Shops are back! Cash is cool! Corporate-core is a vibe! It’s like the 2020s never happened lol. Sweats, leggings and Crocs have been demoted and tailoring and tactile tops have regained their position in the corner office for AW24. And with the global slowdown of luxury, we’re also witnessing the demise of loud logos on clothes and accessories. Instead, discreet luxury totes whisper subtle brand codes (the Toteme ‘T’!) and it’s grocery stores and ‘hypebeast snacks’ that are the new entry-level status signifiers. Oh, and high-end lipstick is the eternal ‘affordable luxury’ treat for uncertain times. Because some things never change… (more…)
It’s only taken oh, circa 15 years, but fashion brand founders (and creative directors) have finally twigged that they are their own best brand ambassadors.
From their first baby steps on Instagram, when the likes of Linda V Wright, Nili Lotan and Tibi founder Amy Smilovic (above) showed their faces and styling prowess, pro tastemakers have gifted their customers a ‘real way’ insight into clever wardrobe building, versatile styling and non-hard-sell (yet paradoxically seductive) selling.
And now they go even better. Substack is proving the perfect platform for sharing not just fashion how-tos but other lifestyle recommendations – from travel to food to business know-how. (more…)
We all love to hate on lame fashion collabs, but here’s one that actually makes sense.
Lacoste x Sporty & Rich* is a happy hook-up between L.A wellness and French après-tennis. Sporty & Rich has arguably made sweats and polos a de rigueur fashion statement by tapping into 80s sports pop culture (Princess Di post-gym pap shots are a mood board regular) through a sexy 70s lens with a side of post-Goop wellness rhetoric. (more…)
Reading about the ubiquity of the New Yorker tote recently got me thinking about the rise of media branded merch.
The New Yorker has just expanded its merch line, allowing its cultured readership to outwardly express their taste and identity. As traditional magazine sales and ad revenues decline, reinforcing the ‘brand’ is a commercial savvy move for media titles. In a timely plot twist, it also effectively lets the reader advertise the magazine, instead of the magazine selling advertising to its readers. “The New Yorker knows that it is now a brand, that it represents a cross-section of a very specific, cultured, informed, democratic public, who knows who they are (or aspires to be) and loves to show it off,” observes NSS Magazine.
In a similar vein, the New York Times has been enjoying its elevated style status, with its logo and ad campaigns being co-opted in recent years by the likes of Etudes and Sacai as part of official collaborations. It reminded me of my 20-something year-old New York Herald Tribune tee. A riff on the cinematic classic worn by Jean Seberg in A Bout de Souffle (top), the combo of gothic nameplate typography and trusted legacy journalism seem particularly resonant right now. (You can actually buy an official copy here, among a variety of NYT-branded fare.)
Some other media brands that have good merch: Monocle, IDEA Books (it kind of counts) and The London Review of Books*, which sells not only a number of chic book bags but branded chocolate and this cool enamel pin too.
And if they’re open to requests, I’d suggest Air Mail (a red and white tote!), the FT (a cute peach sweatshirt?), and Porter magazine (maybe a Sporty & Rich-style logo cap)…
*As I’m wont to do, I was diverted down a Google tunnel while researching links and found this revealing article on the LRB from 2014. The business model is most fascinating!
WORDS: Disneyrollergirl / Navaz Batliwalla
IMAGES: To come, NSS, New York Times
NOTE: Most images are digitally enhanced. Some posts use affiliate links and PR samples. Please read my privacy and cookies policy here
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