👕 EXIT THROUGH THE MERCH STAND

Say Hermès aloud. How’s your pronunciation? If it’s not quite up to par, fear not – it’s common enough that Duolingo built a campaign around it. After its own research revealed that 62% of Americans were confident they could pronounce Hermès but just 15% got it right, the language learning app created The Phonetic Collection. Unveiled at New York Fashion Week, the seven-piece collection spells out tricky designer names phonetically (‘air-mess’ for Hermès, ‘zhee-vahn-shee’ for Givenchy). Existing learners can spend their streak bidding on items at the NYC pop-up, while those new to Duolingo have a reason to download the app and start one.

Merch has come a long way from logoed tees for loyal fans, with some brands using it to pull in new customers. Duolingo does it with an unserious twist. 7-Eleven Japan is at it too, last week announcing an apparel range that will include Hello Kitty hoodies. It’s all part of a push to reach younger female shoppers. So let’s unpack the merch mania.

💡 OUR TAKE

Merch is a way for wearers to signal something about their taste and lifestyle, spending power, how in the know they are, or where they’ve been. Simple tote bags from luxury hotels and resorts have become a status flex because the brand logo is often only recognisable and affordable to a select few. And while the Aman Essentials’ classic monogram tote will set you back $2,700, IYKYK merch doesn’t have to be expensive. Trader Joe’s viral mini tote provides cultural literacy for $2.99 (although some go for much more on the resale market).

What a brand can get away with though, depends on what it already is. Duolingo’s phonetic collection works because turning a language lesson into a fashion joke fits its well-established ‘unserious’ brand identity. In the UK, Greggs can sell steak bake bean bags (yes, really) because it’s a national treasure and being in on the joke is part of the appeal. Coca-Cola can redesign chopsticks in the shape of its contour bottle because the silhouette is a logo. 

For brands looking to reach a new audience, borrowing cultural cachet is an option. That’s the route 7-Eleven Japan is pursuing, first by tapping And ST’s brands like Niko and Lowrys Farm and through the Hello Kitty items. An early pilot suggests that this could make the brand more appealing to Gen Z: overall apparel sales more than doubled during a 2025 trial that saw seasonal products and other merchandise introduced, with women making up more than 70% of customers. Younger shoppers were over 1.5 times more represented than usual.

Still, while merch can help brands extend reach, some of the biggest successes are often a reminder of how much fans want in. Some viral hits – Trader Joe’s mini tote, we’re looking at you! – play to existing stans, who spend 2.6 times more than the average shopper and visit stores more. And with 44% buying the totes as gifts, the reach goes further than the buyer. That doesn’t necessarily mean new customers, but it gives existing fans a way to share the love. Here, merch functions less like recruitment and more like an outlet for fandom. 

In 2026, merch is big business, with larger brands looking to replicate the success of indie pioneers, who showed that people will buy things that make them feel part of something. But as the merch field gets more crowded, it’s harder to stand out. The brands that continue to see success will be those whose merch has a reason to exist: it fits who they are and gives people a way to express something about themselves. After all, being a walking logo only appeals when it says the right thing about you.

For those of you born before 1997, ‘fax, no printer‘ is Gen Z speak for ‘undeniable facts I agree with’

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