Issue #65: A little reflection + brands on my radar
And has anyone tried ZEEN?
Hi! Happy Thursday. My friend and I went to barre class and then grabbed coffee at Stumptown over the weekend, and she asked me if I ever consider writing about personal matters on Brand Baby. I have, yet I always end up feeling a twinge of embarrassment when I think about putting myself ‘out there’ on Substack too much.
But lately, I’ve been feeling a little… uninspired. As we all know, something that begins as an innocent hobby can so easily start to feel like a burdensome chore once it adopts a recurring cadence and a following. So following our conversation, I thought that maybe my lack of personal detail here on Substack could change. I’ve been wanting to imbue Brand Baby with more joy and playfulness. And I’ve been wanting to share the things that bring me joy with all of you.
So with that in mind, Brand Baby might adopt a more flexible, free-form, and personal nature some weeks. Don’t worry – there will always be some discussion of brand stuff, but it might be woven into topics like brands that I’m keeping my eye on lately. Other weeks, my writing might be a bit more analytical. As I constantly have to remind myself, it’s okay for my passion projects to evolve in order to continue to feel fulfilling.
If that’s not what you’re here for, then I totally get it. But at the end of the day, my hope is that Brand Baby feels like a warm, delightful gift in your inbox or Substack feed every week. And I hope you stick around.
Brands on my Radar 👀
Hikerkind / In full transparency, I came across Hikerkind from an Instagram ad, but I was immediately drawn to their earthy aesthetic and adorable-yet-functional products. Their content kind of reminds me of Outdoor Voices circa 2016, which I miss. They also launched a Hikerkind athlete program this year for women and non-binary backpackers, which is so cool.
Julie / I’ve been a fan of emergency contraceptive brand Julie for a second now, so when they dropped merch a few weeks ago, I became even more obsessed.
The brand dropped a truly adorable line of baby tees, a trucker hat, and even a pool floatie as part of their Spring Break Capsule Collection with 100% of proceeds going to sex ed organizations at the University of South Florida, UT Austin, and Auburn University.
Julie capitalized on spring break as 'the horniest week of the year’ (their words) with a killer social strategy that feels both educational and fun. The brand has been revolutionizing the emergency contraceptive space in a playful, non-judgmental way for a while, and this capsule collection is just another brilliant manifestation of that – while also tying in a socially-conscious angle.
Zeen / Everyone has been talking about how ZEEN just launched. It’s a tool that allows you to import saved wishlist items and create mood boards. I could really see this being up my alley, but I just haven’t had the time or will to really dive into it yet, ya know? If you’ve tried ZEEN, let me know your thoughts!
In Other News 🗞️
SET Active kindly gifted me some new activewear sets after I wrote about their Bloopers campaign in a recent Brand Bite! What a dream. I’m obsessed with this forest green colorway and the sports bra with the coziest white ribbed tank attached.
My current TV show rotation is:
Sundays: The White Lotus / Gonna cry when it’s over, and that’s not even an exaggeration.
Wednesdays: The Studio / I want to talk about this with someone but no one I know has started it yet! If you’re watching, please comment below with your thoughts. It’s so beautiful and well done.
Ad Hoc: Adolescence / My mom put me onto this show, and wow. I’m about to start episode 3…
Oh, just one more thing. Thank you so much for reading Brand Baby. It’s been a year and four months of writing this little newsletter, and I’m so grateful to each and every one of you for subscribing. Talk soon! xx
Go for it! Everyone loves a bit of personal life also 🤎
Loving Julie’s social content!!! & also I’m trying to binge watch szn 3 before the finale!