No PTO for You (on Black Friday)
Welcome to Friday, futurists.
If you were thinking about taking PTO during Black Friday/Cyber Monday (BFCM), think again. Despite the efficiencies of the modern tech stack — scalable infrastructure thanks to the Cloud Era, winnowing number of fragile apps and integrations, and frontloading of deals much earlier in the month — you’d think that eCom directors get a break.
Nope.
An informal poll on Twitter/X revealed that, among those who work for eCom businesses with PTO policies for BFCM in place, a little more than half — fifty-seven percent — were required to put in a full workday throughout the Cyber Five.
To those of you working the shortest BFCM ever, we salute you.
— Phillip
P.S. For Plus Members: Read this week’s Executive briefing (interactive) from contributor Amy Silino (Land’s End, Estee Lauder Cos), which ties the ‘vibecession’ to CPI and compounding effects of inflation. It’s a must read.
P.S.S. Brands are Myths. They’re literally made up. That’s why we love them, but it also makes us want to peer deeper at the form behind the brand. Brian Lange turns in his latest heady essay for Future Commerce Insiders, #183: Mythopoeic Brands.
The Tech Company That Launched a Fashion Line (Because Why Not?)
Inside FRMT, Fermat's Limited-Run Fashion Experiment
Most tech companies stick to branded hoodies and stickers for merch. Fermát isn’t most tech companies. Fermát decided, instead, to launch a full-blown fashion line.
Future Commerce's Phillip Jackson speaks with Alexa Kilroy about waxed hoodies, iPhones in space, and why a commerce tech company is suddenly in the clothing business.
You produced merch earlier this year. What makes this different?
"So many answers here!" Kilroy starts. "First – the FRMT launch is a moonshot marketing initiative. Our CMO, Rabah Rahil, is passionate about regularly launching what he refers to as 'moonshot marketing initiatives.' These are unique, wild, & non-traditional marketing initiatives designed with the intention of boosting brand affinity." At Triple Whale, she and Rabah once sent an iPhone to space and produced a mini reality TV show starring creators that develop ad content for DTC brands.
"Second, I'd like to stress that FRMT isn't 'FERMÀT merch'. We, quite literally, spent months developing a limited-edition, eCommerce-inspired, luxury fashion line. FRMT has its own iconography and voice."
The ultimate goal? "Putting our mission – and product – into practice," she says. "As we wrote in our press release, 'Experimentation is fundamental to our mission, and by launching an experimental marketing campaign using our own product, we're putting our mission into practice!' FRMT line items are available for purchase via FERMÀT funnels. We launched our own brand so we could demo our product in public."
Who shot the campaign?
"Oren Schauble led creative direction for the shoot; Caleb Shane was the photographer."
Timeline on this? From concept to launch?
"We started working on this project in February of 2024; the line first became available for purchase on October 21, 2024. That time period includes every step of the way, from ideation to the day we were able to begin selling product via our Shopify store."
These caused quite a stir online – did they really cost $675?
"The $675 figure you're referencing is the cost of the complete FRMT line bundle," Kilroy clarifies. "The prices for FRMT items range from $55 (Cloud Wrap Scarf) to $300 (Secure the Banker Bag)."
Production partners? I heard Micromerch was involved.
"We produced this collection in partnership with Oren Schauble and Clayton Chambers. MicroMerch ran fulfillment and distribution so we could get FRMT to the people!"
Let's talk about that waxed hoodie. Why a waxed hoodie?
"Why not a waxed hoodie?!" Kilroy shoots back. "Truthfully, we just wanted to make items that felt special, experimental, and out of the box. The hoodie has a really cool leather look IRL, but feels soft and cozy. Oren is a star at sourcing really unique materials, and when he found the material that makes up this hoodie, we were stoked to run with it!"
Can people still get their hands on these?
"FRMT has been available for general purchase since Oct 23! Because this was a limited run with only ~75 of each piece made, we nearly sold out within a couple of days. We only have a handful of shirts, hoodies, scarves, and bags remaining. Folks can shop the collection at frmt.store.”
Flight Refunds? Now Automatic. New rules mandate U.S. airlines to automatically issue refunds for canceled flights, streamlining the process for affected travelers and enhancing consumer protections in air travel.
Reimagining Brand Collaborations. In a new long-form piece on Substack, Ana Andjelic (Banana Republic, Esprit) examines the future of brand partnerships, highlighting the shift toward collaborations that emphasize cultural relevance, authenticity, and deeper consumer connection in an increasingly digital landscape.
Throw out that Toxic Kitchen Tool. Research highlights concerns about electronic waste and flame retardants, other toxic chemicals, finding their way into black kitchenware — yes, that old black plastic spatula you have — which may leach harmful substances into food during cooking.
The Introvert’s CEO. In the first major change since new CEO Brian Niccol took the helm, Starbucks has dropped its extra charge for non-dairy milk options, making plant-based choices like almond and oat milk available at no additional cost. Among other changes, Starbucks will bring back the condiment bar. Introverts, rejoice!
Scent Teleportation? In its first big news since its 2023 grant of $3.5M from the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation, olfactory AIi startup Osmo announced a technological breakthrough in ‘scent teleportation,’ a technology that would allow users to experience scents remotely via AI. While scent technology has been used for immersive films and theme park rides — and even in Heretic (2024) which is in theaters right now, this was the first time that scent data was translated in realtime via the Internet.
Anime Mascot for the Church? In an unexpected (strange) move, the Catholic Church launched an anime-inspired mascot to connect with younger generations. Amid consumer requests for Luce merch, others point out that the artist behind the brand is also responsible for designing visuals for Pride campaigns and licensed brand collaborations with sex toy manufacturer Lovehoney.
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