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.

ThirdLove partners with Neiman Marcus

DTC bra and underwear brand ThirdLove just announced a partnership with retailer Neiman Marcus, Retail Dive’s Kaarin Vembar reports. Eight of ThirdLove’s bra styles are now available at select Neiman Marcus stores as well as on neimanmarcus.com. With this move, ThirdLove — which also launched a partnership with Amazon last summer — continues its “ongoing efforts to expand its presence beyond its own website,” Vembar writes.

The takeaway: Moving to a hybrid distribution model has become a major focus for digital-native DTC brands, and ThirdLove is yet another example of this trend. Insider Intelligence recently dove into this shift and the current DTC landscape, as we noted in last week’s installment of The Week in Direct-to-Consumer.

See also: ThirdLove also expanded into new product categories recently. In December, the brand launched into swimwear, as we noted in an earlier installment of The Week in Direct-to-Consumer.

Spanx launches first-ever global campaign, pushing into apparel

Timed to Women’s History Month, DTC women’s apparel, activewear and shapewear brand Spanx has launched its first-ever global campaign titled “We Live in Spanx.” Debuting with digital placements across Hulu, Meta platforms, YouTube and other channels, the campaign features track star Allyson Felix, culinary social media influencer Nadia Caterina Munno and women’s rights advocate and model Charli Howard. The campaign “highlights the multiple roles women juggle, emphasizing the power of a wardrobe that makes you feel as good as you look,” per the company announcement.

The takeaway: With “We Live in Spanx,” Spanx continues its focus on positioning itself as an inclusive brand that celebrates women.

See also: This marks the second campaign launch from Spanx in recent weeks. The company timed its first-ever brand campaign in London to London Fashion Week, as we noted in an earlier installment of The Week in Direct-to-Consumer; that campaign also features Charli Howard.

Rihanna and A$AP Rocky star in short film promoting Fenty Skin’s new lip balm

In promotion of the new Fenty Lux Balm lip balm, Fenty brands Founder Rihanna and rapper A$AP Rocky star in a new film noir-themed short film titled “Born to Steal: Yours, Mine, Ours,” The Hollywood Reporter’s Tatiana Tenreyro reports. Throughout the two-minute film, Rihanna’s character steals the many belongings of A$AP Rocky as he looks the other way; however, he draws the line at her theft of the new lip balm with the line, “Not so fast, baby. This one’s mine.”

See also: Fenty also made headlines in recent months with the anticipated return of its co-branded collection with Puma. In November, the two brands launched the Fenty x Puma Creeper Phatty, as we noted in an earlier installment of The Week in Direct-to-Consumer.

Track star Sydney McLaughlin-Levrone debuts collection with New Balance

U.S. Olympic gold medalist and hurdles world record holder Sydney McLaughlin-Levrone just debuted a collection in partnership with New Balance, Footwear News’ Allie Fasanella reports. Dubbed Sydney’s Signature Collection, the unisex line features athletic and lifestyle apparel as well as limited-edition running and lifestyle shoes. “Without naming other companies, a lot of them were trying to sell me a dream of ‘You can be the next x, y and z,’” McLaughlin-Levrone said on a podcast cited by Fasanella. “I felt like New Balance wanted to help me be the first Sydney. Be the first me.” The collection is now available on newbalance.com.

The takeaway: The debut of this inclusively sized collection is well-timed given that McLaughlin-Levrone is expected to compete in the 2024 Summer Olympics in Paris.

Further reading

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