Diesel is kinky
Plus: Death Dust is trying to kill Liquid IV
Morning all,
I told my therapist I’ve kept this newsletter up for 7-weeks and her face looked surprised. She said I must be having fun with it. I am! Thanks for continuing to read along and making the +20 hours of reading I do a week more meaningful.
As always, the lens 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.
F&B
Tate and Lyle rebranded and honestly, this makes my eyes water. “The oldest packaging for a brand, according to the Guinness World Records, has been updated for the first time in over 150 years. Michael Wolff famously once told Lyle’s to stick with its legacy packaging when a rebrand was on the table, having approached Wolff to consult on the work. But brand director James Whiteley hopes the new direction will strike a balance between adapting and holding onto heritage.” I get the part where the logo is a lion carcass off-putting but how on earth do you go from an iconic tin to blanding it and putting it in a plastic bottle? The comment section says it all.
BACKLASH AGAINST SUGAR SUBSTITUTES
This whole article goes into the dozens of brands that have changed their formula to replace sugar with artificial sweeteners creating the “uncanny valley version” of the product. And people are pissed. Yes, the brands are avoiding an extra tax but they are also making a lot of fans angry. Is it worth it? It would be better to see brands tackle this a different way. Artificial sweetener by the way is the devil too.
DEATH DUST IS TRYING TO KILL LIQUID IV -> The Hustle
“Liquid Death, the canned water brand that’s raking in $100m+ in annual sales, is adding electrolyte packets to its product lineup. The new product, aptly named Death Dust, will be up against big players like PepsiCo’s Gatorade and Unilever’s Liquid IV.”
“The beverage giant and “best of the city” publication (Time Out) announced the launch of Foodmarks, hand-picked, global “food landmarks” inspired by movies, pop culture moments, travel hotspots and other cultural phenomena. They have an interactive map but most places are no better than going on a list on Infatuation, so the value to users is very unclear. Do not see this being popular. Feels like they are trying to do something like this brilliant McDonald’s ‘As Featured’ campaign from last year but unsuccessfully.
Coca-Cola is also debuting the newest addition to its Creations line-up with Coca-Cola K-Wave Zero Sugar. The limited-edition flavor will allow consumers to “experience the excitement they felt when they first became a K-pop fan.” The drink is described as being “infused with a burst of fruity-flavored K-pop magic.”
And they are launching one that tastes like tears just for TikTok. Throwing spaghetti at the wall.
This is pretty shocking. I’m a big fan of Kin (though they haven’t done much since announcing Bella Hadid as a new co-founder) But when I saw this in Rachels newsletter and I just sighed. Why do brands do shit like this? Kin, especially, can do so much better! “The other day I was tapping through Instagram Stories and a close friends story came up from Leslie Kirchhoff at @discocubes. The story showed a post from @kineuphorics with a beautiful photo of ice cubes with chiles in them and text that said “Want spicier SEX?”. The problem was that the photo was taken by Leslie and the brand had not asked permission to use it for their carousel.”
DRUGS
YOU CAN FIX YOUR SEX LIFE WITH DRUGS
I’m fascinated by the rise/mainstreaming of psilocybin—overnight! Now you can get psychedelic-assisted couples therapy: “Beautiful Space's unique clinical evidence demonstrates exceptionally positive outcomes in relationship and sexual wellness. Outcomes demonstrate a reduction in depression and anxiety with a decrease in medication over a comparatively short length of time. Additionally, there's a notable increase in intimacy and happiness among those in long-term relationships.”
ALPHAS
Casey’s work gets better and better. She interviewed a bunch of Alpha’s for the Cut and these were my favorites from her summary of (her own) article in the newsletter:
They think Lululemon is overrated. Head-to-toe Lulu is especially looked down upon.
“Preppy” does not mean what you think it means. “Sometimes if I see somebody and they’re head to toe in Lululemon and Nikes, I get disgusted.”
They’re largely uninterested in celebrities. With the exception of Taylor Swift and Olivia Rodrigo. Many of them told me they look to influencers for style inspiration, but few could name any specific influencers they like.
