Did Drake Just Win The Great Merch War of 2016?
Drake may be the king of Toronto—a title he defended last weekend by putting on his seventh annual OVO Fest—but this week he’s all about the Big Apple. He’s got four shows between Thursday and Monday at Madison Square Garden alongside the always-stylish hitmaker Future, and today opened a pop-up store on Bowery Street selling the merch that otherwise is only available at the concert venues. In other words, Drake, like his sometimes-boo Rihanna, has thrown his hat (and T-shirts, hoodies, etc.) in the ring for the great Merch Wars™ of 2016. Like seemingly all merch this year, Drake’s Summer Sixteen Tour draws its inspiration at least in part from high-fashion. Specifically, the “Revenge” hoodie you see here bears a striking resemblance to one released by Vetements a year ago. That same athletic font appears on almost all of the gear at the pop-up (sorry, no photos allowed). In addition to the hoodie and long sleeve tee you see here, the pop-up shop has hats, short-sleeve T-shirts, coaches jackets, and even baseball jerseys. (Drake, unlike other big name artists in 2016, has a tangible connection to the world of sports.) Read more at GQ.
