The Backpack: Issue #94

• Trend Alert: Coffee collabs are brewing hot
• What's new in commonsku: Is your team holiday-rush ready?
• Can’t Miss Content: Rib jingles, a frowning cow and Drake

Fall's Hottest Merch? Coffee totes

Dunkin' and L.L.Bean just poured their first-ever product collab, and honestly, it doesn't get more New England than this. Think a cozy Birdseye Sweater, a Dunkin'-ified Boat and Tote, and a Coffee Tote made to haul your morning order. The drop landed on National Coffee Day with free sweater-print cup sleeves and a Bootmobile road trip from Maine to Boston. Our fave? The Coffee Tote, obviously. Peep the full lineup, and move fast, because Boston 25 was already warning it might be gone by launch afternoon. Over in Salem, a local Dunkin' dropped Halloween merch and its tote hit eBay almost instantly. Up north, Tim Hortons and adidas brought back Tims Run Club, and Dutch Bros is handing out light-up cubes. Smart takeaway: when two brands already share your customer's morning, the collab explains itself. Find your client's routine partner. Then make the tote.

Target's Staff get their own Merch Drop

Collection186 is Target's own apparel line for store associates. It's named after Pantone 186, the shade of red in Target's branding, and it comes with actual drops. The newest 16-piece Design Drop, advised by Isaac Mizrahi, lands October 5 with everything from polos to blazers. Here's the twist: staff aren't required to wear it. They can wear anything that fits company policy, so the line has to be good enough that people actually want it. It's perfect timing, too, since Target just launched "Inside Out," a campaign built around its most recognizable piece of merch, the red bag. For promo pros, this is the pitch for every retail and hospitality client still reordering the same polo from 2019. Give the polo a name and a launch date, and watch the break room treat it like a sneaker drop.

Game Day Merch for the Vibes Crowd

Taylor Swift wore a red-and-black Chiefs tank from WEAR by Erin Andrews to the Chiefs' overtime win over the Colts on September 20, and it sold out in the Chiefs' official store soon after. This isn't WEAR's first Swift moment, either. The brand, founded by Fox NFL sideline reporter Erin Andrews, watched a jacket Swift wore in 2023 sell out twice. Meanwhile, Truly Hard Seltzer is dressing the other half of the stands. The Truly Lost Collection is sportswear for people who don't follow sports, with shirts that say things like "No idea what's going on here but liking the vibes." Honestly, relatable. Our take: both brands are chasing the same fan, the one who plans the outfit before checking the score. Most team stores still stock for the guy in the jersey, so there's real room here for your clients. A women's cut and a funny line will go a lot further with this crowd than another logo jersey.