Johnny Cupcakes is a t-shirt brand that will always leave you smiling.
Who doesn't like cupcakes? They're sweet, they're fluffy and they're delicious! You'd have to be the most miserable person in the world to not light up when a cupcake is put in front of you. That is precisely why I use it as bribery for my kids. Entrepreneur Johnny Earle left his band and full-time job to go 100% balls-to-the-wall with his t-shirt brand, Johnny Cupcakes. After creating some shirts with the nickname bestowed upon him by co-workers at his job at a comic book store, they instantly became a hit. Guys thought they were funny, while girls thought the designs looked cute. We think it's a mix between both.
But there's two things we really love about the Johnny Cupcakes. The first is that the brand is fairly simple, where one can see the playfulness molding easily with pop culture. Brilliantly executing slices of nostalgic collabs with the likes of The Simpsons, Star Wars and Blue's Clues, Johnny Cupcakes reaches all sorts of demographics, psychographics, whatevergraphics, and any other graphic you can think of. (Sidebar - A 50 year-old man gave me a high-five after he saw me rocking the Darth Baker Vader t-shirt. That was pretty cool.)
The second reason why we dig this t-shirt brand is the level of attention to detail when it comes to an experience. Across the states, Johnny Cupcakes offers some unique pop-up experiences. A pop-up in #Chicago collaborated with a local bakery to provide cute little cupcakes for hypebeasts waiting in line, while another pop-up in #Houston collaborated with a barbershop, offering free haircuts and/or shaves for all who purchased some gear.
And let's not forget the ultimate claim to fame – the in-store #experience at their headquarters in #Massachusetts. Granted, I haven't been to the mothership yet, but from the pictures I've seen, this is on the bucket list. Nowadays, this is what we here at CROSSxOVER would like to see more of with brands–whether it's a big name like Louis Vuitton or a small local brand like Hydepark Goods. How boring is it to just walk around, browse, see a cool shirt and go to the register? Can we at least make the retail experience more enjoyable? With the Johnny Cupcakes store, it looks like it does just that.
Picking up clothes like if it were picking out pastries makes us think differently about clothing. When we think about picking a dessert, we want something fresh, satiating, even over the top. You know why? Because it's a fucking dessert. And we want to enjoy every last morsel like it's our last meal. If that's the mentality you find yourself in at the store, you bet your fanny you will spend some time looking at the most delectable piece of apparel to sport the next day.
All of these in-store #experiences may look gimmicky, but it's far from it. It's built into the DNA of Johnny Cupcakes. And even if the man himself wouldn't necessarily describe his brand as streetwear, to us it definitely falls into the mantra of a brand with personality. To us, it's on par with the love that's given to #Supreme when they drop silly collabs like a Supreme lighter. They're fun and delightful strands of the brand.
If you haven't heard of Johnny Cupcakes or own a piece of their clothing, check out their website. They've got an enormous amount of selection to choose from. If you're lucky enough to peruse their selection in person, you'll get the added bonus of walking away with some neat packaging too.
Now, let us go and enjoy our cupcakes.
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