Coffee ‘N Clothes gives brands a burst of energy

Launched in 2014 as an Instagram account celebrating fashion and a Good Cup of Joe – founder Ryan Glick’s twin obsessions – Coffee ‘N Clothes began creating frothy promotions for luxury brands – think of events where the logos of designers were written roughly in cappuccino foam.

The company has since grown into a full-fledged marketing business that produces large-scale activations for everyone from high-end labels to mass market retailers. “We have gone from a small-scale coffee service to a Dolce & Gabbana pop-up shop on wheels,” Glick said of the company’s capabilities. “Anything is possible. We have gone from café events to large-scale events.

“Dole & Gabbana has been in the works for quite some time,” Glick added of the colorful, richly painted truck, adorned with the brand’s signature blend of patterns, which has crisscrossed upscale coastal towns this summer. “They wanted to recreate their Italian vehicle and reach their customers in the Hamptons. We are carrying out a similar concept for Bulgari in Manhattan.

Things were going well when the Covid-19 pandemic hit. “We had started to gain momentum and signed big plans for Steve Madden and Kenneth Cole, but the Covid-19 pandemic took our breath away and shut us down a bit,” Glick said.

Amid the turmoil, Glick moved from New York to Los Angeles in January at the height of the pandemic, and got engaged to marry – he and his fiancee were recently married – two life-changing events.

“We’re going to live for Macy’s,” Glick said in July. “They’re launching a new collection, And Now This, and we’re doing an activation to promote it, serving ice cream and lemonade. Now that the events are returning, we are doing a lot of activations for Macy’s, Amazon, and Dolce & Gabbana. “We’re going to live for Neutrogena with a kit, as well as Urban Outfitters and Afterpay.

“We work for all types of clients,” added Glick. “Not all are luxury customers. We work on Walmart and Sam’s Club. It went from zero to 100 very quickly. More than anything, the pandemic has helped us, in a way. We don’t just do events now, we do a lot more, ”said Glick, referring to the kits and boxes the company creates for retail customers.

The types of events also changed during the pandemic. Dolce & Gabbana was on the road and in the sand the whole month of July.

“We have a good idea of ​​the needs of the different brands,” said Glick. “We created a virtual Santa Claus vacation section for Walmart. Instead of going to the mall with Santa, you video chat with Santa.

If brands aren’t comfortable hosting in-person events, Glick suggests sending kits to consumers. “We made kits for Netflix and West Elm. For Urban Outfitters, we are preparing a complete coffee kit. This is our first foray into manufacturing goods ourselves. We have our own branded mug and coffee, called Urban Outfitters X Coffee ‘N Clothes. I would love to make other products like more coffee accessories, mug coasters, coffee beans – that sort of thing.

Coffee ‘N Clothes has had several lives, going from an Instagram account and posting photos of brands’ coffee shops and their clothes to a transition to live coffee events, and now, in its third incarnation, is pivoting to more events. developed and makes them evolve. “Nike was our first customer,” said Glick. – So, Bottega Veneta.

“It helps that we now have legitimate case studies to show brands and potential customers,” Glick added. “We will be carrying out more than 100 projects this year. In 2019, we completed 25 to 30 projects.

Asked about the evolution of the business, Glick replied, “I have a much larger team. Before, it was just me who ran the production on everything. I’m not as involved in every layer of production. I now have a strong mix of six or seven people, and we work all over the United States. We launched the first week of August for a root beer brand in Phoenix, Denver and Dallas.

“We still have our virtual store,” said Glick, referring to the Coffee ‘N Clothes digital storefront. “It’s still a huge opportunity. We are not just another agency. We had a coffee at Showfield’s [a multi-brand retailer in Manhattan]. It’s on hold because of a bandwidth point of view, but we definitely want to develop it further. “

Glick said Coffee ‘N Clothes has become known for its “creativity and design, production and logistics. We work very quickly and we are very flexible. We are asked a lot of questions about the international now.