Fashion: What's In A Name?

A few weeks ago, one of my favourite brands, Whistle & Bango, reached out and offered me the chance to join their brand ambassador programme. Having been a fan of the London-based jewellery brand since last year, I jumped at the chance.

Known for their incredibly high-end quality postcode bangles, the brand is currently working on a lighter version. This impeccable piece of jewellery comes in either cream or mint and has your initals embossed. In times where personalisation plays an imense role and people like to showcase their identities, I wanted to take the opportunity to talk about names and their meanings in today's post.

Names - something we all share, but still make everyone of us individual. Next to our quirks, genetics, looks and likes, our name is the most powerful element of identification that make up our personality. Some people love their name, others may change it, such as my blogging friend Olivia who speaks up about name change in her recent post. 

However, to many of us, our name is precious and carried with pride. These days, we love to display our names - may it be on personalised handbags, name necklaces, imprints on mugs, or initials embossed on a piece of jewellery. Our name is not just a reflection of our personality, but an accessory we're proud to show off. 

My name is not that popular that it gets printed on kitschy souvenirs but it’s definitely not that exotic after all. I mean when our parents gave us our name they had an intention right? Firstly, to give us identity and secondly, something unique that would accompany us for the rest of our lives. In the end, I do believe that our parents have chosen wisely when it comes to our names as they mark us for a lifetime.

According to Onomastics (the study of names and their meaning), my name 'Carolin' originates from Old German/Old English and means 'The Free Spirit'. Indeed, I am. I pretty much spent half of my childhood growing up without my parents and I enjoyed a carefree life without rules and overprotection. In post-GDR Germany during the early 90's, I had to grow up fast which has made me a very independent woman. Even today as an adult, I love my space and freedom. I'm also interested in art and culture which also reflects the free spirit in me and only underlines how precise my name actually reflects my personality. Do you know the onomastics of your name? 

I do get that we're all super busy and now and again make careless mistakes, but having grown up in the German society, where addressing for instance a hiring person incorrectly can catapult your CV straight to the bin, wouldn't it be more appropriate to be more care-, and tactful with our names? I've lost count of emails that start with 'Dear [InsertMediaContactNameHere]', or 'Hi Blog Administrator'. Sadly, it seems that incorrect spellings and ignorance of names have become common practice and 'standard' nowadays.

I see my name as a big part of my personality, so if someone doesn't pronounce or spells it correctly, I do take a little personal offense. Whilst I don't mind the occasional 'Carolyn', which feels flattering to me, it bothers me a lot when I get called 'Caroline' (rolls up my toe nails). I also had 'Christina', 'Charlotte' and someone once called me 'Laura'.....yeah whatever. It's an indicator to me that the person hasn't even bothered about the most obvious thing when addressing me. Do you feel the same? Or am I too oversensitive here?

 Whistle & Bango embossed enameled bangle*  

I'd love to know your opinion on this and also, where this attitude has come from as it seems to clash with the current trend of displaying initials on your clothes, accessories or even your desktop background (the new Chrome Momentum). How important is your name to you? What do you think of the customisation trend? I'd also love to hear from you if you've tried anything from Whistle & Bango before, or in case you haven't, if you would be intrigued to do so in future?

Till next time,

xx Caz xx

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*PR sample