Streetwear-style merch drops from fast food brands have become incredibly popular over the last few years and this summer, Arby's is helping fans stay cool, comfortable and fashion-forward with its latest food-themed collection. Inspired by its own menu items, Arby's created a collection of breezy Hawaiian shirts, flip-flops, sunglasses, hats and swimsuits with bold, all-over prints. Already, some of the styles from the collection have already sold out.
Arby's is not new to creating over-the-top novelty products, as seen with previous releases like the Deep Fried Turkey Pillow, and this new range of merch promises to speak to the same core group who is passionate about showing off their loyalty for the brand in a fun way.
What's Driving This Trend
- Food-themed Streetwear
- A trend of fast food brands creating streetwear-style merchandise for their fans provides an opportunity for a potential disruptive innovation of brand-extension into the fashion industry, especially for brands with cult following.
- Breezy Printed Hawaiian Shirts
- The growing trend of breezy Hawaiian shirts with bold all-over prints offers an opportunity for disruptive innovation, especially in the fashion industry where sustainable and eco-friendly materials can be incorporated for a greener trend.
- Novelty Products
- A trend of fast food brands creating novelty products like Arby’s Deep Fried Turkey Pillow speaks to consumers’ desire for unique and fun items which presents an opportunity for a potential disruptive innovation of creating more quirky and original designs.
Who This Affects Most
- Fast Food Industry
- Fast food companies with loyal customers can use food-themed clothing as a marketing tool to attract and retain customers, especially through limited edition and exclusive collections.
- Fashion Industry
- The fashion industry, especially casual and streetwear brands, can partner with fast food chains to create food-themed clothing lines or to launch capsules with bold all-over prints or quirky designs.
- Sustainability Industry
- The rise in consumer demand for sustainable and eco-friendly products offers an opportunity for sustainable materials to be incorporated into the production of fast food-themed clothing, creating a new trend for eco-streetwear.
