Together with
Drake takes a break. Did you hear the news, FutureParty people? Shortly after releasing his eighth studio album (For All The Dogs) on Friday, Drake announced he was taking a break from music to focus on his health. While there’s still no word on how long his hiatus will be, the news does leave a tiny void in our Spotify. Luckily, there’s some new music to help hold us over for now.
Happy Indigenous Peoples’ Day!
In other news… Spirit Halloween is powered by memes, Kid Cudi joins Starfleet, and custom shoes create unique comfort.
Top Trends
Was this email forwarded to you? Subscribe
BUSINESS
Everything can be Spirit Halloween // Illustration by Kate Walker
Spirit Halloween thrives on memes
The Future. Spirit Halloween is rising again as we enter spooky season, with stores popping up in more than 1,500 locations this year, generating 40,000 seasonal jobs — both records for the company. Buoyed by memes that have turned the brand into an unlikely cool kid, Spirit Halloween may have the rare chance to expand from retail into haunted house experiences — the company has already proven it has ambitions in entertainment.
Pop-up power
How does Spirit Halloween, which is just open for two months, continue to grow after 40 years in operation? Memes.
Memes of the Spirit Halloween banner taking over vacant department stores and of fake, hilarious costumes have taken the internet by storm every fall since around 2019.
Instead of shunning the memes, the company has embraced them, letting them be what every company wants — free, viral, grassroots marketing.
This approach has made the brand a Halloween staple that never overstays its welcome — just as people get tired of the memes, the holiday hits, and the stores close up shop… waiting to be revived the following September.
With the National Retail Federation estimating Halloween spending will hit a record $12.2 billion this season, Spirit Halloween may ride those memes all the way to the bank. And landlords have a lot to be happy about as well — the company reanimates dead spaces that typically don’t bring in any revenue.
With so much goodwill, Spirit Halloween may have cast a spell to make an even bigger brand extension next year… something that could scare traditional year-round retailers for the remainder of the calendar.
     |
FASHION
Courtesy of Star Trek
Kid Cudi suits up with Star Trek
The Future. Kid Cudi (real name Scott Mescudi) is boldly going where no rapper has gone before… a collaboration with the Star Trek franchise. Considering Mescudi’s growing side career in film and television, it’s an inspired team-up. If the collab takes off, don’t be surprised to see Mescudi pop up in the next Star Trek movie. Talk about a novel audition.
Intergalactic drip
Kid Cudi’s “Boldly Be” campaign is launching at New York Comic Con on October 12th.
It’ll consist of an apparel capsule that includes a varsity jacket, button-up shirts, tees, and hoodies, with pieces all featuring slogans that are mashups of franchise lines and Cudi lyrics, such as “Live Long and Rage.”
He’s also dropping a single inspired by Trek called “Heaven’s Galaxy,” which was produced by regular collaborator Dot da Genius.
Lastly, he’s releasing a gaming experience in Fortnite, dubbed STAR TREK X KID CUDI: MIRROR MAYHEM, where players follow Cudi on a space mission — the release date hasn’t been announced but will be sometime this month.
While a Kid Cudi and Star Trek mashup may seem odd at first, Mescudi says he’s a longtime fan, having grown up watching the show with his dad. He said the collaboration takes inspiration from the Vulcan ethos of IDIC (Infinite Diversity in Infinite Combinations) — a philosophy of positivity, heroism, and hope that organically runs through the artist’s music.
Come to think of it, this may be one of the most natural collaborations we can imagine.
| |
WTF does this data mean?
Data can be super confusing. It’s great to have, but what does it mean? Chartr makes it super clear in their super visual newsletter. They explain biz, tech, and entertainment data like we’re five. And we’re 100% happy about that. (Now, that’s data we can get behind!)
Here’s more data for you to chew on: 450,000+ professionals already subscribe to Chartr. And it’ll only take you five minutes to read.
FASHION
Fit blueprint // Illustration by Kate Walker
Custom sneakers are the future fit
The Future. Most shoes made by name brands are a one-size-fits-all approach… but the baseline size of those shoes differs from company to company, making finding a good fit something of a scavenger hunt. However, a few new startups are trying their hand at customizing shoes for consumers. If coupled with the ability to pick out styles, colorways, and other personalized designs, sneakerheads may soon be able to craft the shoe that looks and feels like their dreams.