They love Brandy Melville. The popular, if controversial, retailer was by far the most-mentioned brand. I asked them all why they liked Brandy so much, and many said that they liked that the clothes were super simple with no graphics or logos, making it easy to mix and match.
“The Pack by Kotex, [is] a kit specifically designed to engage, empower and equip the next generation of tween girls at school in South Africa with the tools they need to manage their menstrual health.” Deeply want to like this but the round girls are weird. Feels deeply digital for a demo whose parents are hoping their kids are spending less time on their phones not more. The pack is a cute concept but the box doesn’t feel like something you want to stuff in your backpack. Of course, this led me down a Kotex rabbit hole. Their socials compared to say August’s (TT), just wow—they need a new team. Also, I never noticed this logo, it’s usually small (clearly we know why), I’ll leave it here for us all to think about.
TRAVEL
“What is Neom? Located on 10.2k square miles of desert, Neom will operate outside of Saudi Arabia’s conservative government, with its own taxes, labor laws, and judicial system. It will consist of 10 regions, four of which we know about:
Sindalah: An island dotted with hotels and yacht marinas, scheduled to open in 2024. Tourists can dive to the reefs and wreckage of the Red Sea.
The Line: A continuous, ~130-mile-long building that will house 9m people in a car-free smart city.
Oxagon: A floating industrial complex (yes, it’s an octagon) for manufacturing and research.
Trojena: An outdoor skiing destination that will host the 2029 Asian Winter Games.
Other futuristic perks include use of the Volocopter air taxi, which Neom claims to have invested $175m in.”
This is making Dubai look basic. The Saudis turning themselves into a new age Vegas is fascinating.
CULTURE
FOR HEAVEN’S SAKE -> AfterSchool
Doing God’s work I guess. “Christian influencers who previously touted purity culture have pivoted to discussing sex. “A lot of what Christians know of sex and sexuality is very limited…It goes from literally zero to a thousand on your wedding day,” says Bethany Phillips, a co-host of the Her Sacred Sexuality podcast.” Also came across this very popular TikTok Nun via LinkInBio this week. Is religion getting a rebrand?
WELLNESS
FIRST THEY STEAL YOUR FACE WASH AND THEN THEY STEAL YOUR SPAS -> Feed Me
“Remedy Place, a luxury social wellness club, has completely rebranded the spa experience via athletic recovery with an eye on the male demographic. The company has an ambitious retail and product expansion plan.” “Millennial men are spending $27,000 a year at the club.” Boys like nice things too. Think there’s a lot of opportunity in this insight.
DESIGNER WITH THE VIRAL TOUCH -> Feed Me
“Hailey Bieber’s Rhode beauty viral peptide lip tint phone case was designed by Sam Sonntag, the former Brand Designer at Glossier. He was responsible for the packaging design for projects like the Swiss Miss balm dot com, Olivia Rodrigo’s collab, Glossier Miami, Glossier play and more. + has worked with Tower28, Athena Club, & is now a design director for Shop App by Shopify.”
EVERY BODY IS ON BOARD FOR THE EVERY BODY CAMPAIGN
“With 2024 elections in full swing, our reproductive freedoms are on the line. [Saie has] united 60+ brands from across the beauty and wellness industry to stand up and protect Every birthing Body. Join us as we fundraise for @sistersong_woc and head out to the polls this election season.” Imagine we’ll see a lot of political programs as we get closer to this (terrifying) election. They opened a book store along with the campaign with Seen Library. I wish was much more fun but I did love these handwritten library cards they made when they seeded with influencers.
Henry Davis (formerGlossier) is now CEO at Sakara. Henry is also an advisor at Thingtesting. He previously founded Arfa, a beauty incubator that pivoted into Chord, a tech company that powers e-commerce businesses. “In his new role, Davis will reportedly build upon on digital channels to engage and educate, while also delivering innovation to attract new consumers. “ Sakara is a cool brand but I don’t feel like I’ve heard much about it in a couple of years so maybe the shakeup will be good for them.
