Anyone Missing Their Giant Hermes Bag? 👜
SoHo's Giant Hermes Bag, Supreme's Potential Sale, the Death of the Chunky Sneaker, and Packaging Inspiration
GM everyone. Right back at you with another popping newsletter. If you’re struggling to get back on the grind post-Memorial Day weekend, here is some Mad Men motivation—
On today’s letter—
The giant Hermes bag in NYC
Incredible Packaging Inspo
The Titanic Sub Pt 2
RIP Chunky Sneakers
and more!
NEWS
A giant Hermes bag attracted tons of Instagram Stories over the weekend. If you were away in the Hamptons over the weekend, you missed your chance to take a photo with a massive Hermes bag stationed outside of Sohotel. This was not officially sanctioned by Hermes, but rather an art installation commissioned by Geo Events and sculpted by WEGO.
I passed by it on my walk from Cafe Integral to Dimes Square over the weekend and there were TONS of people flocking to take photos of the ludicrously capacious bright pink bag. It instantly reminded me of last year’s viral video of giant Jacquemus bags driving down the streets of Paris.
The only difference being the Jacuemus video was a very realistic 3D render, and this bag was real. It also is pretty identical to the giant Marc Jacobs bag that was downtown last year (and was way cooler)
I’m not super certain on the purpose of the giant Hermes bag, besides maybe garnering attention to Geo Events? What do you guys think about these ‘immersive’ art installations? Are they cool or gimmicky?
A billionaire in Ohio plans to take another sub down to the Titanic wreckage. Do you guys remember Oceangate last year? Where we all collectively scrolled Twitter looking for updates on a missing submarine traveling to the bottom of the Atlantic ocean to see the Titanic wreckage, only to discover the sub had literally imploded under pressure. Well, apparently that event stirred a lot of distrust around the shipwreck tourism industry. But Larry Conner, an Ohio-based real estate investor, and Triton Submarines co-founder Patrick Lahey will embark on the same mission to prove its safe. I gotta give it to the guy… he’s got chutzpah.
Supreme may be getting sold. Four years after VF Corp acquired one of streetwear’s most legendary brands in a $2.1B deal, the fashion conglomerate may be slimming down its portfolio. Shares of VF Corp (owner of Vans, The North Face, etc.) are down almost 30% from last year, and they’ve enlisted Goldman Sachs to help them sell off parts of their roster. Supreme was originally valued at $1B in 2017 when they received an investment from the Carlyle Group, before getting a 2x valuation just 3 years later. At the time, the hype on Supreme seemed to be unstoppable, with endless collabs, long lines, and a thriving resale market. But in the years since VF Corp acquired the brand, they’ve seemed to have lost stalled, with the exit of their creative director Tremaine Emory, who alleged systemic racism at the company, and a diminishing appeal amongst consumers. While they’re continuing global expansion, it may be in their best interest to be taken private. I wonder who will purchase them and for how much?
The chunky sneaker is really really really dead. GQ wrote about the trend of slim-profile sneakers dominating the footwear industry right now. From the Miu Miu x New Balance collab, the Samba, and even the YEEZY sock-shoe, its safe to say the people want little shoes.
Fashion proves once and once again how cyclical it is, for years we all wanted massive shoes like the Balenciaga Triple S, which debuted in 2017. But we stand at a crossroads now… the Samba is kinda cooked, take for example this ‘fashion’ Instagram posting about the alternative to a Samba being the… Wales Bonner Samba.
Give me a break. So where do we go? I’ve been thinking a lot about the classic Margiela Gat for Summer ‘24. What shoes are you guys rocking this Summer?
✨ PACKACING INSPIRATION ✨
On yesterday’s newsletter I mentioned the new Clase Azul mezcal bottle. Just this morning, another beautifully done alcohol packaging was brought to my attention.
This is Brighter Later, an Australian based Gin brand. They have a well executed bottle and packaging design done by The Company You Keep, a similarly Australian based branding agency.
I love the accent yellow wax on the top of the bottle, juxtaposed against the clean, minimal, off-white label which features a small mono typeface and a bold sans serif type for the company wordmark.
Additionally, the box is really well designed too. It reminds me of a shelf-stable food product, and screams utilitarianism, but its accented by a colorful red-orange pattern on the inside of the box.
When designing packaging, look at the nuances of your canvas and find unexpected ways to add design elements. Opening a product is the most tangible part of the customer journey, besides actually getting drunk on this gin, and thoughtfully executing each touch point is a great way to build an IRL experience for your customers.
Opening the sparse box to discover a flaming red interior provides a moment of whimsey for the consumer.
Nowadays, many consumers are willing to spend more for an alcohol that is going to look nice on their bar cart, so take the time to make it look like something that adds beauty to a room, not takes it away.
Okay gotta run! See you tomorrow :)
Jake Bell is a content marketing, creative strategist, and designer based in NYC. He specializes in brand building, content creation, branding, art direction, creative strategy, and making things cool.
Want to chat? Email me: jake@jb.studio