Heinz Is Selling a Collection of Ketchup-Stained Clothes
White shirts and red sauces can be a destructive combination. But as part of a new promotion, Heinz — a known purveyor of a white shirt-destroying condiment — has decided to not only embrace its ability to blemish shirts, but to flat-out flaunt it. They've teamed up with a vintage clothing brand to release purposefully ketchup-stained shirts.
The ketchup king has partered with the Oakland-based thrift store brand ThredUp on the Heinz Vintage Drip collection, billed as "a first of its kind" fashion line featuring "157 secondhand streetwear and designer pieces, each with a unique Heinz ketchup stain" sold exclusively through ThredUp's website. The big final brag: "Because when it's Heinz, it's not a stain, it's a statement."
Adding to the ephemerality of this bespoke collection, a Heinz representative confirmed the stains are actual Heinz ketchup, meaning they will likely wash away over time.
Courtesy of HEINZ
"We saw an opportunity to view the stain we've been leaving on clothes as another iconic brand symbol and change the narrative," stated Alyssa Cicero, Heinz's brand manager. "This collection is about sustainably celebrating the character Heinz ketchup stains add to apparel, inviting our fans to embrace a new iconic symbol."
Meanwhile, ThredUp suggests now is a perfect time for brands to get on board with secondhand clothing, stating that over half of Gen Z and Millennial shoppers say they will look for an item used before buying it new and that the secondhand apparel market is expected to grow three times faster than the clothing market overall by 2026.
"At thredUP, we believe every piece of clothing deserves a second life — even summer barbeque casualties," Erin Wallace, ThredUp's VP of integrated marketing, stated. "We're thrilled to partner with an iconic brand like Heinz to create the first-ever line of ketchup stained secondhand clothes, celebrating reuse. This collection offers a unique way for fashion risk-takers and food lovers alike to participate in the circular economy, while doing good for people and the planet."
Courtesy of HEINZ
Furthering that final point, the brands says that 100 percent of proceeds from this collaboration will go to Rise Against Hunger in support of global hunger relief.
The Heinz Vintage Drip collection — which the brands say has been "intentionally designed to be inclusive across size and gender" with sizes ranging from XXS to XXL — will be available to buy online in the U.S. and Canada exclusively on ThredUP.com/HEINZ via two distinct drops. The first drop will take place on August 30 followed by a second group of "more exclusive items" being released on September 13.
