Designer Brandon Blackwood is teaming with Starbucks on a collaboration for limited-edition sling bottle bags for their famous Pink and Paradise drinks, which are now offered in a bottled format.
“If you go on TikTok, you see it everywhere,” Blackwood told WWD about the Starbucks Pink Drink, which since its creation by a fan in 2016, has gone viral on the platform, with the search term “Starbucks pink drink” garnering more than 100 million views.
You May Also Like
The Pink Drink, which features vibrant fruit flavors combined with coconut milk and fruit juice, was added to the Starbucks menu in 2017, followed by the Paradise Drink with pineapple and passionfruit.
Related Articles
“When I heard they were making their on-the-go version, I was like, ‘This has to work!’ I just love any kind of big social media moment,” Blackwood said to WWD about teaming up with Starbucks.
In creating the bag, Blackwood’s inspiration was not only from the colors, textures and flavors of the drinks, but also the Gen Z audience, who often create viral moments on social platforms.
“All of us now, especially Gen Z, Millennials, we are always on the go, have no attention span and are always running. So the bag speaks to that audience, and the fact that we have a lot of crap to do!” Blackwood mused. “It’s a very functional piece, while still being cool.”
The limited-edition Sip & Sling bottle bag, selling for $75, features a phone and card compartment, a clear display that showcases the Starbucks Pink and Paradise bottles and a shoulder strap. It will drop on Friday at noon EST, available for presale purchase at StarbucksSipandSling.com.
The Starbucks collaboration is Blackwood’s latest of many projects. This year, he was inducted into the CFDA after being nominated for his very first CFDA award, for American Accessory Designer of the Year. His namesake brand, which offers multicolor trunks, textured bags, sunglasses and shoes, has been worn by Coi Leray, Olivia Rodrigo, Saweetie and Kim Kardashian.
For Blackwood, teaming up with Starbucks is not only a special moment for him, but a stepping stone for other Black and POC-owned fashion brands.
“Us having this moment is allowing other companies to look at smaller Black and POC brands and say ‘Oh wait, these are brands that have some sort of grip on the culture.’ I think it’s going to open up a lot more doors. It sounds so corny to say that, but all of our steps allow it to be easier for the next people.”