One size fits none
If your shoes don’t fit right, there’s a shelf full of startups that can upgrade your footwear game, unboxes WSJ.
Speedland has three different models with two dials along the shoe, allowing wearers to tighten other parts to achieve a more snug fit.
Hilma asks customers a series of questions before they purchase their shoes, so the company can predict which one of its models will fit them best.
Iambic not only asks customers for their fit preferences but also prompts them to scan their feet using the company’s smartphone app. From there, Iambic crafts the perfect shoe.
Building a better fit is simply better business. According to tech company Narvar, footwear and apparel represent 62.5% of all product returns, with “fit and size” problems being the main culprit.
As the practice becomes more cost-effective, podiatrists may start having fewer patients in the coming years.
| |
Get the best merchant account
Congrats on starting a business! But, eeek, now you have to find the right payment processor. Unfortunately, there are so many options out there, and it’s nearly impossible to figure out what’s what because most of the review sites are paid advertisers.
PayBlox has a great solution, though! They created a platform that uses advanced algorithms and an extensive network of providers to match your business with the best payment processor. (We so needed them when we started TFP.)
Here’s what you need to know: go to PayBlox, enter some basic business info just once, and within 24 hours, receive multiple quotes from processors. BUT, you won’t get bombarded and harassed with sales emails and calls from those companies. PayBlox cuts through the noise and lets you decide what’s best for you.
Right now, PayBlox is also doing a small biz giveaway. Ten companies will get $1,000 each! Enter to win by signing up for Payblox using the code FUTURE.
Highlights
The best curated daily stories from around the web
Media, Music, & Entertainment
Suits, a cable series, has broken the Nielsen chart record for the most weeks any title has consecutively been the top-streamed show in the US — 12 weeks. Read more → thr
Just in time for Halloween, a survey from Tinder and Peacock found 63% of respondents (all single) feel watching a horror movie is a great date night activity, with Halloween, The Texas Chainsaw Massacre, and the Chucky franchise being the top choices. Read more → variety
Spotify is potentially rolling out a $19.99/month “Superpremium” plan that’ll include lossless audio, AI-generated playlists, advanced mixing tools, more audiobook hours, and a personalized feature dubbed “Your Sound Capsule.” Read more → techcrunch
Fashion & E-Commerce
The new wardrobe on Wall Street isn’t quiet luxury — it’s all about sneakers, fleeces, and maybe a casual blazer. Read more → insider
Eddie Bauer changed its logo for the first time in almost 60 years because Gen Z doesn’t know how to read cursive. Read more → fastcompany
Even though NFTs are a dying breed, Starbucks is doubling down on a pumpkin spice latte digital collection that’ll give holders of all four a surprise “opportunity” tomorrow. Read more → insider
Tech, Web3, & AI
Adobe is launching yet another generative AI system called “Project Stardust” that’ll work across all the company’s apps. Read more → hypebeast
a16z is considering leading a $100 million funding round for Midjourney rival Ideogram. Read more → theinformation
Epic plans to introduce a new pricing strategy for Unreal Engine users, but only for clients in film, TV, and the automotive industries — putting the company on a path to make money from something other than Fortnite. Read more → engadget
Creator Economy
Gaming-focused creator brand Rooster Teeth, a YouTube stalwart, has removed several of its popular animated shows from the platform, citing the titles make 5 to 10 times more in ad revenue directly from its website than on YouTube. Read more → variety
Twitch is cracking down on the view-boosting loophole of having streams autoplay on wikis for specific game titles — a move that can discreetly rack up thousands of views. Read more → tubefilter
Going viral on TikTok Shop is fleeting, so sellers are scrambling to fulfill orders before their 15 seconds of fame are up. Read more → insider
Like what you see? Subscribe Now or Partner With Us
Keep the editorial team going! Buy the team a coffee! ☕️
Today’s email was written by David Vendrell.
Edited by Nick Comney. Copy edited by Kait Cunniff.
Published by Darline Salazar.