It's been another weird week in retail. Lil Wayne partnered with possibly the most unexpected department store, Doritos splattered Ketchup on a clothing collection that goes great with fries and a Craigslist user listed a three-year-old casket in Minneapolis.
This, and more, in this week's retail therapy.
Neiman Marcus sparks up Lil Wayne collection
Many things come to mind when the words "Neiman Marcus" are spoken, including, but not limited to: possible bankruptcy, the idle rich and Dolce & Gabbana refrigerators.
Noticeably missing from that list is hip hop icon and 'man whose teeth are worth more than your life,' Lil Wayne. The cultural superstar recently launched a collaboration with Neiman Marcus dubbed "Young Money." The line, as reported by Dallas News, is for sale online and at Neiman Marcus' Beverly Hills store, and looks about as out of place there as a smile on Keanu Reeves.
Admittedly, the streetwear-heavy line of long-sleeve T-shirts, track pants and hoodies could do something to diminish Neiman Marcus' "delightfully over-the-top" image, as the most expensive item for sale is a surprisingly reasonably-priced $150 jacket targeted toward people who "want to stand out and whole-heartedly express themselves."
Then again, maybe Neiman Marcus doesn't want to drop from the rankings of overpriced department stores. Maybe, Neiman Marcus would rather maintain that illustrious title Lil Wayne coined himself: "Rich as F***."
Young money merch to be sold in Neiman Marcus... Anything is possible
— I S A B E L L E (@MwenBelle) February 16, 2018
Doritos spices up retail with ketchup fashion line
We've seen it a number of times this year. A popular food item gains so many followers that it earns its own merchandise line.
There was Cheetos' flamin hot merchandise, including a $20,000 "eye of the tiger" gem, KFC's fried chicken couture and Taco Bell's Forever 21 partnership, all of which seem to target the same 'I love this food enough to be a brand ambassador' demographic. Evidently the market is still hot for it because Doritos is now dropping a "Doritos Ketchup" line, according to Adweek.
The lookbook is filled with images of young adult models walking in poorly lit alleyways, city streets and through the aisles of convenience stores, because nothing says "I'm serious about my chip purchases" like walking into a 7-Eleven with a Doritos letterman jacket and a duffel with "ketchup" written on it.
Either we're missing the fashion trend here or Doritos really is just "for the bold."
Is it normal that I want all of the Doritos Ketchup merch?
— kait kucy (@kaitkucy) March 1, 2018
nothing screams 'i am trying to repel potential mates' like this jacket. i love that doritos ketchup jacket is a real thing.
— The Night Session (@TheNightSesh) February 15, 2018
Craigslist user gives casket life after death
If Amazon's marketplace is where you go to find used books for low prices, Craiglist is where you go to find mysteriously-used goods for unverifiable prices.
Case in point: a $200 used casket that cropped up on the Minneapolis site, which single handedly proves that you really can find anything on the internet if you look long enough. The post, reported by Citypages, says the casket was "used once, for only about 3 years" and is in "great shape."
Our initial misgivings about the whole affair, including why Eric (the seller) didn't seem to know the exact amount of time the casket was used for, were quickly dispelled by this clarifying sentence: "Decided to go different route, don't have room for extra in storage unit."
We've all had buyer's remorse, so who can really blame Eric for deciding his dead relative's remains were better-suited to mahogany than steel gray?
Maybe the good die young, but it looks like consumerism lives forever.
Tallix breathes life into luxury face masks
At this point, we're used to seeing everyday objects paraded as luxury goods, but nothing prepared us for Tallix's "fashion forward face masks" to protect the user from "air pollution, flus and airborne diseases," according to the press release.
While it's nothing new for health-conscious consumers to wear filtration masks during flu season, or in areas with high pollution like Beijing, paying upwards of $450 for that luxury when you could buy 50 disposable ones for $7 seems to cross a line.
Even if they are made from "the same luxurious silks, twills, satin, lace and trims used by the world's leading fashion brands." And that's not to mention that two of the women's styles and two of the men's styles are actually sold out, which just goes to show that there is a luxury market for literally everything.
And to think Jordin Sparks was concerned about breathing with "no air" when there are people out there who can't breathe without a $450 face mask.