This week, the presidential candidates sparred for the last time on the debate stage before election day. While sadly there was no red sweater comic relief, Ken Bone is back again.
The undecided voter who became internet famous for his seemingly innocuous question about energy policy and his classically boring red sweater now appears in an ad Izod, the apparel brand that made the original red sweater. And that's not the only politically-themed retail story this week: Athletic apparel brand Reebok has designed an athleisure-style power pantsuit for presidential candidate Hillary Clinton.
This, and more, in this week's Retail Therapy.
Ken Bone gets a retail sponsor
Since the second presidential debate less than two weeks ago, Ken Bone went from being a relatively unknown undecided voter to a bright spot in an absurd election. But then it came out that Bone is actually more than just a little creepy on Reddit and his 15 minutes of fame came to an end — for the most part.
Last week, I wrote about how retailers like J.C. Penney and Kohl’s jumped at the opportunity to drive retail sales from what The New York Times dubbed "The Ken Bone Effect.” Izod, the apparel brand that made the red sweater Bone wore to the debate, isn’t ready to let that go. In a new video ad, the casual yet preppy apparel brand is trying to throw back to the good old days of "The Bone Zone" by featuring Bone as a wholesome advocate for civic responsibilities.
In the video, Bone is shown opening up a closet full of — yep, you guessed it — normcore red sweaters before landing in the capital to encourage Americans to keep faith in the political system and vote. As of this morning, the video only garnered about 35,000 views on YouTube. Sorry, Izod, the red sweater thing was last week.
Presidential athleisure
On Wednesday night, Democratic presidential nominee Hillary Clinton took the debate stage one last time before Election Day, sporting a classy white pantsuit that sent the internet into a frenzy. Clinton’s obsession with pantsuits — specifically Ralph Lauren brand pantsuits, which has some observers speculating whether they could be her dresser-in-chief — has produced a consistent flow of light-hearted memes and gifs that help get us through the most headache-inducing moments of this election.
Some took to Twitter to comment on her familiar pantsuit selection, which CBS News compiled here. These are the best doppelgangers: Olivia Pope from Scandal, Nick Carter from The Back Street Boys’ music video “I want it that way,” and a chef from Cordon Bleu.
Hillary Clinton is in her Olivia Pope " It's Handled" Power white. #DebateNight
— Lizz Halloweenstead (@lizzwinstead) October 20, 2016
But one big brand wants in on the pantsuit craze — Reebok. Before the debate, athletic retailer Reebok offered up its best sketch of an athleisure presidential power suit.
“Women like Clinton are tough and unapologetic. Although we don’t often see candidates sweat, the bright lights of the debate and the pressure of the national stage can raise temperatures. Performance wear seems to be the perfect choice for situations like this,” Reebok's Senior Director of Brand Management Inga Stenta said in a press release.
As Clinton steps into the debate ring, Stenta said, she needs a fabric that can withhold "a sparring match with 'The Donald.'"
Target exits creepy clown mask business
For weeks, there has been a continuous cycle of news stories about creepy clown attacks — some real, others just copycat jokes. But with Halloween around the corner, people are standing up to say enough is enough — creepy clowns are not funny anymore; they're just downright terrifying.
The biggest news this week is that big-box retailer Target announced it is pulling creepy clown masks off its shelves entirely.
“Given the current environment, we have made the decision to remove a variety of clown masks from our assortment, both in stores and online,” Joshua Thomas, a Target spokesman, said in an email to The Washington Post.
But one retailer pulling the products may not result in fewer clown scares on Oct. 31. Halloween Express operations manager Brad Butler told the Wrap that sales for scary clown masks have spiked 300% this year.
Kardashians crash the denim space
The Kardashian sisters are back in the retail game.
This week, Khloe Kardashian launched a line of specialty denim called Good American, which will be sold in Nordstrom stores. The reality TV celebrity's line, which comes in sizes ranging from 0 to 24, is aimed at promoting body positivity. The jeans will all be modeled by women with a variety of body shapes in an effort to make denim more accessible to a larger base of shoppers.
The only problem? Each pair retails between $149 and $215 — and shoppers are saying that's anything but "accessible."
Squad.... Good Squad! @goodamerican https://t.co/i6YX560oRn pic.twitter.com/UO5q2D9ZEX
— Khloé (@khloekardashian) October 19, 2016
When @khloekardashian's @goodamerican line comes out and you realize you can't afford $169 jeans. #GoodAmerican #khloekardashian pic.twitter.com/asS2AfplKE
— Bee Martinez (@Biancalouie02) October 18, 2016
