Step 1: Be Kanye West
Step 2: Don’t not be Kanye West
Last weekend, hip-hop’s biggest ego/id Kanye West released a limited edition apparel line with French clothing company A.P.C. A popular rapper capitalizing on his success through branded clothing is nothing special, but what was special was the price on his new T-shirt: $120.
Lest you think Mr. West has invented some new tee technology to justify a sale tag north of $100, here is a screenshot from the item’s page.
A plain T-shirt. A plain white T-shirt. A 100 percent cotton plain white T-shirt. A 100 percent cotton plain white T-shirt with the numbers “$120.00” to its right and, just underneath that, the words “Item is sold out.”
Not only did A.P.C. sell out of its Kanye T-shirt, it sold out of every item in the nine-piece collaboration, which ranged in price from $120 to $250, on the first day. Preorders for the next shipment of items are also sold out, and pieces from the collection are popping up on eBay at prices over $500. All thanks to a plain white T-shirt with a small tonal silkscreen imprint on the inside neckline. If anyone ever questions the power of marketing and branding (and celebrity and mass insanity), just point them to this example.
Now… who here has a screen printer and wants to open an eBay store with me?
