Costco’s latest lets shoppers sport their Kirkland Signature pride
There’s no question Costco’s Kirkland Signature store brand is one of the most popular and successful private brands in the retail industry, and this holiday season the club store is offering its true Kirkland loyalists a way to show their love with a Kirkland Signature-branded sweatshirt.
The unisex sweatshirt appeared in Costco’s holiday event email blast this week, listing the logo sweatshirt at $19.99 next to a set of Kirkland Signature stainless steel cookware that was on sale for $30 off.
The sweatshirt reminds me of a blog I wrote about the surprise success of Lidl-branded shoes and the power of private brand loyalty. The Lidl athletic shoes became a trendy item, selling for exorbitant prices on resale sites, particularly among younger shoppers who seem game to wear logos proudly. For example, Nike has made shoes using the 7-Eleven colors and branding, feeding right into consumers looking to sport brand pride. Granted, the appeal of those shoes, is how the branding crosses over to Nike, but it's an example that younger consumers are not afraid of wearing a brand.
In the blog I questioned whether a store brand could test these waters, and perhaps Costco and its Kirkland sweatshirt is a start. All it takes is one celebrity showing their Kirkland spirit in some streetwear outfit and just maybe the logo sweatshirt will take off like the Lidl shoes. If not, the sweatshirt remains an example of just how far private brands have come, having grown to be bold enough to be blasted on a sweatshirt, knowing a segment of consumers love the brand enough to wear it proudly.
