Pop culture goods have come a long way from basic black tees with movie titles screen-printed on them—you know the ones, you’d find them tucked away in a corner of a video store by the posters and collectibles. As millennial culture expanded the demand into mall mainstays like Hot Topic, which went on to grow online with its partner brands, more and more retailers focused on nerdy lifestyle and fashion inspired by major franchises and fandoms, such as Star Wars, Marvel, anime, Doctor Who, Lord of the Rings, and more. Just about every month, there’s a new Loungefly collectible accessory dropping in time for the latest holiday or tentpole release, and it’s been this way for the better part of a decade if Instagram fandom content is any indication.
However, thanks to the Barbie movie era, things have begun shifting away from the walking-billboard, influencer lifestyle mode. (Also, Gen Z has officially decreed that it’s cringe to make millennial geekery your personality; hello, my name is Sabina and I am a Disney Adult.) When Greta Gerwig’s Barbie was released merchandising went from cutesy camp to maximalist luxury with the iconic Mattel brand. There were hard to find movie tie-in dolls of Margot Robbie’s Barbie; a release of Ken’s “I’m Kenough” fuzzy rainbow hoodie; and Beis’ Barbie luggage collection, which sold out twice. The way one of the world’s most recognizable brands was everywhere, from home goods to travel to fashion, really felt like the peak of pop culture product finally being seen as commonplace in the mainstream.
But not every licensed piece of merchandise is entirely worth the cost. After Barbie made the world pink, you could find a themed Loungefly bag at your local AMC Theater—or splash out thousands more for a designer Chanel purse also inspired by the film.
This evolution into excess has heralded a new trend: IP images slapped onto very expensive things just for the perceived association between product and pop-culture brand. There’s no other franchise as widely available as Star Wars, which could probably open its own department store chain at this point. Fans can spend a lot on high-quality items, like the Columbia Star Wars gear that pairs rebel jumpsuit aesthetics with the brand’s reliable protection from the cold—or more questionable ones, like random “luxury” bedding sets with color palettes inspired by the imagery of movies that simply weren’t worth the cost for what you got (hard-working Rebels deserve better than scratchy sheets that fall apart in the wash).
Sometimes with this fandom in particular it’s better to play it safe; Disney’s collections offered at more affordable price points from the Disney Store often feature creative artist showcases, transforming beloved characters into something different. Sometimes gift shop souvenirs at the theme parks (which tend to go viral) feel more authentic to the world you love. I gifted my father one of the electronic Figrin D’an and the Modal Nodes Kloo Horns released when Galaxy’s Edge opened and haven’t seen anything like that since. Dad loves it as much as his RSVLTS Star Wars button-ups, one example of the company’s stylish collectible clothing drops. RSVLTS also features not only the big comic book fandoms and Disney but also hard-to-find IP like cult films and TV shows, and even anime like One