After three weeks of social isolation behind us, retailers have noticed an interesting trend: they’re selling way more tops than bottoms.
Now why could that be?
P.S: Intangible’s lead scribbler was swamped this week so we’re pushing back the brand study section to next week.
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Equipment 🖤
I have to give my girlfriend credit for uncovering Equipment - a French label from the 70s that was revived several years ago by Serge Aria (the older brother of Max Azria and founder of BCBGMAXAZRIA). Since 2013, they’ve partnered with big names like Daria Werbowy and Kate Moss to help champion the brand.
That being said, I’m a little surprised I haven’t heard more about them. There’s so much to like about Equipment - they don’t shy away from bold colors, yet somehow also have a refinement you usually only see on $1,000+ pieces.
They’re also currently running a 40% off sale across their entire site.
Lick Home 🎨
Lick Home is the most recent direct-to-consumer decorating company to launch, focusing on “durable and low-odor paints, artisan wallpaper, high quality decorating tools and our true-to-color stick-on samples delivered right to your door”.
Founded in 2019 by Lucas London, Lick’s color palette is 2020 friendly with shades such as “Neo Green” and “Warm Blood Orange”. But how do they differ from other paint start-ups, such as Clare?
It might not matter; only 4% of people currently buy paint online. Which means it’s either a hugely untapped market, or consumers just won’t be interested.
Poppi 🥤
Is there room for yet another fizzy beverage in your refrigerator? Poppi thinks so, especially if you believe in the healing powers of prebiotics.
Poppi was founded by Allison and Stephen Ellsworth in 2015 after experimenting with apple cider vinegar to create a prebiotic drink for Allison’s intestinal health issues. Originally called Mother Beverage, they were featured on Shark Tank in 2018 and successfully landed a $400,000 investment from Rohan Oza.
Unfortunately, they couldn’t trademark “mother” in their branding - so they pivoted to Poppi early this year. Each can cost $2.99, and come in tasty-sounding flavors such as Lime Ginger and Raspberry Rose.
News I’m Following 👀
📉 Macy’s will be replaced on the S&P 500. After a rough start to 2020, Macy’s market capitalization has fallen to $1.5 billion, which is a quarter of what it was at the end of 2019. It currently has the smallest market cap of any company on the S&P 500.
Much like the Premier League, faltering companies are relegated to the S&P 600 Small Cap Index and replaced by a growing company - which in this case is Carrier Global (an air conditioning company).
📱 Brands are using Guerilla Marketing techniques to expand their reach during the COVID-19 outbreak. Vogue Business has more:
“New technologies and social platforms have enabled companies to guerrilla market their brand in ways that were not possible before - something that is more pertinent amid the coronavirus outbreak, which has caused store closures, a decline in retail footfall and a greater shift to online shopping. As companies strive to strike the right chord when communicating with customers during the pandemic, being creative can help foster a feeling of community”.
AR filters (Gucci’s Beauty products), savage comments (Netflix and Wendy’s), and off-the-wall content (Slim Jim) are some of the success stories I’ve seen recently
💪 At-home fitness start-ups are seeing huge gains during the crisis. See below!
Tonal’s sales have tripled over the last three weeks to record highs.
Hydrow’s sales have also tripled in recent weeks with app usage also up over 40%.
Mirror’s app engagement has increased 5X along with a nice bump in sales.
On the other side of the spectrum, ClassPass’s overall revenue has dropped 96%.
Jobs 💼
Peloton - Supply Chain Data Analyst (NYC)
Him & Hers - Supply Chain Manager (SF)
Away - Systems Analyst (NYC)
Buck Mason - Director of Sourcing (OH)
Bombas - Business Operations Analyst (NYC)
Curology - Director of Business Systems (SF)
Harry’s - Demand Planning Senior Associate (NYC)
MeUndies - Customer Retention Manager (SF)
Internships 🎓
Petco - Marketing Analytics MBA Intern (SD)
Roku - Content Strategy MBA Intern (LA)
Shareables 😏
🎵 Diplo and Dillon Francis bring the heat with their Coronight Fever live set.
📺 All the fashion movies, books, and TV shows to check out while you socially distance.
🛍️ Great HBR article on the future of direct-to-consumer companies.
🤵 An experience in bespoke: The process of bespoke suiting by Liverano & Liverano.
⚙️ Inside the whimsical but surprisingly dark world of Rube Goldberg Machines.
👩🍳 What it’s like to self-quarantine with a Michelin-starred chef.
😢 What’s becoming known as the “Great Unwinding” of Silicon Valley.
👨🎤 How the Weeknd mastered his personal brand.
🎹 More musical content: Why brands are doubling down on hip-hop talent.
🎶 This week’s oldie but goodie: For all my EDM heads out there, 1001Tracklists has got pretty much every tracklist ever.
Hey! I’m Sean, a first-year MBA at the University of Michigan. Know of a new brand I should feature? Holla at me! I’d also love your feedback - feel free to shoot me a note at seansky@umich.edu.
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