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Allow me to reintroduce myself: my name is Jordan, and I love when DTC brands collaborate. Last year I rounded up some of my favorite collabs to date. It was one of my favorite pieces to compile ever, and I couldn’t wait to get back to scouring the internet for more. Here are some exciting new duos to get your hands on this season…
OFFHOURS X West Elm: Homecoat ($295) and Quilt ($200)
OFFHOURS is on a mission to upgrade the way we stay at home. The ultra-chic design company found its way onto my radar in early 2020, right as stay-at-home orders were announced and my heater stopped working permanently. Stuck in an uninsulated California home with a feet-dragging landlord, I spent most of that first week in winter clothes, under 4 blankets, scrolling and fantasizing about cozier times. Sitting next to my open oven, I stumbled upon the original Homecoat—a cotton jersey-lined, French Terry robe that shows you what it’d be like if you were finally allowed to wear your favorite comforter to an art opening. I’ve been coveting ever since, and throughout this profoundly homebound era of life, I’ve been saving up until I could get my hands on one.
Recently, the brand teamed up with design fave west elm, to release a set of Homecoats and matching comforters in 3 custom colorways: Renaissance, Varsity, and Michaelangelo. The result is as luxurious as it sounds, and well worth my patient waiting game: the pair are the softest, warmest pieces of fabric I’ve ever had the pleasure of laying under, while possessing the uncanny ability to be thick and heavy without triggering my typical night sweats. Now someone just has to invite me to a damn art opening.
Madewell x Backdrop: Studio Hours Capsule Collection (prices vary)
Created by husband and wife duo Natalie & Caleb Ebel in 2018, Backdrop is a cool new paint brand that has won audiences over with its perfectly curated color palette and environmentally-driven production process. The brand—the first paint company to be Climate Neutral Certified—offers Green Wise certified, low-VOC paints that come in sleek, easy-to-maneuver cans.
At the end of January, Backdrop got together with Madewell to release STUDIO HOURS: a paint color ($45-69) – available in Standard, Semi-Gloss, and Cabinet & Door paint, as well as a limited clothing capsule. The entire collection is inspired by the countless hours that artists spend in their studios, often donning workwear like Overalls ($148), chore coats, and more. Madewell’s penchant for laid back styles, quality denim, and classic cuts made the brand a suitable partner for Backdrop, whose celebration of expression through color is a nod to artists everywhere.
Madre Mezcal x YARDY WORLD: Earth Salts ($14.99)
YARDY WORLD is a Brooklyn-based creative studio founded by artist, chef, and model DeVonn Francis. YARDY’s projects take many forms, from hosting food-centric events and parties, to creating brand campaigns, to developing mouth-watering Caribbean-inspired recipes available for delivery and pickup around New York. Francis’ genius lies in his ability to weave together multiple mediums in order to explore his own identity as a queer Black Caribbean-American, in ways that so intimately and earnestly bring others together.
With such an eye for design, quality, and taste, it’s no wonder why the brand would find its way into a collaboration with top-shelf staple Madre Mezcal to create a new line of Earth Salts. Inspired by the traditional pairing of mezcal with sal de gusano (worm salt), this new collection of plant-based blends mixes herbs, spices, and salts. The resulting three varieties—Chile Blend, Black Citrus, and Healing Herbs—are a delicious marriage of flavors from Oaxaca and YARDY’s native Jamaica. Each one goes wonderfully with a glass of smoky mezcal, but these salts aren’t just for the rim of your cocktail glass: I’ve sprinkled these puppies on popcorn, fish, and eggs to add an extra kick to whatever I’m eating. And they look so good on the shelf!
Bread Beauty Supply x Yam: braid-beads ($34)
An unbelievably cute release from two of my favorite Black-owned brands? This particular launch had my inner fangirl in a tizzy. Founded by Maeva Heim, Bread is the straightforward, beautifully-packaged hair care brand determined to remove the extreme sport element from Black hair maintenance. Yam carries stunning jewelry, handcrafted with upcycled materials by Morgan Thomas.
Both brands manage to be fresh and on-trend, while also solidifying themselves as timeless staples: Bread with its line of basic, effective necessities and Yam with an affinity for pearls, recycled metals, and classic silhouettes. Their resulting lovechild, the braid-beads, are unsurprisingly lovely. Slip them onto your braids for a delightful pop of color and cheer, and if you’re as enchanted by Yam’s “Posy” print as I am, collect all of the matching pieces: earrings ($58), necklace ($56), and bracelet ($42).
Fishwife x Fly By Jing: Smoked Salmon With Suchuan Chili Crisp ($39)
Fishwife is a female-founded tinned fish company delivering old world staples with a focus on ethical sourcing. Fly By Jing, founded in 2018 by Jing Gao, has blown up in the past few years with a fast-growing selection of mouth watering condiments and foods inspired by fly restaurants in Gao’s hometown of Chengdu. The two beloved brands share an office space, and it was only a matter of time before they put two and two together. And thank God they did, their Smoked Salmon with Sichuan Chili Crisp is f*cking delicious. Delightfully versatile, this stuff goes well on eggs, rice bowls, in salads––and that’s only what I was able to try with my first order. My boyfriend and I just received our 3-pack and devoured the first can, plain, in less than two minutes. Immediate add-to-cart. I’m also gonna need a punchy DTC office sitcom with these two as the stars. Calling on one of our LA-based editors to take this to the top?
Sophie Collé x Windmill: Winter Cover ($40)
Sophie Collé has a knack for making any ol’ thing look incredibly adorable. The self-taught designer has been a key player in the pastel wiggly furniture movement that’s been dominating interior design Instagram for the past couple of years, and she just launched a really fun collab with modern AC brand, Windmill.
They’ve recently launched a set of water and mold-resistant Winter Covers, to insulate your Windmill unit during the colder winter months. They come in three colorways, including Confetti, Breeze, and Canvas, for those who are going for a more minimal look. While the sleek, smart air conditioning unit has had no trouble in the looks department—it’s been called the iPhone of air conditioners, the Birkin bag of air conditioners, and just the all-around “sexiest” of its kind on the market—Collé’s playful touch is an ideal way to brighten up your Windmill during the off-season. Together, the two are ending the reign of the bulky eyesores of AC units past. It almost makes me yearn for an East Coast winter. Almost.
Any upcoming collabs that you think should be on my radar? Email me at jordan@thequalityedit.com so I can camp out pre-launch.
