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Seven years ago, members of Aritzia’s creative team presented an oversized puffer to its product leadership team. “There were mixed emotions; people weren’t sure whether they liked it or not” said Heather McLean, Aritzia’s evp of product. But “the creative team was very forceful.”
Their persistence paid off. The limited-run puffers the brand created that year, in just two colors — black and red — turned out to be top sellers. Their success marked the birth of the franchise that is now one of Aritzia’s biggest hits: the Super Puff.
McLean remembered that, on the Monday morning after the Super Puff launched, she saw the red version draped on the back of every member of the Artitzia sales team’s chair. They don’t typically like to wear or buy the same things, she said. “They were all standing around and talking about it, saying, ‘It’s so warm, the fabric’s amazing, the trims are amazing — we love it.'” The name came about organically, from the conversation in the office that day, she said.
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Once it was clear that Aritzia would invest in making the Super Puff a larger entity within Aritzia, the goal was to “reinvent” the puffer for the fashion customer through Aritzia’s signature “everyday luxury” lens, McLean said. The brand declined to comment on sales of the franchise, but McLean said they have “surged” every year. Aritizia’s team shared that Super Puff is among its best-performing styles.
According to Creator IQ, which measures a brand’s earned media value, from January to October of this year, Aritzia collected $118.4 million in EMV in the U.S. Of that total, $1.5 million came from mentions of the Super Puff. In total, the Super Puff earned mentions from 248 creators across 375 posts.
“Most of the creators tagged the Super Puff in outfit posts or Aritzia haul content, underscoring the degree to which the product has become not only an everyday fashion staple, but also a source of digital conversation surrounding Aritzia,” said Alexander Rawitz, Creator IQ’s director of research and insights. One particularly notable creator was Dallas-based Aritzia stylist Alexa Daianna (8,428 followers) who shared 45 TikToks featuring the Super Puff between January and October 2023. Alexa’s enthusiasm powered $289,100 EMV for the Super Puff — the most of any individual contributor, and nearly 20% of the product’s $1.5 million EMV total. Store employees are not incentivized to promote products on social media, according to a spokesperson.
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On TikTok, the hashtag #Superpuff currently has 89.7 million views. Other iterations of this hashtag include #Superpuffseason, which has 1.4 million views, and #superpuffs, which has 3.9 million. The corresponding posts include reviews, try-ons and hauls. Among the puffer’s most beloved features, according to TikTok, is the “soft-feel storm cuffs with thumbholes,” which keep hands warm and prevent cold air from blowing up the sleeves.
“We found a sweet spot with The Super Puff. It’s a style item that is super functional and versatile,” said David Bergman, Aritzia’s chief creative officer for marketing.
This season brought the widest assortment of the puffer yet, with Aritzia selling 37 silhouettes available in 65 colors and 16 fabrications. The team that works on Super Puff includes both employees who brought the original product to life and dedicated hires who have been brought on as the brand has delved deeper into what is a “really complicated garment,” according to McLean. A Climate Lab team of experts works exclusively on The Super Puff and other outerwear.
On Super Puff product pages on Aritzia’s website, shoppers can see the exact temperature for which each coat is made. For example, the popular Super Puff Shorty is “Engineered to deliver warmth to -20°C / -4°F,” while the SuperSnug Puff Long will provide warmth up to -30°C / -22°F. The Super Puff is created with the “absolute best fabrics” primarily from Japan and France, McLean noted. “Waterproof Japanese Rainstop” is among the fabrics listed on product pages. Prices range from $178 for a vest to $498 for the warmest models.
The puffers have also earned their own retail spaces: “Super World” pop-ups are currently open in Manhattan and Los Angeles. Aritzia has opened these shops in these cities during the winter since 2020. An October Aritzia TikTok post with images of the Los Angeles store was met with comments such as, “Why would you do a super puff store at a place that doesn’t have snow?” and “Ok slay buuuuut the Vancouver girlies need the jackets NOT LA GIRLIES” As for the retail strategy and choice of location, Bergman said, “As The Super Puff became a cultural phenomenon, we felt it needed its own expression and experience, and we wanted it to be captured in a cohesive way in key cultural hubs like NYC and L.A.” To design the stores, Aritzia worked with L.A.-based Canadian designer Willo Perron, who is also the creative director behind Drake’s flying Ferrari and Jay Z’s 4:44 album.
Alo has also increased its focus on outerwear, opening a dedicated coat pop-up, also in Los Angeles. According to market research firm Euromonitor, the global outerwear market was worth $855 billion in 2023, up 5.3% from last year.
To market the Super Puff, Bergman said his focus is on showing the style’s “technical features, considered construction and elevated trims, while [also] looking to culture, thinking about the creative, the styling and the talent selection in a fresh and cool way.” To that end, the brand tapped Kendall Jenner as an ambassador the the Super Puff in 2018. When she wore the red Super Puff, the coat began to take on a deeper cultural relevance, aided by the fact that Jenner’s image in the puffer became a meme. It’s worth noting that Jenner also played a significant role in popularizing Alo’s sherpa collection, for which she also served as an ambassador.
