The Relevancy Read

Hot takes, early calls and astute observations, carefully curated.

A Sampling

Hikers, bikers, and ravers, on my!

January 24, 2023

New York feels a lot like Los Angeles.

A section of NYC spanning NoHo and SoHo recently earned the title Little LA, or LiLA, as LA haunts like Fred Segal plant themselves near notorious celebrity hideaways Zero Bond and the Bowery Hotel. Beyond this hamlet, the LA lifestyle has officially seduced New Yorkers. They’re eating earlier and forgoing club nights. Weed is legal and Eleven Madison Park has gone vegan. Sound stages are cropping up and the owner of Sunset Tower plans to open a members-only club in the iconic Jane Hotel. While New York will always claim a particular edge, the energy has shifted towards (allegedly) greener pastures. West coast lifestyle brands, strike while the iron’s hot!

The outdoorsy customer raves on weekends.

There’s always been overlap between athletic and rave-ready apparel. Whether you’re grooving at an underground warehouse or the middle of the desert, performance pieces keep the good times going. However a recent uptick in outdoorsy activities and post-pandemic party energy creates new selling potential. We stopped by urban-hippie menswear store Corridor last weekend where Crystal Guardian was hosting a pop-up for custom silicone ear plugs and overheard a customer excited to use the product for both EDM concerts and camping. The hiker-biker-raver style archetype is exemplified in Rapha and Palace's recent collaboration blending bike and streetwear.

NFTs’ PR crisis sees positioning shift to purposeful digital collectibles.

Ty Haney’s new CBD brand Joggy uses Web3 platform Try Your Best to reward customers for brand engagement with owned digital assets. We were unsure if consumers would actually want these tokens, but people are beginning to realize they provide more value than standard points systems and bragging-rights NFTs. Other brands are getting on board. June Shine joined Try Your Best to launch a social club offering online community, exclusive merch, opportunity to co-create new flavors, and coin rewards for tasting-room check-ins and purchases. Beyond the blockchain, brands play into the idea of digital mementos and collectibles. Spotify recently prompted users to create a time-capsule playlist of current-favorite tunes. Ours consists of all Harry Styles and we’re certain will age like fine wine.

Common objects forged in metal feel like apocalypse-ready heirlooms.

Tiffany and Fendi’s one-of-a-kind sterling silver baguette bag is embossed with roses and features finely crafted, functional hardware. Chrome Hearts' highly collectible and solvable sterling Rubik’s cube uses brand icons instead of colors. In Toteme's NYC store, silver vases and figurines are set against a mirrored background, making a solid case for metallic home accents. As consumers increasingly romanticize all things historic and antiquated, tap into this obsession with preservation and provenance.

Branded booze merch gets a fashion refresh.

Kim Jones announced a collection with Hennessy X.O Cognac, set to include a limited-edition bottle and the alcohol brand’s first luxury-facing fashion item. Since its launch, Kendall Jenner’s 818 Tequila has elevated the brand’s promotional apparel to feel less like a marketing ploy and more like an independent streetwear line through thoughtful curations and collaborations with Cherry LA. As referential apparel upticks and drinking culture skews more refined, repping one's drink of choice no longer feels cheesy or crass. We expect to see more dignified, booze-branded streetwear and are patiently waiting to see what Mr. Jones has in store.