The Week in Direct-to-Consumer: June 7, 2024 edition

Welcome to The Week in Direct-to-Consumer, a weekly roundup for marketers from Quad Insights that sums up the latest news in the DTC space.

Ahead of the 2024 Summer Olympics in Paris, apparel brand J. Crew this week announced a limited-edition collection created in partnership with USA Swimming. Inspired by ’90s graphics and styles, the USA Swimming x J. Crew collection features options for men, women and kids across various categories, including swimwear, sweatshirts, windbreakers, cashmere and more. As part of the partnership, J. Crew is donating to the USA Swimming Foundation and will run a campaign highlighting the “stories and personal journeys, both in and out of the pool” of USA Swimming athletes. The collection is available online and in J. Crew stores.

See also: “Figs will outfit hundreds of healthcare professionals at the Summer Olympics” (Retail Dive)

After closing all its brick-and-mortar stores and shifting to an exclusively online business model in March, Austin, Texas-based DTC athleisure brand Outdoor Voices has been acquired by Consortium Brand Partners, Chain Store Age’s Dan Berthiaume reports. In the wake of Consortium acquiring a majority stake in Draper James last year, the Outdoor Voices deal marks the next step in the investment fund management firm’s expansion strategy in the apparel category “while strategically leveraging owned channels,” Berthiaume notes.

Previously: “Reese Witherspoon sells majority stake in her fashion/lifestyle brand Draper James,” as we noted in the September 8, 2023 edition of this column.

DTC intimate apparel brand Knix just announced its first-ever swimwear collaboration with body-confidence influencer Sarah Nicole Landry, aka TheBirdsPapaya. Per the announcement, Knix’s inclusive sizing and its focus on female body positivity meant “it was only fitting” that Landry be its first partner in the category. The collection debuted in South Beach at Miami Swim Week, where Landry participated in the Sports Illustrated Swimsuit Runway show. Consisting of bikini tops and bottoms, a Sarong and a one-piece suit, the collection is now available on Knix’s DTC site.

Previously: “Knix names Gabrielle Union brand ambassador,” as we noted in the April 5 edition of this column.

Joining a growing number of DTC brands launching pop-ups to boost physical retail presence, DTC fast-fashion athleisure brand Halara has opened its first brick-and-mortar pop-up shop, Retail Dive’s Howard Ruben reports. Located in New York City, the 3,500-square-foot store will be open through Sunday and gives Halara a testing ground for physical retail, Ruben notes, adding that additional pop-ups in Texas, California and Florida, as well as Europe, Japan and Korea, could follow.

Previously: “Spanx launches first-ever pop-up series,” as we noted in an earlier edition of this column.

DTC trends:

• “Direct-to-Consumer (DTC) Pet Food Market to Reach $13.06 Billion by 2031” (Yahoo Finance)

DTC collaborations:

• “Little Spoon is betting on collaborations with Oatly, Graza & more to grow brand awareness” (Modern Retail)

DTC launches:

• “Sofía Vergara launches coffee brand on Walmart.com” (Retail Dive)

DTC strategy:

• “Best Buy fulfills direct-to-consumer electronics brand sales from stores” (Chain Store Age)
• “Foxtrot to reopen Chicago, Dallas, Austin locations” (Supermarket News)