In 2024, “merch”—aka what the kids call merchandise, or branded clothes and objects that are distributed to promote something—reached something of a fever pitch. There was the borderline genius (take the lowbrow irony of the $40 Harris/Walz camo hat, which sold out its initial run of 3,000 in 30 minutes, and looked extremely similar to singer Chappell Roan’s Midwest Princess snapback) to the downright confusing (Sweetgreen launching “Kale Camo” sweatshirts, which then turned out to be a scandal of stolen ideas, or both presidential campaigns releasing merch inspired by Taylor Swift’s Eras Tour T-shirts and friendship bracelets).
Of course, merch itself is nothing new—the concept of making profits from promotional products traces back more than a century and really ramped up with the rise of music merch in the 1940s and ’50s (we can reportedly thank Elvis superfans for the first official band tee, which planted the seed for, for example, the ubiquity of the Hard Rock Cafe T-shirt in the ’90s). Of course, the success of merch also greatly relies on consumers’ propensity to use brands to broadcast their personalities and experiences. (Sort of like how carrying a New Yorker tote tells others you are paying off your MFA loans.) The past decade has been a revolving door of merchandise falling in and out of favor, but the debate has intensified in lifestyle media recently, trading “love live merch” headlines for “merch is dead” diatribes. Still, this year felt notable thanks to an emergence of the brand grab on the home front, with a slew of noninteriors brands launching heavily logo-ed decor items, interior designers and furniture companies using their names for fashion collabs, and fashion brands launching decor. Even the automotive industry made home goods in 2024. (::Scratches head::)
But the question is, why this explosion of “brand” within the home space when the sector is actually said to be hurting? In most cases, it doesn’t seem to be just about scoring a major profit, says Fred Nicolaus, executive editor of Business of Home, Dwell’s sister site. “The overall market for home goods has been in a slump since early 2022, so purely on economics, now is not a good time to get in on the category.” Still, Nicolaus argues, home remains an important area for Americans: “Even though the economic boost the pandemic gave home was fleeting, it did something else that’s a little more permanent: Made the category more culturally relevant.” It seems as though brands are recognizing that merch for consumers’ homes—or even lionizing home brands through other mediums—can have a new type of cachet.
One prominent example? Blankets. For some reason, many hip-kid brands decided blankets were the way to make a lasting impression. (Maybe the recent rise of blankets as wall art had something to do with it.) In October, the nonalcoholic beverage company Ghia launched a medium-weight blanket in “signature Ghia colors” and with a large logo in a corner. The same month, Glossier, a favored beauty brand among the Gen Z set, rereleased a cotton knitwear throw (once only available to employees) covered with a pattern formed from its signature G. And just recently, A24 came out with its Aspect Ratio Blanket, which doesn’t display the indie film production company’s logo, but certainly captures its MO. (Its online shop sells plenty of other more obviously branded home and office goods, like Logo Bookends and A24 X Joya Genre Candles).
While, as we mentioned, the demand for furniture and home goods has been down after a prior pandemic-fueled boom, not unrelated to inflation and the housing crisis, there’s a point of exception: the luxury market, which has remained slightly steadier. In late 2024, Louis Vuitton launched a collection of tableware emblazoned with the luxury fashion house’s initials. Meanwhile, Bottega Veneta collaborated with Italian lighting brand Flos to create a new edition of Gino Sarfatti’s 1966 Model 600 lamp; the leather-bound base features woven detailing that echoes Bottega’s signature purse style. In a move no one saw coming, fashion and beauty magazine Elle announced plans to erect a luxury apartment building in Miami.
Interior design brands also crossed into the world of fashion through collaborations. A June HAY x Asics collab saw the Danish furniture company apply its signature colors to one of the Japanese sportswear brand’s archive sneakers. Footwear brand Margaux brought on British homewares designer Matilda Goad to concept a refresh of their Demi Jane shoe (launched in October at an “intimate” dinner party in a Brooklyn brownstone). In fall, USM Modular Furniture worked with socks and loungewear label Comme Si, with the apparel brand’s creative director Jenni Lee designing new furniture pieces (a vanity, folding screen, a sock dresser, among others) along with boxers, socks, and button-downs inspired by the USM Haller color palette; the collection was exhibited at Richard Neutra’s VDL House. All of this comes on the heels of prior crossovers like New Balance’s collab with hypebeast label Kith to make Frank Lloyd Wright–inspired sneakers, or Reebok’s special sneaker collection with Eames Office, which also put out a line of tees, pajamas, and slippers emblazoned with Eames motifs with clothing brand Gelato Pique.
But it wasn’t just fashion getting all the action. The most notable example of the auto industry pulling into the picture would have been Porsche Pepita Edition by Vitra, a limited-edition seating collection released by the German car company with the Swiss-owned, Germany-based furniture manufacturer that features an Eames side chair, a rolling ID Trim L chair, and a Petit Repos chair, all upholstered in one of Porsche’s most popular interior fabrics. In the tech department, Ferrari and Bang & Olufsen expanded on a 2023 collab with a new collection of speakers. And similar to Elle, luxury car companies are all over the branded living concept: Bentley and Mercedes-Benz also revealed plans for sparkly residential projects in 2024 (Mercedes-Benz’s in Dubai, and Bentley’s—like Elle’s—in Miami).
A less-saturated category, but one to watch in the new year: food brands testing out the decor waters. Hipster olive oil brand Graza and design-forward homewares shop and studio Areaware came together to create the Drizz & Dip serving set (a play on the chip ‘n’ dip bowl). And New York-based “dinner party store” Big Night released a striped sheet set in the shop’s signature colors as part of a bedding collection with Far West design studio.
Perhaps one of the main reasons we found our homes in the midst of such an epic brand grab in 2024 is due to it being an election year, and not just any normal election year—one characterized by fierce identity and moral categorization. America is in an identity crisis, and the yearn to solidify one’s personal brand feels more crucial than ever—starting with our living spaces.
Top photos (from left): Courtesy Louis Vuitton, Ghia, and Porsche
