Last weekend, Mountain Dew® launched an immersive, collaborative art, fashion and tech experience, channeling all things camouflage and promising to challenge conventions of the popular print. In addition to debuting an original, interactive, augmented reality experience and curated gallery installation, the brand’s new camouflage-meets-wearable-tech collection, Camo Out, was available for sale for the first time. As the exclusive brand licensing agency for Mountain Dew, The Joester Loria Group brokered the Camo Out collaboration with youth-culture powerhouse VFILES.
Together with Complex Media and PepsiCo Creator, the company’s North American Beverages marketing innovation team, The Camo Collective experience was exhibited with the apparel collection at the first-ever ComplexCon on Nov. 5-6, 2016 in Long Beach, Calif., before heading to other DEW® activations later this year and in 2017.
Both DEW and camouflage hold unique positions at the cross-section between the new American Heartland and urban street-wear culture: symbolic of freedom and exploration in both rural and urban environments. The collection exemplifies the lifestyle of having a “damn good time” and the self-expression that DEW embodies. DEW has a deep heritage in all things camo and outdoors and now has modernized and extended the reach of camo to a new audience.
The Camo Out collection, which was previewed during September’s VFILES Runway Show during New York Fashion Week, was designed for the DEW Nation’s “class of the future.” The new line includes a Bluetooth enabled parka with built-in speakers, a tracksuit with built-in earbuds, a cap with a camera that wirelessly connects to a phone for handsfree streaming and documenting; and a solar-powered backpack with a USB port to sync and charge devices. The collection also includes three core basics for men and women in the custom camo print including a pull-over hoodie, a coaches jacket and a layered t-shirt.
The inaugural collection was available at the VFILES pop-up shop in The Camo Collective gallery space at ComplexCon, at the VFILES store in New York City and online at VFILES.com as of November 5. Retail prices range $50 - $400.
Mountain Dew’s new brand licensing partnership was featured by Freshness, WWD, LA Times, Digital Trends and Baller Status.