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Welcome to another edition of Launch Digest, where we bring you the latest and greatest product launches to hit the market across the DTC universe. This week, we’re shopping very limited-edition collaborations, from a collectible lunchbox designed by Disney and Fly By Jing to a beer that tastes like a Levain cookie. Read on to try them all.
Big Flavors On The Big Screen: Fly By Jing Collaborates With Disney For Lunar New Year, $55
Yesterday, Fly By Jing debuted a limited-edition collectible lunchbox in celebration of Turning Red, Pixar’s first animated feature starring an Asian main character which will release on Disney+ this March. Packed with the newest (and cutest) members of the FBJ flavor family – the Shorty Spice Trio – the new lunchbox also includes two sticker sheets filled with characters from the film and FBJ iconography. AKA, you can personalize your lunchbox and feel like the coolest kid on the playground, even if you’re not “technically” a kid.
Fly By Jing’s founder Jing Gao speaks to this poignant collaboration:
Growing up, I never thought I’d one day see myself reflected in a major film, but when I first heard the storyline of ‘Turning Red’, I felt an instant recognition. A Chinese-Canadian girl with Chengdu roots (birthplace of pandas!) who grappled with hiding her true self in order to conform? This was me to a tee. So many third culture kids like myself can identify with having buried aspects of ourselves to fit the status quo. As I’ve finally begun to reclaim my identity and heritage via the journey of building Fly By Jing, it’s especially powerful to see cultural institutions like Disney and Pixar embracing the layered existence of immigrant diasporas through such beautiful and universally-relatable storytelling.
Rothy’s Designs Your New Go-To Lightweight Tote – And It’s Light On The Planet, Too, $175
Last week, Rothy’s launched its Lightweight Tote, the sustainable and chic answer to your stack of neglected and cluttered canvas bags. While we’ve been convinced that cotton totes are a signifier of sustainability, this is actually far from the truth – not every product needs a new reusable bag, and it would be more environmentally conscious to choose one consistent carrier. Meet Rothy’s Tote: knit from 100% recycled materials, machine washable, and that bag you can reach for on any occasion, be it the farmer’s market, a work meeting, or a weekend adventure. Complete with a key leash, durable top handles, and a roomy design, the tote comes in seven versatile colorways, from a neutral Navy to a bright Lemon Lime. It’ll go with everything – and go with you, everywhere.
The Beverage Briefing
Each Launch Digest is almost guaranteed to have a brush with the genre of what I deem “niche beverages,” be they alcoholic, nootropic, or simply sparkling and delicious. This week, we’re looking at a few new drinkable drops:
Aura Bora debuts a refreshing new flavor ($30): Herbal craft sparkling water brand Aura Bora launched its new limited-edition Hibiscus Passionfruit flavor earlier this week. What’s better than a sparkling beverage made with real hibiscus and natural passionfruit? A purchase you can feel great about. A portion of all sales from this limited drop will go to the Surfrider Foundation, which works to protect and restore beaches and oceans.
Why choose between dessert and beer? TALEA says you can have both (from $18.99): TALEA Beer Co., the only exclusively women-owned and founded production brewery and taproom in NYC, just launched a Dark Chocolate Cookie Stout in collaboration with Levain Bakery. Inspired by the bakery’s famously indulgent Dark Chocolate Chip cookies, the stout is brewed with fresh cookies and rich dark cocoa from Levain, along with vanilla and milk sugar for a decadent flavor profile. Meet your perfect Valentine’s Day treat for the beer (and bakery) lover in your life. Shop these in Whole Foods stores on the East Coast, or directly from TALEA’s site.
Ditto makes sustainable canned wine actually interesting – and delicious: Imagine: a sustainable, low-alcohol (5% ABV), sparkling canned wine produced entirely from upcycled grapes. Ditto is disrupting the status quo by looking to the past with its version of a Piquette, a style of wine that dates back to ancient Greek and Roman times. Back then, a Piquette was a bad pseudo-wine made from scraps in the winemaking process. Today, after collaborating with a winemaker in Beaujolais and a winery in Napa, Ditto has crafted a Piquette that is light, refreshing, and made with all-natural ingredients and botanical extracts – and leftover grapes that would otherwise be thrown out after winemaking. It’s your (and my) new favorite low-alcohol beverage.
I’ll be back next week with a new set of launches in the DTC universe. Email me directly -- [email protected] -- with any launches you’d like to see in the spotlight, or DM us over @thequalityedit.