We live in a whole new world of branding, friends. Not that there wasn’t much that a company wouldn’t try to stick an ad on back in the 20th century, but companies are more savvy about it than ever.
Brands aren’t content to get customers on a hook and let them wriggle anymore. Now, they want a whole relationship. Not only that, they’ve gotten pretty good at finding ways to make their fans feel like members of the family.
And honestly, when they do it as well, and as thoroughly, as Chester the Cheetah does, it’s hard to deny them.
Once, Cheetos were just another crunchy, cheesy snack food. Then a janitor at Frito-Lay decided to spice them up, and everybody lost their minds. That sprinkle of spice was basically magical pixie dust for sales. How popular are Flamin’ Hot Cheetos? Well, that janitor is now an executive VP in the company.
So it’s not that surprising that the good folks at Frito are trying their best to capitalize on the intense, burning love out there for Flamin’ Hot Cheetos.
And so, they’re bringing their loyal fans a whole fashion line. You’d think that maybe these clothes would be designed to have cheese dust-covered fingers rubbed off onto them, but no, they’re even fancier than that.
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But they’re not so fancy that you wouldn’t want to wear them to the beach.
The line is being carried exclusively by Forever 21 , who has some experience with these sorts of things after carrying a line in partnership with Taco Bell back in 2017.
If red, orange, and yellow are your colors, you’re in luck.
Although there are a few white-background items in there as well.
The apparel line spans both men’s and women’s styles, and included everything from T-shirts and shorts to tube dresses, bodysuits, crop tops, sweatshirts, swimsuits — pretty much everything right down to your socks. There are even sandals and a beach towel.
Now, when you purchase things with a corporate logo on them, you can usually expect prices to skyrocket.
But this isn’t Disney we’re talking about here. Prices for the limited edition apparel range from $5 to $30, so you don’t have to break the bank to rock the Flamin’ Hot look.
For Frito-Lay, they’re just giving their fans what they want.
And, indeed, they’ve been inspired by their devotees.
“Cheetos is more than a snack brand; we’ve become a lifestyle brand among our fans,” said Frito-Lay North America’s senior director of marketing, Brandi Ray. “So what better way to embody that lifestyle than with a clothing line in partnership with Forever 21 — another brand with an incredibly passionate fan base similar to Cheetos.”
And it sounds like the folks at Forever 21 are just as excited about how well the brands fit together.
“Flamin’ Hot Cheetos fans are so fanatical, and over the past couple years, we have seen their love for this food illustrated all over pop culture, and in particular, via social media,” said Linda Chang, Forever 21’s VP of merchandising. “We are so honored to be releasing this limited edition capsule.”
Check out the whole line over at Forever 21 .