Coca-Cola, in an offbeat fashion collaboration for the giant soda brand, has hooked up with Brunch, a relatively new and small firm focused on footwear, specifically hotel-inspired slippers durable enough to be worn outdoors.
For the campaign, the Coca-Cola logo and the Brunch logo appear on Brunch’s “l’Essential” slipper silhouette, which comes in red, white and navy. Both logos also appear on socks, headwear, a hoodie, a crewneck, a T-shirt and a diner-style coffee cup, products that will continue as part of the Brunch collection beyond the Coke collaboration.
The campaign launches Friday on the Brunch website, Brunch.us.
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Coca-Cola has been prolific in its fashion collaborations over the years embracing such brands as Adidas and Opening Ceremony, and even Karl Lagerfeld, who once designed a Coke bottle, so for the fledgling Brunch brand, the tie-up is a big win. Coke’s familiar brand logo provides a highly recognizable and antiquated aura to wherever it appears.
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Brunch was founded in September 2020 by Daniel Sitt while he was a junior at Babson College, and is backed by the Thor Equities real estate firm, controlled by the Sitt family. Thor Equities also backs the Mad Happy fashion brand.
About a year and a half ago, Sitt pitched the campaign concept to an official at Coca-Cola who handles collaborations. “There was an immediate sense of alignment between Coca-Cola and Brunch,” Sitt said. “Coke is a like a leisurely staple. When you go for brunch you have a Coke, and at Brunch, we create footwear pieces that also have that leisurely quality.” He dove into Coke’s archives for inspiration for the campaign which draws upon a visit to a Sixties-style diner as the nostalgic backdrop.
When staying in hotels, Sitt would take home the slippers provided in the room, only to see the product fall apart after a few days use. So he came up with the idea of creating a durable slipper that can be worn outdoors and maintains that hotel aesthetic. Essentially, the slippers have a terry upper to capture the leisure slipper feeling. The outsole and other components of the design incorporate materials that give it the functionality of a sneaker.
“Brunch and Coca-Cola have always been the perfect pairing, quite literally!” said Katie Wilhelm, associate licensing manager with The Coca-Cola Company. “I mean, who doesn’t enjoy an ice-cold Coke during weekend brunch with friends? To be able to partner with the Brunch brand on a capsule collection of slippers and apparel was the perfect way to provide that feeling every day of the week.”
While Brunch does have a range of products in its portfolio, it’s mainly focused on the footwear, where the agenda is growing.
“Going forward we are looking to launch anything under the realm of functional footwear for what we call ‘effortless living,'” Sitt said. “We are working on all different types of slip-on shoes, including a boot, a slide, a collapsible-back shoe and a sneaker-type slip-on.”
Coca-Cola is just the latest collaboration for Brunch. Previously, the brand hooked up with Jack’s Wife Freda, Setai Hotel Miami and Conca Del Sogno on the Amalfi Coast.