Rate the Collab: Are Brand Collabs Cooked?

These brands are definitely collaborating that's for sure.

In Today’s Newsletter

Let’s play a fun game of ranking various brand collaborations announced this week.

Plus I explain what makes a great brand collaboration.

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Good morning everyone. I am still working on my follow-up pieces exploring where you all physically work (in-office, remote, hybrid) and where the best co-working spot is as well as my piece about dating asking you if you could date someone with opposing political beliefs and how much that even matters to modern dating.

If you have a chance please fill out these surveys. It only takes a few minutes and it can be completely anonymous. Plus the answers I’ve been getting are pretty good. Spicy takes appreciated.

Fill out the surveys here—

• Where is the best place to work?

• Does politics matter in dating?

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Rate that Collab

Are you tired of brands collaborating with one another? Well too f*cking bad because they’re going to keep doing it anyway.

I have a pretty simple view of what makes a brand collaboration ‘good’ and while it is mostly pretty subjective and ultimately is decided by the final output (product, experience, etc.) a good brand collab—

1. Starts with two brands that have similar brand ethos’ and consumer bases and

2. Works to create a product that uses the best of both collaborators skillsets to…

3. Create a product that couldn’t exist otherwise and excited both brands customers.

So with that in mind let’s jump in—

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Kith x Auralee

• Previewed on Ronnie Fieg’s Instagram story, it appears Kith, your friend whose a little behind on the zeitgeist’s favorite brand, is collaborating with Auralee.

• Founded in 2015 by Ryota Iwai, Auralee has been one of the best menswear brands for the past few years.

• Their exquisite materials sourcing elevates even simple sweaters and trousers to a new level. Its pricey but worth it.

• And if Auralee was working on a capsule collection with almost anyone else I would be excited… but them working with the brand responsible for some of the most wasteful collaborations in history is not promising.

• Let’s not forget Kith will literally collab with anyone…

  • Coca-Cola

  • Nike

  • Bape

  • Hello Kitty

  • Peanuts

  • The Simpsons

  • McDonalds’s

  • Ghostbusters

• And none of these collabs feel like they mean anything to anyone, its just both brands logos on a t-shirt someone visiting NYC from Kansas buys before hustling across town for their 7:00pm reservation at the Times Square Applebee’s.

Rating: 3/10

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Samuel Ross x Zara