Gin & Juice. Sports Drip. New Era Manis.
August is coming to a ridiculous finish from London to Chicago.
From London
This weekend, I tried a can of Dr. Dre and Snoop Dogg’s (barely bearable) Gin & Juice, which recently landed in the UK. In an age where culture is so relentlessly productised (“Mind on my money, money on my mind…”), I wouldn’t be surprised to see Nas’ fried chicken in the frozen aisle, Rakim’s glazed donut collab with Dunkin’ and a line of milkshakes by Kelis. Big Pun can keep his “shark salad with carrots, pork chops, and applesauce,” though.
Newer snack and beverage brands are having fun with their names. In a refreshing turnaround from the same old, same old nomenclature prevalent in better-for-you consumer goods, brands like Cheeky Nibble, Nuisance, Taking the Pea and Kiss the Hippo are bringing smiles to shelves in the UK.
Countless clothing brands now chime something to the song of being “made for every body.” But British swimwear brand Hunza G proves that inclusivity isn’t a buzzword. It’s a commitment. The company’s new post-mastectomy swimsuit line features hidden, expandable pockets to insert prosthetics of all sizes, with lining designed to be soft against delicate scar tissue. Happy to see this brand making waves in adaptive clothing.
I’m still spotting these short, smart ads from telecommunications company Three all over London. Its ‘Life Needs a Big Network’ campaign does a great job of leveraging elongated interjections to capture those relatable, everyday moments of connection that comes with ‘living your best phone life’. Simple and effective copy in action.
From Chicago
This week, I’m in awe of X? And, no, I’m not referring to the rebranded Twitter. I’m talking about the baseballer, artist, and entrepreneur who created the brand Absolutely Ridiculous. There are few things more ridiculous than the amount of “drip” (their word, not mine) that young athletes feel they “MUST” procure to be at their best. While the rest of us are rolling our eyes, X and his MLB pals are capitalizing on this reality. What’s the phrase the marketing gods always say… “In every insight, there’s an opportunity.”? No doubt. My son just shelled out $85 of his stockpiled allowance for an ARiA rainbow sherbet sliding mitt (ARiA is short for Absolutely Ridiculous innovation for Athletes), his third in a collection of handwear that looks like it belongs in my kitchen for maneuvering hot pots and pans. The name of X’s marketing game is scarcity. Most of his products are outrageously unique and sell out in under 3 minutes. According to his website, “Once an item sells out, there’s no guarantee it will be produced again.” Better buy now!
A pOpshelf just arrived in my neighborhood, and I think their merchandising manager might still be on summer holiday. It went into an old CVS storefront that’s been empty for over a year, and the scabs of the former tenant are still visible (see below). When I first saw the sign announcing the retailer’s arrival, I seriously wondered if it was an experiential pop-up shop for Popchips (not kidding— the logos are weirdly similar and the exterior of the building screamed “just passing through.”). With a little research, I found out that pOpshelf is a Dollar General spin-off intended to reach a wealthier clientele who occasionally splurges on non-essentials— the type who goes into Target for detergent and comes out with $200 worth of unplanned beauty and seasonal home goods (um, guilty). But, I’m not getting that vibe at all.
Random thought— I’m beginning to think press-on nails are the shoulder pads of the 2020s. There was a time, circa 1985, when shoulder pads were a telltale sign of a woman who means business. I can recall my mom’s multiple sets and— in retrospect— I realize that she wore them to fit her mood and mission more than her attire. Today, many of the most powerful, spunky, ladder-topping women I know opt for press-on nails over a salon-manicured set. When I probe “why?”, it’s about variety and convenience (not price as Cosmo suggests). These women are swapping press-on sets at a rate that far exceeds the cost of any bi-weekly salon sesh. And the convenience fits their schedule. You can’t take your manicurist to Tokyo and Brussels, but you can take a few packs of Olive & June.
Claire + Erica are doubling down on something we mentioned a few weeks ago! The wildly popular trend sleuths and creators of A Thing Or Two just launched a publishing house/marketplace/fan hub for romance readers called 831 Stories. I’m telling you, there’s a megatrend emerging here (see second bullet in this newsletter).