Launch Digest: Summer Situationships Abound And Your Pantry Gets A Makeover

Contrary To Popular Belief, It Is Cuffing Season

While situationships typically separate as summer draws near, brand marriages are only scaling up. At what point do collaborations become the norm, and “normal,” singular, just a brand, standing here, asking you to love its product, the actual rarity worth covering? We have no time to answer that rhetorical question, because we have collaborations to discuss. 

J. Crew partnered with the Olympians and World Champions of USA Swimming for a limited-edition capsule of swim and 90s-inspired sportswear in hues of red, white, blue, and nostalgia. While I’d venture to guess that patriotism isn’t coursing through the veins of the average vintage-inclined, creative class shopper in 2024, the “All American” summer aesthetic prevails. I’m crossing my fingers that the quality hearkens back to J. Crew of the 90s, when swimsuits were made to last (and to pass down to your daughter 20 years later). 

Tekla and Artek joined forces on a bedding collection that, at first floral glance, looks like something of a departure from the brand’s typical solids and stripes. A deeper look only affirms the brand’s solid identity at the intersection of modernity and design history. Celebrating Aino Aalto’s geometric and romantic Kirsikankukka cherry blossom print, the collection features duvets and shams made from 100% organic cotton, released on the year of the architect and designer’s 130th birthday. 

MERIT is marrying fashion and beauty — a concept to which the brand is no stranger, reflected in its ongoing relationship with Proenza — in collaboration with womenswear house TOVE. Two all-capitalized brands, what could go wrong? The star of the partnership is a chic evening elevation of MERIT’s Signature Bag, crafted from vegan silk and updated with elongated straps for use cases beyond your cosmetic transport. Shop the Evening Set to snag the bag and some MERIT essentials on the 26th, but you’d be wise to join the waitlist now. 

Katie Holmes and A.P.C. debuted an “Interaction” last week. There are so many collaborations that we are now inventing different names for the concept writ-large. According to A.P.C., Holmes immersed herself in the label’s archives Rue Royale in Paris, breathing new life into collections from the early aughts. Brushing past my cynicism about the word “Interaction,” the capsule is fantastic. I want the skirt, I want the denim, I even want the wedges (which remind me of early 2000s Prada Sport). The striped workwear jacket and patent leather flats are also spot-on, simultaneously of the moment and timeless, much like most of what A.P.C. does. Sue me, I’m shopping!

I covered my Paraboot obsession way back when J. Crew relaunched under Brendon Babenzien. Fortunately I have another opportunity to discuss what I find to be the sexiest shoes a man (or person in general, gender aside) can wear. Studio Nicholson worked with Paraboot on a capsule that rebirths a boat shoe into something very chic, suede or leather, striking a strange (yet harmonious) hybrid between a loafer and a sneaker. 

Would You Like A Pair Of Earrings With Your Matcha?

The collaboration market is so oversaturated, brands are finding ways to sneak into your alimentation. We saw a hint of this last week with a brilliant meeting of the minds at Moon Juice and Organic Oren. This week, Kinn Studio popped up at Suá Superette to celebrate their collaborative four-piece capsule collection (an extension of Kinn’s AAPI-inspired Heritage Collection), commemorated with a gold leaf 24K(inn) ceremonial-grade Matcha Latte. Can confirm, the matcha tastes as indulgent as it looks — try it for yourself before July, and shop the collection from anywhere, if you’re not an LA local.

Meanwhile, Sakara partnered with Scarlett Johanssen to curate five days of her favorite Sakara meals, along with an exclusive skincare gift from The Outset. It may be too late to sign up by the time you’re reading this sentence, but there’s always next week. 

Newness For Your Pantry

Fishwife launched Little Sardines, for those who are sardine-curious but somewhat daunted by the scaliness and, well, fishy flavor of the varietal’s bigger sister. These mini sardines are softer than their Southern European counterpart because of their high fat content (making them nutritiously rich in Omega 3), packed with Spanish olive oil and infused in-house with lemon zest, sea salt, and garlic. It’s Fishwife, the sourcing is dialed: the Little Sardines are responsibly wild-caught in the winter months of the Northeast Atlantic, when the fish quality and nutritional values are at optimal levels. Try these on toast, on your favorite summer salad, or mixed into an herby pasta — and face your fear of sardines, because you’re brave, and they’re delicious. This could be the start of something new…

Organic sparkling water brand Nixie is breaking into an empty space in the beverage market: zero-sugar soda, without any gut-modulating ingredients. Finally. The brand’s new line of beverages is one of the only zero sugar and Certified Organic sodas on the market, starting out with three classics: Cola, Ginger Ale, and Root Beer. Just in time for packing to the beach or your next park picnic.

Compartés is releasing four new chocolate bars next week, inspired by Sabrina Carpenter and a European summer getaway. Pick between the Espresso Martini, Cowboy Crunch, Croissant, and Pistachio Gelato Bars when they launch in a few days— or try one of each, because life is short.

Kroma is hard at work on pantry essentials that work harder for your health. The brand just unveiled new Plant-Based Proteins that pack 20 grams of protein, all nine essential amino acids, and super-shrooms like Reishi and Cordyceps in flavors that will satisfy your inner child, like Vanilla Cinnamon and Cacao Banana. Before that, the brand unveiled its Super Granola, a blend of nutritional powerhouses like oats, cashews, hemp and pumpkin seeds, sesame, maca, and mulberries that, thanks to hints of vanilla, cinnamon, and cardamom, plays just as well at dessert as it does at breakfast. 

Before You Go…

Cold Picnic has been very busy. See: three new anthropomorphic and geometric bathmats and the brand’s first-ever solid color rug collection, entitled “Color is a Feeling.” Pick between a red-orange Roasted Tomato, serene Grass Green, a rich chartreuse Pear, and a cool Sky Blue to ground and brighten your space, whether you’d like a small pop of color or a statement-making area rug. 

Fragrance brand Eauso Vert launched SALVIA SALVIA, a summer composition featuring herbal notes from Mexico including salva officinalis and ocote, a high altitude pine. It’s mineral, salty, musky, humid, and all of the sexy summer scent that those descriptors invoke. 

Newness alert: Personal Fav, a brand making plant-powered personal intimacy products that marry sex positivity with the world of wellness. Think: a lubricant boosted with hemp, ginseng, and horny goat weed, and a CBD “pleasure oil” infused with rose and chamomile.

Rachel Comey’s Pre-Fall arrivals are fresher than ever, with breezy crisp dresses and cotton knits that emphasize dressing for our changing climate — read: transitional Fall numbers that work as well with a sandal as they do with a knee-high boot.

Happy shopping. Email me directly – [email protected] – with any launches you’d like to see in the spotlight, or DM us over @thequalityedit.