Hi! I'm Sergei, an editor of Bïrch. I don't know about you, but it pisses me off that merchandise has become billboards. See for yourself:

Every carton of milk, shampoo, practically any item today is a small advertising banner. It screams: “Pick me” or ”Here I am, here I am, you've been looking for me for a long time.” Or, “And I'm better than the competitors!”

Being in a supermarket (especially a hardware store) is a mental challenge. You can only go in there knowing exactly what you need to buy and running between the shelves with your eyes closed.

What Andreas Gursky showed in his famous photograph 99 cent as an image of the ultimate state of consumer society can now be found in any shop near your home.

I wonder when household cosmetics and product manufacturers will realize that no label is the best advertising. It is like being a person without tattoos among tattooed people, to stand out not by the size, brightness, and motley design, but by its absence.

But if I can still forgive such visual noise in a supermarket, I can't imagine it in my home. This guy doesn't know my house party dress code yet.

It's okay, we'll help him. We'll undress him. Thankfully, it's not hard — modern labeling doesn't really hold up to packaging. And guys who don't want to take their clothes off usually stay on the supermarket shelves.

Wow, that's so much better. Yellow cap? That's okay, let it be — everyone needs a little bit of individuality.

What makes my shelf different from the store shelf is that at home, I control the design of the things I want. It's nice to be in control of something in this world.