Update: Thought Justin Bieber's "Purpose" all-under-$100 merch for Urban Outfitters was good? The performer has added yet another retailer to his collaboration roster: This time, he's teaming up with Forever21 for special-edition "Justin Forever" gear, and it's all under $35. Check out the collection in full here.
This story was originally published on July 29, 2016.
The unofficial year of tour merchandise as full-fledged fashion is still going strong. Justin Bieber has played a key role, as he keeps releasing special-edition Purpose tour gear. And his latest merch assortment is not only Bieber-vetted, but it's also all under $100.
It's been a long saga for Bieber's concert memorabilia. First, there was the déjà-vu-inducing selection that was sold at the venues, followed by a series of highly patronized pop-up shops. Then, the whole thing took a luxury turn when Bieber popped up at Barneys with a $1,700 novelty moto jacket. That's a pretty restrictive price point, though fans quickly found more affordable lookalikes. With the Purpose tour's latest official collaborator, though, that's all changing.
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Urban Outfitters teamed up with Bravado, which has been leading the merch charge for the Biebz, to create a five-piece capsule featuring the concert's logo on streetwear-inspired garments. There's a hoodie, two T-shirts (one long-, one short-sleeved), a cap, and a jacket — all branded with "Purpose" as well as "Staff," which we saw at Bieber's VFiles pop-up.
"Bravado has been a key partner with Urban Outfitters for years," Colby Black, general merchandise manager at Urban Outfitters told Refinery29, adding that the retailer has had exclusive collaborations of this nature in the past — although, this is its first foray into official tour merch. "As artists like Justin Bieber turn their global recognition into apparel brands, Urban Outfitters and Bravado seized a key opportunity to offer this product range to our customer," he continued.
Pricing starts at $35 for the hat and caps at $99 for the jacket. It'll make its online debut on August 8, but will be available in stores starting August 5. (The retailer will also host a few hype-inducing events where fans can win souvenirs, like CD's and stickers, signed by Bieber himself.)
Of course, it was only a matter of time until Urban Outfitters capitalized on the popularity of musician merch. (The retailer has been particularly topical these days, with a collection of timely election T-shirts released earlier this month.) This sudden shift in public perception of what are, essentially, concert souvenirs all started with The Life of Pablo. It has since touched every world tour from Rihanna's Anti to Selena Gomez' Revival. Even Zayn Malik, who doesn't have any concerts on the docket, has merch out. This, of course, has spawned ill-received copycats, but Urban Outfitters went straight to the source.
Tour merch, and Bieber's Purpose garments in particular, have already been spotted on a few bloggers as part of their #OOTDs, so it's definitely something you'll be seeing in street style shots soon. (Who can resist the allure of a limited-edition tee, right?) Given the enthusiastic comments on Urban Outfitters' announcement Instagram, we're betting this'll be another sell-out.
We've reached out to Urban Outfitters for comment, and will update our story when we hear back.