Did Sweetgreen Steal this Merch Concept?
Piping hot tea in today's newsletter...
In Today’s Newsletter
Did Sweetgreen Steal the Idea for their New Merch Capsule?
Zendaya is Fueling On’s Growth
Fragrance-Tok UPDATE!
Charli xcx Links with Acne Studios
and more!
Sweetgreen Made an Ugly Hoodie and Its Even Worse Because they Stole the Idea
Don’t get me wrong, I love Sweetgreen. While its fallen to #3 in my unofficial slop bowl rankings (1. Cava 2. Chipotle 3. Sweetgreen … 99. ThisBowl) I still pop in 2-3 times a week for a crispy rice bowl.
And I can’t shade the concept of them jumping into the world of merch… but I will critique the execution.
Just yesterday, the unveiled a Kale-inspired hoodie—
While its not the most egregious brand merch, rocking a Sweetgreen hoodie is a questionable sartorial decision.
And what makes it worse it they allegedly stole the idea…
Market, formerly known as Chinatown Market, took to IG to BLAST Sweetgreen, sharing screenshots of an email chain showing they were cooking up this idea last September to no fruition.
Now a year later, Sweetgreen ran away with the idea…
Its gotta be a rough f*cking day for the Sweetgreen social media manager…
Zendaya is Fueling On’s Growth
On is one of the most exciting athletic brands on the market right now. Due in part to their innovative product lineup, which I commented on in The Guardian last Summer.
And this investment in innovation, as well as strategic partnerships with Zendaya and this year’s Olympics are fueling massive sales.
In their quarterly report, the brand says sales have risen 32.3%
This comes as the running world is experiencing an inflection point, as smaller brands like On and Hoka are eating into Nike’s market share, amidst internal turmoil.
BUT… on the ground I am seeing more Nike’s than ever. At the NYC Marathon, literally everyone was wearing the new Nike AlphaFly 3.
I picked up the last pair in Williamsburg and can attest they’re the best running shoe I’ve ever worn.
Fragrance-Tok’s Biggest Star Isn’t Backing Down
In Monday’s newsletter I covered the current drama happening on Fragrance TikTok.
Scout Dixon West, a popular influencer in the space, was under fire for alleged posts she made critiquing COVID lockdowns.
Now she’s responded—
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Her response goes to show that cancel culture is essentially dead. We’ve seen time and time again creators outlasting public drama by just doubling down and refusing to concede defeat.
The strategy certainly worked for the next President…
Speaking of Which… Biden Met with Trump Today
That whole ‘threat to democracy’ angle seems to be over. The two oldest Presidents of all time appear to have squashed their beef.
In another life, these two could have been golf pals…
Charli xcx Links with Acne Studios
Big win for fans of $750 muddy jeans.
The Founder of APC Made a Natural Wine
The NYT interviewed Jean Touitou, founder of APC, about his natural wine.
This is far from the typical celebrity backed alcohol brand, Touitou reportedly spent a considerable amount of time sourcing and preparing his debut natty wine, telling the Times his goal was to—
To make the natural wine for people who don’t like natural wine.
Touitou has a ton of time on his hands since selling a majority stake in APC.
I’m so ready to pull up to Gem in my selvedge denim and get a glass of this.
Jake Bell is a content marketing, creative strategist, designer, and writer based in NYC. He specializes in brand building, content strategy, creative direction, business development, and making things cool.
Want to chat? Email me: jake@jb.studio
As somewhat of a shit-stirrer myself, this isn’t a good look for Market. If they are going to get hysterical about a “stolen idea” it should be one that is truly unique to them.
A quick google search shows that lettuce-print camo-style fabric already exists, in fact a company called Lettuce Merchandise makes camo lettuce clothing already.
Market needs to put their big boy pants on and walk away. Ridiculous.
CAVA at number one, hell yeah.