🤠 LV Goes Cowboy Core

and other things you should know about...

GM all it is soooooooooo cold in NYC. Hope you’re all staying warm. A few weeks ago I interviewed the founder of VYBES, Jonathan Eppers, about the brand’s new low-caffeine energy drinks. Yesterday, the pack touched down at my apartment and I brought the passionfruit hibiscus flavor to Equinox to work for a bit before running.

I have to say I really liked it, it provided me with enough energy to close out the work day strong and run a few miles afterwards, without the usual buzz and eventual crash of a Celsius. If you’re interested in trying it yourself, visit their website.

Okay let’s get into some news—

• Solo Stove’s CEO is departing the company after their Snoop Dogg backed marketing ploy failed. Remember this campaign from a few months ago? Snoop Dogg announced he was “dropping smoke” which led to a ton of buzz online debating whether or not he was giving up smoking copious amounts of weed. At the time, I had predicted this was a tactic to announce a line of edibles, but I was wrong, it was for Solo’s smokeless stove. Apparently, the campaign failed to generate the expected sales and now the CEO is out. Betting big on a celebrity endorsement isn’t a guaranteed ticket to success in this day and age. It probably would have been better to select someone who was more brand aligned and dedicated (Mr. Dogg was posting other brand partnerships the same day this campaign dropped)

  

• Gen Z loves The Sopranos. Dazed explored why the show has seen a huge resurgence in popularity with twenty-something’s. I first watched Sopranos during lockdown and it became my fav dramatic show of all time, and many other had a similar experience. Many in this article reference their love of Soprano’s often morally questionable (it’s a show about the mafia, what do you expect?) characters, which contradicts the stereotype that Gen Z yearns for perfect, uncancellable characters. I’d argue we actually hate that. The ‘mobwife’ aesthetic is also HOT for 2024, racking up 38.5M views on TikTok.

  

• Coachella announced their 2024 lineup. The annual festival will feature Tyler the Creator, Doja Cat, and Lana Del Rey. I think this is a pretty strong lineup, and its testament to the under wavering appeal of Lana Del Rey. Voice of our generation? Okay also Friday features Justice, Lil Uzi, AND Deftones? Maybe I should go.

  

• Bookshelf wealth is the latest term we need to familiarize ourselves with. The New York Times explored this home decor aesthetic which features stacks of curated (and read) books, reading nooks, crowded walls of overlapping art, and classical home stylings. This aesthetic is gaining traction as a signal of wealth and taste, as it is antithetical to the cookie cutter, bland, new developments many people live in these days.

LV Goes to the Ranch

In the biggest story of the last 24 hours, Pharrell unveiled his second collection with Louis Vuitton, taking cues from the American West, and bringing cowboy-core to LV. The show was announced using this classic roadside billboard, which I really like.

In my opinion, the show is leagues better that Pharrell’s debut collection. There is a blend of workwear classics (double-knees, work jackets) as well as over-the-top bejeweled suede shirts. Oh and lots of bolo ties.

I appreciate the theming of this show, and I love some of the silhouette that mix flowing trousers with rigid, squared off jackets. The models wheeling in the trunks like a ranch hand was also a nice touch.

While the Timberland collaboration is incredibly lazy, I do think this collection shows more focus and creativity from Pharrell. I like the new muted Speedy bag colors, and the cowhide duffel is beautiful.

Is 2024 going to be the year of the cowboy? Is RRL going to be big? How long till I see someone at Cafe Integral in a cowboy hat? Time will tell.

About the Writer

Jake Bell is a content marketing and creative strategist based in NYC. He specializes in content creation, branding, art direction, creative strategy, and making things cool.

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