with traditional Swedish Snus, or these tobacco-free nicotine pouches, the goal at the end of the day is to save lives.  And while these products may not be for you, or for me, they do accomplish that end; they help people quit smoking and they save lives.

I want to encourage people to remember that.  If you are, like me, a Swedish Snus purist, remember that these products can save lives.  Gatekeeping does not work to help forward tobacco harm reduction.  It could make people think twice about these products.  However, if we avoid gatekeeping and embrace this new product category as a way to help people quit smoking, we can further the tobacco harm reduction discussion and provide a way that people can kick cigarettes to the curb.

These times, and products, truly are a changin’.  It’s a brave new world for tobacco harm reduction.

CHEWING TOBACCO

ZYN REVIEW by Snubie!