Glossy Pop Newsletter: Why Gen-Z fashion brand Grey Bandit hosted a gifting suite for customers

Grey Bandit, the Gen-Z-focused fashion brand, was built on influencer marketing. But, since its launch in 2017, the brand’s priorities have changed.

“With traditional influencer marketing, the ROI isn’t there anymore, and it just keeps getting more and more expensive,” said Courtney Glasser, one of the triplets who co-founded the brand. “It’s just not sustainable for our brand to work with influencers like we used to.”

She added, “We spent a lot of time and money catering to [influencers], and when you do that, you miss a huge part of the reason you’re successful and able to do this, which is your customers.”

Grey Bandit is now shifting its focus away from influencer marketing and — like so many brands over the past year — to its community.

This weekend, the brand will host a “gifting suite” for its customers. Best described as a store where everything is free, brand gifting suites are typically reserved for editors, influencers and celebrities. They’re often hosted by PR agencies, which feature the products of many of their clients at once, dedicated companies like Air Milkshake or brands themselves. Vrg Girl, PrettyLittleThing and Free People Movement have hosted their own.

“I was seeing influencers doing unboxings and getting iPads and other luxury items from brands, and there was a little uproar about it on social media. [The sentiment was] ‘In today’s economy, people can barely afford things — so why are they giving this to creators?’ … I agreed,” Courtney said.

What’s more, she said, there is a marketing shift happening across the industry, and she wants to ensure Grey Bandit is changing in step. The focus is less on mega-influencers and more on the customers and community who buy from the brand.

For its community gifting suite, Grey Bandit hired an event planning company, set up a space on NYC’s Lower East Side and invited 200 of its best regional customers, even allowing them to invite a plus-one.

“We are doing this with all the bells and whistles so that our customers feel special and have that same experience they would have if they were influencers,” said co-founder Lindsey Glasser. Each 30-minute session will be capped at 14 guests to keep the experience intimate and prevent it from feeling crowded. The suite will feature apple cider and apple cider donuts, and the brand’s team will be on-site to mingle with guests.

“We often go live on TikTok, and there are regulars who are coming to this event who seem so excited to speak to us in person. … I’m just as excited to meet them and have that one-on-one interaction,” Lindsey said.

Courtney said the team didn’t realize how expensive the event was going to be as the brand’s never hosted a gifting suite, even for influencers. The rental space in Manhattan required the largest investment. She declined to share the cost of the activation but noted that the event will be both the largest marketing initiative the brand has ever done and its biggest customer activation. The sisters declined to provide the company’s revenue but shared that it grew 50% year-over-year from 2022 to 2023.

To ensure the event is truly special, the founders were adamant that it features new, not-yet-seen styles. Upon entry, each guest will receive a branded tote bag and a T-shirt. The 200 customers invited by the brand will receive a sweater and a set of PJs. In addition, all guests will be able to fill their totes with a scarf, a piece of jewelry, and smaller items like pouches, socks and stickers.

To several top customers who don’t live in the NYC area, the brand will send packages containing many of the products that attendees receive, Courtney said.

Grey Bandit has 250,000 followers on Instagram and 146,000 on TikTok. Its primary demographic is Gen Z and millennial women, and it frequently posts about mental health. On Instagram, it has a separate account, @ridethewavegb (12,000 followers), which is dedicated to its mental health blog aimed at “reducing stigma, providing resources and creating a safe space for all 💚.”

The brand has been teasing the gifting suite on its TikTok since early September. Comments have included, “Oh my gosh!!!! This is why GB is the best company!!!🫶🏼🫶🏼🫶🏼,” “I’ve been shopping with you guys since 2019 i hope i can be apart of it 😩😩,” and “no way!! literally buy all my clothes from you guys! so cool!!”

And, just last week, Grey Bandit hosted a giveaway for Eras Tour tickets and used the opportunity to fuel excitement for the gifting suite — it posted about the event immediately following.

“Obviously, the goal of the suite is to make sure our customers know we support them as much as they support us,” Lindsey said, noting that increasing brand awareness is another priority. “People talking about us or having the name Grey Bandit in their head is a start.”

The sisters plan to continue to leverage customer-first marketing, sending out PR packages to customers for example. Last week, the brand posted on TikTok asking customers about the kinds of perks they want to see from the brand.

Collabs of the week

Basma Beauty x Rokael

Basma Beauty, known for its viral foundation stick, teamed with celebrity makeup artist Rokael Lizama to create a new color of its cream Bbush, dubbed “Pink Yet Coral.” “Rokael already loved our blush formula — I introduced it to him a few years ago,” said Basma founder Basma Hameed. “I gave him complete creative freedom to design the shade of his dreams, and he came up with so many stunning options. But the moment he texted me a picture of Pink Yet Coral, we both knew it was the one.”

Shop it here.

Dezi x Luv AJ

Four-year-old eyewear brand Dezi Eyewear, founded by influencer Desi Perkins, is foraying into jewelry with a new limited-edition collaboration with Luv Aj, the jewelry brand founded by Amanda Thomas. 

The collection, which launched Friday on both brands’ websites and Nordstrom, encompasses three sunglasses styles and over 10 earring styles . The sunglasses range in price from $95-$98, while the earrings, which are plated in gold or silver, are priced $45-$90. This assortment was born out of a desire by both founders to give shoppers the perfect jewelry offerings to match their sunglasses. 

“This new collaboration feels like a dream come true because designing jewelry has been a long-time aspiration,” Perkins told Glossy. “This collection is all about building your own vibe. Each piece can stand on its own, creating an effortless vibe, but when stacked together, the pieces make a statement that’s bold, unique and true to the Dezi brand.” –Tatiana Pile

Shop it here.

Inside our coverage

How a sexual wellness brand is taking a stance, one ‘Vote with your V@g’ sweatshirt at a time

Can a relaunched L’Eggs compete in the modern shapewear market?

Reading list

The making of a hit loafer

Ella Emhoff, Second Daughter of New York’s downtown

If Chanel calls, Marc Jacobs says he’ll answer