Grumpy Old Man: It seems we are all part of the Branded Generation

It all started with the Baby Boomers - the ones born as part of a population surge following the end of World War II.

But what to call the people after and before that?

They eventually settled on the Builder Generation for the people born earlier, because they built things, and the one after the Boomers? Well, they became known as Generation X.

After that came Gen Z, symbolised by the fact people in the group could not be bothered using the who Generations word, followed by the Millennials - widely regarded as the worst generation to ever exist.

But there is always confusion about when one generation starts and ends, so I think I have found the perfect solution.

I have a term that can encompass so many of the people alive today - the Branded Generation.

These are the people eager to cover their skin with ink, branding themselves if you will, as though it is some form of ritualistic coming of age to signals they are now part of the tribe.

But it goes beyond that.

I was recently at a function and did something I rarely do - I looked and the shoes people were wearing.

Being a bloke I generally pay two-fifths of no attention to footwear, but a mix of circumstances had me looking at shoes.

And I noticed that every single one had some sort of logo or manufacturer's name displayed prominently.

It left me wondering when we all became unpaid advertising billboards for multinational companies - particularly when you consider that some have been accused of exploiting child workers in third world countries.

Are these the people we really want to be promoting?

The thing that really bothers me is that I can buy a plain shirt with no branding, or I can pay a lot more to buy a shirt that is pretty much identical and comes from the same factory in Indonesia or Bangladesh, but bears a name or logo attached to a manufacturer.

It begs the question of why I am paying extra to promote their company, particularly seeing that the companies often spend large sums of money paying others to wear their apparel or use their equipment.

However it seems difficult to buck the trend.

As a kid I grew up in nondescript, anonymous sandshoes , as we called them back then, taking part in athletics, gymnastics and more without the need for brand names adorning my feet.

But my generation was the first to really embrace the big brands, and I remember a friend at high school grabbing a pen to draw stripes on his plain white runners, in an effort to fit in.

That was where it started, but these days it has reached a ridiculous level, with even budget clothing emblazoned with ugly motifs in an effort to turn customers into unknowing advertisers.

But not this little black duck.

I'm on the hunt for good quality apparel that doesn't bear any logos or names at all.

Unless, of course, someone wants to pay me. Please. I am always open to offers.