You’ve been under a rock if you haven’t heard that Beyonce’s hair care brand Cecred has finally launched. I love the packaging. I find the timing of the launch, along with her viral Country Song to be interesting and probably VERY carefully orchestrated.
FRAGRANCE IN THE HVAC -> Feed Me
Disney, Abercrombie, and half the world’s retailers have been doing this for years. This story of a scent designer is so good it has stuck in my head since 2016. “Hines, a commercial real-estate company with skyscrapers worldwide, has developed a special scent it began quietly pumping into the heating, air conditioning, and ventilation system in its Texas Tower headquarters in Houston late last year. It’s rolling out the fragrance in more than 20 other office buildings and apartment complexes this year, from Chicago and New York to London and Delhi, India.” Nothing like the sweet, sweet smell of your apartment.
We talked about how glucose monitoring would be the health trend of 2024 in the very first GOOD THINKING. “The girls are wearing glucose monitors. Pia Baroncini mentioned in a recent podcast that she was wearing it to find out what foods spike her blood sugar, and Melanie responded something similar to a comment on her Instagram post this week, “I didn’t drink I am just doing it for a few weeks to learn how certain foods affect me!” Expect to see these everywhere.
AYE YI YI WE HAVE AI FATIGUE ALREADY
The comment section on this Benefit Cosmetics AI ad is wild. I’ll give it to them, it did catch my eye (But why do they use the term BESTIE in their comment replies so much?). People (and brands) making AI content feels a little akin to poetry. Everyone goes through a phase where they get into it and it’s fun but the reality is most of it is not that good. It’s going to be interesting watching how brands rise (or don’t) to this occasion. The fatigue is here already and we’ve only just started to play. It’s time to see who the real poets are. (I’ll now step off my new soap box). To be clear I’m not afraid or anti-AI at all I just think this phase will wear off.
SPORT
It was only a matter of time until someone made pickleball pink.
FLORIDA IS GOOD WITH E-SPORTS BUT NOT BOOKS -> The Hustle
“Tallahassee’s R. Frank Nims Middle School is about to leave other schools in the dust, as it’s soon to add a gamer’s paradise to its campus, equipped with a 100-inch flat-screen TV, computers, two PlayStation 5 consoles, and ~$50k worth of gamer chairs. Florida taxpayers who financed the half-million dollar project.” Not anti-sports just confused by Floridian parents.
Cheetos x Puma made a shoe and they made a pop-up for All-Star Weekend. So desperately want this to be better than it is. Both the shoe and the pop-up. Conceptually great, could have been amazing. Haven’t seen many All-Star pop-ups in the feed this year, wonder why?
TECH
There is nothing to say but: this is not it Tinder. “The ‘Lovestruck Collection’ includes T-shirts with copy such as ‘No-one’s type’ and ‘I wear my heart on my sleeve’...And Gen Z wants to show up and express themselves and, obviously, fashion is the way that they’re doing that. So Tinder is thinking more creatively about those plays than we ever have before.” Before you green-light a project, task one is to ask ‘Who’s the audience’ and when the answers are not clear just don’t do it.
This project feels vastly more interesting. I’m not sure it will make anyone sign up for Hinge (who have such a good tagline) but conceptually it’s fun. “According to new research from Hinge, 75 per cent of Gen Zers agree that spending time with others in person makes them feel less lonely. The book is launched to tie in with Global Day of Unplugging on 1 March. To get your hands on a digital copy, head to that link in our bio.”
RETAIL
HAVENLY DESIGNING ITSELF INTO A POWERHOUSE
“Interior design services company Havenly has acquired DTC home decor brand The Citizenry. The deal marks the third brand acquisition in two years for Havenly, which also acquired customizable furniture and upholstery brand Interior Define and DTC home furnishing brand The Inside.” It’s like the new version of restoration hardware’s interior design services but not all that different aesthetically. Would be great if someone could do this with cool design.
