Now’s not the best time to bootstrap an evening gown brand. Releasing sweatpants that pair with CBD-infused beverages, on the other hand? That’s the chillaxing starter pack shoppers want—and bev brand Recess’s latest move.
Yesterday, Recess launched Realitywear, a collection of sweats, t-shirts, and other comfy cozy items. But this isn’t just about dressing couch potatoes for Mario Kart tournaments; it’s about growth.
- DTC bev brands typically strike up wholesale partnerships when they want to reach a wider audience.
- By launching gear itself, Recess is a) outfitting current customers as walking billboards while b) tapping a new revenue stream that it wholly owns.
Why it could work: CBD consumption is 📈 in quarantine. E-comm sales at Recess have risen 4x over its pre-COVID baseline, CEO Ben Witte tells me. So it’s not too much of a stretch to guess shoppers who’ll pay $40/case of feel-good water will also throw a hoodie in their cart.
Looking ahead...Witte wants to make Recess the Red Bull of drinkable CBD. That is, the brand that’s shorthand for an entire category.
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