It’s not just a T-shirt!
SSENSE, Merch, Collabs and Hood By Air
I spent the weekend in Montreal - It was F1 weekend but the highlight was celebrating my mom’s birthday! We surprised her and celebrated her like no other. Happy Birthday to the most selfless woman I Know <3.
Disclaimer- My mom doesn’t quite understand my obsession with clothes and expensive T-shirts but she’s always very supportive of my ideas and hobbies. We stopped by SSENSE over the weekend which was super fun! Out of all the experiential stores I’ve been to, it’s definitely my favorite— Five floors of seamless black concrete and stainless steel, with showrooms that double as art galleries. And their clothing selection is just incredible. infinite. amazing.
Anyways, long story short, clothes inspire me a lot, particularly in terms of design, marketing, personal style, and storytelling. I love every aspect of it and today i’m talking merch. While I’m not the biggest merch person or consumer, it’s fascinating how pervasive it has become. It’s an industry facet that even Joe’s Pizza can relate to even and let’s be honest, we all have a random t-shirt with a printed logo, just because.
When I think about merch,
I think about the emotional impact of purchasing a physical item that evokes a positive feeling or a moment.
It’s like I love XYZ so much, I now have a physical item that embodies those good vibes and or supports a movement.
When I think about Merch,
I think about the famous Yeezus merch designed by the Donda team back in the days.
I think about Alex Cooper in her Barstool days where she made more money selling her call her daddy merch than she did from podcasting.
I think about the limited Murd333rr.fm and Moodswings drops that sell out instantly.
I think about Bobby hundred’s book; This is not a t-shirt …. it’s a community.
You get the point: whether you’re a brand, a celebrity or an influencer, merch resonates when you genuinely have an impact on your community. Which reminds me of this article discussing music artists going viral on twitter for low ticket sales. Not every artist with high media presence and clout can fill an area and not every influencer can sell products. However, those who invest time in training and nurturing their audience, can move mountains.
The reality is that merch is now overdone and the market is oversaturated. People are no longer interested in buying t-shirts, hoodies, water bottles, mugs and socks… unless it’s from Taylor Swift, or anyone with a Beyhive aka a crazy cult following.
For example, the latest Balenciaga show featured several looks from their recent collaboration with Under Armour — Interesting one — I’ve been trying to figure out the origin and financials behind it [like who paid who and is it selling] because i don’t know of anyone who likes Under & Armour enough to invest $800 on a non dri-fit T-shirt.
On a brighter note, I saw a few pieces from the Jean Paul Gaulthier x Shayne Oliver Group collab at SSENSE!
I support this one, although it’s challenging to keep up with Shayne Oliver’s ventures. He currently operates under several brands, Anonymous club, Museum, Hood By Air (HBA) and the Shayne Oliver group.
I want to quickly mention HBA— The label was originally founded by Shayne and operated by Raul Lopez (now of Luar). I think it’s safe to say that Hood By Air is the pioneer when it comes to blurring the lines between high fashion and streetwear, pre Pyrex, Off-White, Vetements, Fear of god etc.
I’m unsure what ultimately happened to the brand, but there was some drama, including a diss track by ASAP Rocky and issues with the New Guards Group.
HBA isn’t as visible as it once was but its legacy endures… Urban culture continues to influence the mainstream. These trailblazers began by throwing wild parties and selling merch.. The rest is history.
Typos are intentional!
Cheers!
audrey x
Bonne fête Kathleennnn ❤️