Signals & Stats

Grindr gear

By David McGovern 18 : 08 : 2016 Grindr : The XXX Factor : Marketing Campaign

Los Angeles – Gay social app Grindr launched its first clothing line with a highly sexual aesthetic in line with the platform’s tone.

The Varsity Collection is a collaboration with on-demand print retailer Print All Over Me
The 29-piece collection supports LGBTQ athletes, with proceeds going to Athlete Ally

The Varsity Collection by Grindr and Print All Over Me, Los Angeles

Grindr is continuing its expansion beyond hook-up culture with a brash, 1990s-inspired campaign. Photographs of cropped t-shirts on taught torsos are shown with high saturation and crisp contrast, celebrating the muscular bodies seen in gay men's magazines. The collection ranges in price from £19 ($25, €22) to £100 ($130, €115) with proceeds going to Athlete Ally, a non-profit-making organisation dedicated to eliminating transphobia and homophobia from sports.

Diversifying its output has been a key recent focus of Grindr, beginning with live streaming JW Anderson’s autumn/winter 2016 show, and more recently launching Slumbr, a club night in association with Visionaire.

‘There is no reason we shouldn’t be a much broader thing,’ Landis Smithers, vice-president of marketing at Grindr, tells LS:N Global. Smithers proposes that the platform can ‘create a world where people feel comfortable accessing all sides of their personality’.

The Big Picture

The sexy 1990s are back, but with a strong dose of irony and humour. Read The XXX Factor for more on why brands aren’t shying away from bulging briefs and six-pack abs.