The Relevancy Read

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

A Sampling

The great sardine surge.

December 06, 2022

If you want to dine in a reconstructed Chili’s, you’ll have to get on the list.

A fast-food fandom is in full force as iconic franchise restaurants take on cult status for consumers. Chain, a pop-up series reimagining beloved chain restaurant dishes and settings has quickly become a hot spot for LA celebrities and cool kids alike with its most recent Chili’s themed concept completely selling out. Rising brand Vain just debuted its latest collection, transforming discarded McDonald’s uniforms into elevated, golden-arch-inspired workwear pieces. Rowing Blazers currently has a vintage Domino’s Rolex for sale on its site and Del Toro is selling Benihana shoes, while Hard Rock Cafe t-shirts have been brought back into popularity by an entirely new generation. Tapping into sentiments of nostalgia, humor, and norm-core culture, TOBE sees further opportunity in this space and encourages collaborations or activations that play with these references. Meals not included.

Adult interest in children's cartoons sees classic depictions veer sophisticated and cheeky.

The Pink Panther has become a rising modern meme star, his image splashed across Twitter feeds as both a niche joke and symbol of groovy aesthetics. Looney Tunes has quickly grown its following on TikTok, appealing to a new, younger audience through trending humor, while popular NYC bar Primo’s heavily plays with images of Bugs Bunny on its Instagram feed. Beyond social media, Chip ‘n Dale: Rescue Rangers provides a more mature take on the two chipmunks, depicting them as washed-up Hollywood actors voiced by John Mulaney and Andy Samberg. Classic cartoons are all grown up and have new meanings to a generation of meme makers and internet comics. While licensing opportunities are endless, consider more mature renditions that target an unexpected audience.

Sardines have infiltrated the commercial landscape.

TikTok’s latest epicurean spotlight is on tinned fish as the premiumization of pantry items sees non-perishable ingredients upgrade across the board. Foodies are swimming in an array of high-end tinned fish, many spotlighted on niche Instagram account The Sardinfluencer. We see Jose Gourmet’s sampler becoming gifting staple this holiday season. The sardine surge proliferates aesthetically outside the grocery store. Look to ceramic trays by Everything Alex Cooks, dinnerware by The Roundhouse, jewelry by Shulian Nell, fun fashion from Rachel Antonoff, and even cakes by Sardine NYC.

Breakthroughs in bioengineering mean your next handbag might be grown in a lab.

And it doesn’t stop there. Everything from clothing and jewelry to houseplants will have new origin stories as material innovation goes down to the cellular level. Kering-backed startup VitroLabs creates lab-grown leather by using a single cow cell cultivated in just-right conditions that allow it to grow like the real deal. Materials science brand Pangaia makes biofabricated hoodies with its “Brewed Protein” fiber (a petroleum-free alternative to synthetic fabrics), while Neoplants bioengineers the common Pothos houseplant into a super air-purifying machine. The diamond industry is set for a shake up as big companies like LMVH invest in Lusix, which grows the precious gemstone using solar energy in—you guessed it!—a lab. When it comes to product development, approach your offering from a micro level to find innovation whitespaces.