Le Creuset supercollectors – and Gen Z loves LC too

Jenny and I have written about our fondness for Le Creuset and its ever expanding range of gorgeous colors, designs, and shapes. Both of us have collected many pieces over the years, and while Jenny’s collection puts mine to shame, both of us look like rank amateurs when compared to the Le Creuset “supercollectors” profiled in a recent article in The Guardian.

While I do not have enough room in my kitchen to house all of my pots, I haven’t (yet) had to convert an entire room into a storage spot like Valeria Rodriguez. She set up seven bookshelves in her spare bedroom to house her growing array of Le Creuset products. The amazing thing about Rodriguez’s collection is that she only started collecting three years ago. That’s quite an investment!

Some collectors focus on a single color, while others like to have different shades to change with the seasons. I’ve stuck with a single hue, Sea Salt, for my Le Creuset pans, which coordinates well with my matte black Staub Dutch ovens. A lone red pot adds a nice pop of color to the Old Dutch storage stand in my dining room where several of these pieces are displayed. I am not against adding another color to the mix, but so far none have spoken to me the same way Sea Salt has.

That might change after I go to the Factory to Table sale in two weeks. I’m curious to see what unusual pieces or limited edition items might be on offer, and I want to see some of the colors in person that I have so far only looked at online. I am trying to steel myself not to go overboard, although I did clear out some shelf space just in case I encounter any must-have items or significant savings on something I know will be put to good use.

One interesting characteristic of the Le Creuset supercollectors in the article is that they are not just gathering items to display, they intend to cook with them.  “In the end, these are tools, and every one of them has to pull its weight,” said Lia Imhoff, who has 112 pieces including a rare constellation pan. I agree, although I have yet to find a good use for the four mini-cocottes in my cupboard. Any suggestions?

While the women profiled in the Guardian article appeared to mainly be Gen X or Boomers, Le Creuset is also popular with Millennials and even Gen Z, says Salon’s Joy Saha. She says that the online “cottagecore” trend is partly responsible for this, as videos with the hashtag #LeCreuslay garners tens of millions of views. Le Creuset is eminently photogenic, after all, so this should not be a surprise. Looks aside, it seems that Gen Z loves the brand for the same reasons everyone else does: it looks good, it performs well, and it is durable.