YOU NEVER THOUGH IT WAS POSSIBLE TO HAVE SO MANY S’s IN ONE NAME
Ssense x Essence launches Feb 26th. The project features a three-part video adaptation of the ESSENCE print franchise “In the Studio,” showcasing designers Bianca Saunders, Mowalola Ogunlesi, and Stanley Raffington with interviews conducted by acclaimed journalist Lynette Nylander. In addition to the video series, includes an A to Z Guide to Black designers and a series of product-driven stories. People are hyped in the comments.
Diesel is going for it, but are people digging it? Maybe? “Margiela and Diesel [drive] growth for OTB Group as revenues hit €1.9 billion. This whole shift in the brand completely passed me by but apparently, it started back in 2020?! “Creative director Glenn Martens joined Diesel in 2020, yanking the fashion brand out of its then-stale presence. What came from it? The kinkiest f-cking brand you’ve ever seen. From literal campaigns housed in “porn paradise” to its custom dildo invites to Milan Fashion Week, Martens’ joining of Diesel revolves around one word: sex-positivity.”
I always love Tyler’s style and this collab is no exception. It’s fun to see Louis chasing a bold luxury perspective when everyone else is leaning into quiet luxury. Which is more memorable?
POSITIONING WITH SMART PRODUCTS AND BIG EVENTS
Gymshark recently introduced a Diffuse Sweat Headband, designed with textured and curly hair in mind. “This is an incredible example of a brand solving challenges that are universally recognised but not prioritised.” and lots of other positive feedback on this move. They also have started an event series called Lift. The latest was in Miami. They seem to be doing things right. The brand was started by a 20-year-old who is not a billionaire.
Side note: In the comments on the headband someone asks ‘where are the hijab’. We did a Zappos project and cast someone who wanted to wear a hijab for running and it was near impossible to find anything cool. Someone should fix that.
AIME THINKS IT’S 50 BUT IT’S 10
This Aime Leon Dore 10-year anniversary post is funny because it makes it feel like they have been around since the 90s but obviously have not. That’s their vibe but still funny. They did make this interesting 3-part movie for the anniversary titled DOUBLEMINT. Not many brands invest in this type of content but it got a lot love on the socials.
SOL KEEPING THE OCTANE IN L'OCCITANE -> Feed Me
Sol de Janeiro continues to boost L’Occitane Group’s sales. Unsurprising as they do brand well. In contrast, “L’Occitane en Provence’s growth slowed slightly to 2.6% at constant rates in the nine first months of fiscal year 2024”. This brand deserves a come back but think they’d have to take a big pivot to regain interest. Back to Sol, it’s been a while since I’ve seen a branded photo booth at an event but the purple marshmallows in the hot chocolate at this Sol De Janeiro pop-up are cute. This Edinburgh pop-up is also cute.
THE KIDS ARE BANANAS FOR BON BON -> Feed Me
Swedish candy company, BonBon went viral on TikTok and now they can barely keep up with orders. The stores themselves feel a bit dated/disappointing (and I do not get the top hats) but the concept of a pick-and-mix is always good and they have a line out of the door every day so who am I to judge. This little pop-up cart they have for showing up in other stores is smart.
RAG & BONES’ GOING INTERNATIONAL
“Guess will purchase the brand’s operating assets, while both companies will each own 50% of Rag & Bone’s intellectual property.” Andrew Rosen, chairman of the board at Rag & Bone, said “It’s a great opportunity for our team to take the brand to the next level, blending our unique styles and respective expertise to create new possibilities for Rag & Bone on a global scale.” Interesting they are splitting intellectual property.
Side note: When we were in NYC we were all talking about how Guess is ready for a new chapter. It had such a stranglehold on millennials in college but really hasn’t done much since.
I came across this Beis carwash-themed campaign a bit backwards, by way of their pop-up announcement. Beis pop-up announcement. The pop-up makes much more sense than the campaign but always interesting to see how brands tie things together.