Since then, as the world of the Super Puff has significantly expanded, so too has the number of women serving as its ambassadors. “We saw there was an opportunity to put not, one but a vibrant mix of personalities and cultural figures behind The Super Puff to showcase the variety of product, from Hailey Bieber to actress and model Hunter Schafer to musicians Chloe and Halle,” Bergman said. The brand is also working with Emma Chamberlain, who Bergman called a “muse;” musician María Zardoya; “it” girl Gabbriette Bechtel and NASCAR driver Toni Breidinger. “We want to showcase the breadth of our assortment through the lens of culture. As with culture, it is not about one, it is about the mix,” he said.
The brand has also seeded Super Puffs to influencers including Victoria Paris (1.9 million TikTok followers), Tania Sarin (242,000 TikTok followers) and Kennedy Eurich (1.4 million TikTok followers), among others.
Eurich’s caption reads “super puff season is my favorite season.” It’s no doubt Aritizia’s, too.
The menorahs the beauty industry is lighting this Hanukkah
Happy Hanukkah to those who celebrate! In honor of the Festival of Lights, I spoke to some of the coolest Jews in the beauty industry to get the scoop on which menorahs they’ll be lighting for the next seven days — the eight-day holiday started yesterday.
“I absolutely love this menorah because it’s a stunningly chic take on the classic. The shape and architecture of it are breathtaking, and I love the way it lights up when the candles are lit. I like to fill my home with warmth, light, cozy and family, so this is perfect for Chanukkah and the holiday season. It also matches the color palette of our Braless candle, so aesthetically, the story looks wonderful on my dining room table” –Erin Kleinberg, founder and CEO, Sidia
“This is the first year I bought my own menorahs; usually, I use a very plain one my mom gave me. I love fun and wacky Judaica because it injects some much-needed whimsy into otherwise very traditional Jewish holidays. Hanukkah is my favorite holiday and, growing up, we always lit multiple menorahs, one for each member in my house. So I love having a collection of menorahs by the window because it feels nostalgic” –Lisa Guerrera, co-founder & CEO, Experiment
“I love this menorah because our best friends got it for [my husband and I] when we got engaged — it was the first thing I added to our registry. It will always symbolize the excitement and joy of the chapter that we were entering, and our Jewish faith.” –Rachel Liverman, founder and CEO, Glowbar
“[This menorah’s] aged, weathered look reminds me of an old-world view of Chanukah that was ever-present in my understanding of the traditions as a child.” –David Moltz, co-founder, D.S. & Durga
“My menorah was given to me by my former work wife and dear friend. It’s gold, simple and beautifully detailed — almost like an extension of my jewelry collection. I keep it visible on our bookshelf year-round, between a photo of my father-in-law who passed away last year and some of my 8-year-old son’s most prized artwork.” –Lisa Aharon, celebrity makeup artist
Collab to Know: Cadence’s Tastemaker Collection
Cadence, known for its colorful travel and eco-friendly capsules, has teamed up with six “tastemakers” to curate different color and size combinations of its containers. They include model Taylor Hill, gallery owner Hannah Traore and professional rock climber Margo Hayes, among others. Of the collab, Hill said, “With my work and travel schedule, Cadence has been a perfect addition to my routine because it allows me to keep my must-haves on hand at all times. By packing my toiletries and other important items with their system, I’m able to keep everything, from my jewelry and even my oily serums, locked tight inside.” According to Hill, her Cadence Bundle was inspired by her upcoming honeymoon to Asia, when she’ll be packing her must-haves for several days and also days out.
Spate Trend Watch: MicroPerfumes is social media’s new favorite place to buy fragrance
MicroPerfumes is quickly becoming one to watch, thanks to the fact that it makes sample-size perfumes accessible. With 34,100 average monthly searches on Google, a 47.5% increase year-over-year, the retailer is meeting the evolving demands of shoppers who want to try more products. The popularity of “mini perfumes,” with 30,00 average monthly searches, a 28.3% increase, aligns with MicroPerfumes’ rise, reflecting a preference for accessible fragrances.
Reddit has become a popular forum for potential MicroPerfumes customers. On subreddits like r/fragrance, Reddit users have deemed the retailer legit. These forums have become virtual meeting grounds where users share their experiences with fragrances and draw comparisons. For example, they’ve noted that MicroPerfumes offers sample sizes of an array of luxury scents, but it does not require the commitment of a subscription, which distinguishes it from models like Scentbird.
“For fragrance brands, there’s a chance to join this adventure: think limited-edition samples and smaller sizes, letting customers test a fragrance over time before taking the full plunge. It’s about creating an experience, not just a purchase,” said Spate’s co-founder Yarden Horwitz.
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