Today is January 20th, which means we almost made it a full month into the year without raising an incredulous eyebrow at whatever machinations Starbucks is throwing together in a grasp for cultural relevancy. But now we have been gifted Starbucks’s new bizarre lineup of couture-ish collabs, featuring Hypebeast and an Oasis nepo baby.
In the Hypebeast article, “Presented by Starbucks®,” they are calling it a “cultural initiative,” one that is curated in partnership with Sarah Andelman, who was the creative director of the now-closed Parisian high-fashion/streetwear concept store colette (started by her mother Colette Roussaux) as well as the curatorial force behind Just An Idea books.
The capsules are said to “serve as an outlet for artistic expression, drawing on Milan’s intrinsic cafe culture for inspiration” and will feature “a series of projects with brands, designers, and artists.” The result? “Must-have garments and lifestyle products” and a lot of dark green.
The first drops will include three collaborations with artist Lucas Zanotto and Italian brands like waterproof clothing maker K-Way, winter sports brand Nordica, and dog couture designer Poldo Dog Couture. Dog couture. I have never spent $500 on a puffer vest for my dog but to be honest I didn’t even know the option existed.
There is of course the green down-stuff puffer vest for your pooch, some Nordica skis (also green), a K-Way windbreaker, some playing cards, cups, and Gene Gallagher, who is Oasis co-founder Liam Gallagher’s kid. Gene’s part of the campaign involves standing there, looking all Oasis-y, mostly next to Starbucks-branded gear but never in it for some reason. Except for the dog vest. Makes sense he doesn’t have that one on.
The collection was released as part of Milan Men’s Fashion Week and are now available at the Starbucks Reserve Roastery in Piazza Cordusio.
So this is how we are “reinventing coffee culture” huh? (Hypebeast’s words, not mine.) Fancy dog jackets and skis that are made with who in mind exactly I don’t know. A masochist who gets off on people making fun of them on snowy peaks maybe. If you think repping Starbucks in the Dolomites is going to endear you to the locals then you’ve got another thing coming.
I mean, sure, they could move the needle in the larger coffee culture by ratifying union contracts, four years in the making at this point or by shtoinking every drink name to bastardize or by releasing a transparency report. They wield the power to do all of this and the impact of these actions would be significant, expanding far beyond their own cafes. But why do any of that when there is, and I cannot express this emphatically enough, dog couture.
Zac Cadwalader is the managing editor at Sprudge Media Network and a staff writer based in Dallas. Read more Zac Cadwalader on Sprudge.
