Airbnb Releases New 2017 Line Of Tech Apparel
888 BRANNAN STREET, SAN FRANCISCO — At a gaudy launch party today held at its massive SOMA office, Airbnb announced the release of its new 2017 line of branded “tech” apparel. The new line, dubbed the “Culture Fit Collection,” includes updated hoodie and shirt designs that was “made to belong anywhere — from Tokyo to San Francisco, whether you’re presenting in a board room or hanging out with your friends at the soccer field.”
Unlike fellow unicorn Uber, whose latest swag was criticized for its “unisex” and “one-size-fits-all” sizing that only fit their male employees, the Culture Fit Collection includes male and female clothing with crew and V-neck collars to ensure maximum comfort. While Airbnb’s previous color scheme and logo was blue, the company’s new pink color scheme and vagina-like logo clearly aims to be more gender inclusive.
As part of the launch of the new line, employees will receive a variety of free swag, most notably a bright pink hoodie that features an embroidered monogram of the employee’s initials inset into the Airbnb logo, not to mention a list of the company’s core values sewn into the hoodie’s interior lining. However, to get the free swag, employees must successfully pass a “Culture Check-in,” in which they profess their continued love and admiration for the company and its mission to a panel of pink-hooded “Happiness Officers.” According to source close to the matter, the culture fit bar is much lower for engineers.
While critics have praised the new clothing line for its “solid execution of the muted tech logo on colored shirt/hoodie aesthetic,” others deplored the lack of disruption in the competitive field of branded tech apparel.
“Enough with the shirts and hoodies!” wrote one reviewer. “IFTTT did socks back in 2014, and they were super comfy. Pinterest did branded red Converses this year and they look lit. Couldn’t Airbnb do something unique? A branded underwear line? Tech jeans with the Airbnb logo printed on the butt pocket? Seriously, this is 2017.”