We mention the new Alex Mill denim campaign in the last newsletter, Rachel goes into how Alex Mill got ‘The One That You Want’ song rights. Music and music rights are TRICKY. They used the song for all the influencer content too. It’s a good read with lots of crafty tips.
“RK: How did you get the rights to the song? It's a cover, right? What was that process like?
RA: OMG. This process was insane—I joke around that if I would have known, I would have told our designers to design different jeans so we could use a different song ;) “
BRANDY MELVILLE IS A MULTI-HYPHATE BRAND -> Feed Me
“Did you know Brandy Melville owns a bunch of cafes? I always thought it was strange that they sold that olive oil in the store ( Emilia Petrarca wrote about this back in 2021 for The Cut), but now I don’t think that because I had a sandwich at St. George, a cafe owned by the same owner as Brandy Melville, and it was great. A friend close to the business said, “They have endless resources so they were actually able to buy the best ovens and machinery. They also flew in a baker from France.” So it looks like there are a few locations of St. George, including New York and London, but they also have a restaurant called Chill Since ‘93 in Los Angeles, that does delivery and has an awful logo. Obviously, their Instagram has the same aesthetic as Brandy Melville. I can’t say much more, but the story of the Brandy Melville empire and where they’re going is… fascinating.”
REPAIR IS THE NEW SUSTAINABILITY TREND -> Wishlist
Speaking of popular Substack Shop Rat Devin says: “Most importantly, I want to bring your attention to her MASSIVE list of tailors, cobblers, and cleaners in New York and California. She compiled and crowdsourced this list for Repair Month (January) where she encourages folks to tend to the clothes they already had, instead of buying something new. We love to see it!”
In this article about Hermes, they talk about repairs too. Think this will be a bigger thing this year. But this whole article is fascinating.
“Hermès commands a premium in the public market. Hermès currently trades at 18x its 2023 sales ($14.3B) whereas LVMH trades at 5x its 2023 sales ($93B). On a price-to-earnings basis, Hermès is valued at 51x while LVMH is valued at 26x.” The Hermès empire is primarily built around its single namesake brand while LVMH is an umbrella for 75 Houses. Loved this part:
"When I was head of the Hermès leather department, there was a spike in the gold price in 2008 because of the uncertainty in the financial markets. We use much more gold in the closings of our bags than anyone else and that has a cost.
So the finance person said, ‘do you need to put so much?’
And I said, ‘OK, let’s discuss’ and I called in one of our best craftsmen and asked, ‘What do you think?’
He told me; ‘It’s very easy. If I put [less gold] like the others, no craftsman will see the difference. The sales associate won’t see the difference, in the window of the store, no one will see the difference and the client won’t see the difference. But in nine years, [the way we do it] will have such a better patina than anyone else.’
And I said, ‘Let’s keep doing it our way.’
What is going to happen in nine years is as important for us as what is going to happen in a few months."
BUT MAYBE HERMES SHOULD WATCH OUT?
“Some say that the new Birkin is The Row’s Margaux bag. If this means anything to you, here’s what you should know: The Row’s Margaux bag, a years-old stealth wealth staple, has reached peak virality: magazines are calling it the next Birkin Bag, TikTokkers are racing to buy it and retailers can’t seem to keep it in stock.” But the most popular comment on this post point to exactly what the Hermes article did. The details on this are not the same and the comparison is not really there. The Row is very popular but are they trying to be the next Hermes truly?
FUN TO FOLLOW
Downright obsessed with these food stylist tips
Mesmerizing making of a forever-repeating pattern
The Zara Home thumbnails feature (use the VIEW toggle on the right) is one of those website things where you just want to applaud the team. (But they need to hire a new team for the tableware section)
I’m very into Drake’s (menswear) account. I like this very simple campaign they did and this series is fun
Love Juan’s work
These kids are gems
JUST FOR LAUGHS
Google’s AI Gemini blunders
OpenAI’s drunk Tuesday night
Erewhon effect (it’s a City Fresh) though no one is laughing at $10 Captain Crunch
Hire them.
That’s all, folx!
So much brain power. Maybe you could switch to wholistic healing?