Breathe. VC money is back
Plus: Blanding has made it's way to photography and Gen-X women are getting into weightlifting
Morning,
Plus big hugs to any French and British readers—phew.
If you only read one thing in this letter, make it: ‘Heavy weights are going to replace reformers’. This has legs.
As always, the lens of this letter is a best-of-the-best on culture, trends, marketing, etc. What I’m dropping to friends on Slack or finding useful in meetings with brands.
Let’s dive in!
CULTURE
EVERYONE’S MAKING KIDS // This week Mark Bittman launched his famous ‘How To Cook Everything’ cookbook but made for kids. I’ve mentioned that in Milan there were a shocking number of freestanding kids stores (everyone from Stone Island to Versace). Kith has opened 2 kids stores in BK this year alone. Kim Kulka is having profound Play. Tiny, Même. Boden Kids, Bubble, Yawn and more brands focusing on this space coming soon—mark my words.
ARE WE IN OUR SANS SERIF ART DIRECTION ERA? // We’re witnessing “the sans-serif-ication of picture making.” Brands like Gucci, Versace, Prada which were renowned for inspiring art direction are opting for clean, seamless shoots. Kirsten and I discussed this, Abercrombie’s ‘unbranding’ and Bandit’s unsponsored project on our chat this week. Give it a LISTEN.
WE HAVE A MESSAGING ISSUE -> The Information // In the second quarter alone, U.S. creator startups raised $692.7 million, up 68% from a year earlier and more than double the amount raised in the first quarter. Creator startups have already raised as much money this year as in all of 2023. Things are looking up.
F&B
FIRST, CAPRI-SUN IS SWISS? -> Feed Me // Capri-Sun wants to buy back its licenses and is raising money to do it. Was it the Costco CapriSun jugs that did it? Carpi-Sun has sued for ‘pouch’ infringement. The pouch is 90% of the brand image. Giant pouch: great. Generic jug: no. The more you own, the more you control. Unsolicited opinion: a low-sugar, low-ABV version of a CapriSun would kill it on campuses.
MARMITE, DON’T MAKE ME HATE IT // Abi Clarke is great. Any brand that works with her, I like (and I already love Marmite). This skit is funny and a part of a larger ‘Hate-Activated Jar’ campaign. (Marmite is famous for its ‘Love It or Hate It’ slogan). But every skit comes with a disclaimer that the jar isn’t real (duh). It feels like a masterclass in the right online comedians AND a masterclass into how to overcomplicate things. This brand could be a leader on social IMO, they have the personality for it but haven’t pulled it off yet.
RETAIL
EVERYWHERE ALL AT ONCE // I loved
’s breakdown of Tiffany’s Elsa Perreti Collection social rollout. They focused on 1 hero piece. Stuck to carousels—bold. And went for niche (‘stylist’). Endearing yourself to the ‘industry’ = smart. Examples: Karla Welch, Thomas Christos, Allison Bornstein, Elsa Hosk, Laura Harrier, Peter Lux, Sarah Slutsky.BRANDY MELVILLE IS DESTINATION SHOPPING -> AfterSchool // The ‘kids’ are traveling over oceans and putting ‘Brandy Melville’ at the top of their destination list. One draw seems to be store size. Also interesting: BM appears to be aware that their core demo is aging out and are launching a new brand called St George to capture them. It’s less chaotic in the merchandising and has sizes.
TECH
IS THE AI BUBBLE ABOUT TO POP? // Barclays, Goldman Sachs, and Sequoia Capital have been running the numbers it’s a little concerning. If Sequoia is correct, GenAI must generate $600+bn in yearly revenue to be viable. But that hard to pull off. A bit like performance marketing, the shiny penny may not SO shiny. Doesn’t mean it’s not good just don’t put all your eggs in the basket.
SPORT
SPORTS FOR EVERYONE // Our friends at Brands And Culture made a trends report of themes at Cannes. One theme was ‘Sport For Everyone’ Rapha this week came our with a modest collection and it fits right in. I can attest from having sourced sport hijabs in the past, that this a vastly underserved space. Love to see it.
KAPPA SUBBED FOR NOCTA // Loved this piece by
about Venezia FC, their fashion-famous jerseys. Kappa out, Nocta in. I loved the classic Kappa ones but Nocta is doing sportswear in a way few are doing it. Sports and fashion is peaking. I’m so curious to see which sport takes the mantle next.WELLNESS
HEAVY WEIGHTS ARE GOING TO REPLACE REFORMERS // As the conversation around menopause has heated up, another one has followed: Gen-X/Boomer women lifting heavy weights. There’s now a consensus that to women’s long-term health they need to build muscle by lifting heavy weights. Such a GREAT place for brands to play. Franchises that make this less intimidating than a Crossfit Box. Product assortment ie. weighted vests that look good. Campaigns that target this older demo. Yes pls.
TRAVEL
CHECK INTO THE COPPOLA -> Feed Me // Francis Ford Coppola renovated a former Days Inn Motel in Georgia’s Peachtree City (not his first hospitality endeavour), and turned it into a hotel with everything you need to shoot a movie. Editing facilities, screening rooms, fitting rooms, recording studios, the whole 9-yards. Niche hospitality for creators—clever.
CHECK IN FOR ALL THE AMENITIES -> Feed Me // Aman NYC is trying to niche into ‘arts’ too. Offering helicopters to Storm King, street photography classes with Leica master photographer, and 3-day intensive with Mark Mann on portrait photography. Bougie creator class niche—very clever.
COPENHAGEN DOESN’T WANT YOU TO UBER -> The Hustle // This summer Copenhagen is launching CopenPay. It’s a new initiative that will reward climate-friendly tourists who support the city’s green initiatives. For example, if you take the train, you get a free ski run down the famous power plant roof. While this is a big city wide initiative I think brands could totally pull this off at a smaller scale.
FUN FOR THE WEEK
Cup Noodles launched a limited-edition s’mores-flavored ramen. Please stop.
This Notes format with influencers styling a collection would be fun.
Love this Paris 2024 skatepark. And this Vans one from Paris Fashion Week.
Pampers is sponsoring a nursery at the Olympics. Love.
Practical decision frameworks for ‘when to run a billboard’ from
.This F1 race course memory game could be fun translated to a mall activation.
This Stella Artois billboard for Wimbledon is fun. Scalable when done digitally.
These Japanese grandmothers doing ‘sashiko’ are a collab waiting to happen.
This new Away campaign is cute. The styling is good too.
TSA’s pun game is really unmatched.
This bodega run could be a fun series for brands to sponsor
Airbrushing is trending and this would be super fun for an event
Ali Kaltman is a great follow. Though we don’t agree on this Erewhon x UGG collab, I wholeheartedly agree with her about Tiffany’s hospitality opportunity.
You have to keep making ‘deposits’ to build brand equity
Sakara and the Nue Co have rebranded to the exact same green. Oops.
Drake’s casting Courage Bagel founders — so smart
Zendaya x On x Roger Federer spot is one of the good ones.
Love this timely ad by Spec Savers in light of England going to the Euros final.
Simple and true from
That’s all, folx.
- Chris
I’m told if you hit the little heart it helps. If you do take the time, I’m grateful.