Ivy Park: A Peek into Beyoncé's Second Drop
After months of anticipation and excitement, Beyoncé dropped her long-awaited mixed-gender Ivy Park collection on January 17th and 18th. After an eventful few months, including a rumored tumultuous business relationship with a prior partner, Topshop, as well as the recent allegations about former co-founder, Sir Phillip Green's involvement in the #MeToo movement, Beyonce acquired total ownership of the brand and relaunched it under partner, Adidas.
Beyoncé first teased the line in Elle Magazine where she posed for the cover of the January 2020 issue. During her magazine interview, Beyonce stated that "this new [Ivy Park] line is fun and lends itself to creativity, the ultimate power." Along with traditional sizing (XS-XL), Beyonce incorporated unisex clothing and sneakers for the first time.
The mixed-gender collection dropped online January 17, 2020, and within six minutes, the pre-sale was completely sold out in the US. This speaks heavily to Beyoncé's influence not only as a celebrity but as a brand. It also speaks to the rising popularity of the streetwear movement and athleisure culture of America.
Beyoncé's IVY PARK X adidas collection reportedly sold out in 6 minutes, including over 70,000 pairs of sneakers.
The newly launched collection has also sold out in retailers like Footlocker, Nordstrom, Finish Line, and more. pic.twitter.com/zoDDI3WK39— Pop Base (@PopBase) January 18, 2020
This isn't Beyonce's first clothing brand. Her first line was the House of Deréon, a ready-to-wear line that she co-founded with her mother, Tina Lawson, in 2004. Compared to Ivy Park, the House of Deréon did not have as much success, even though both brands used elements of streetwear style. So what changed?
The differences boil down to two things: price and the changing tides of fashion. While the Ivy Park x Adidas line costs up to 200 USD, House of Deréon marketed itself as a more luxurious brand with jeans usually starting at 150 USD, a high asking price in 2004. The now, discontinued, fashion line also marketed itself with the phrase "where the sidewalk and catwalk meet," during a time where street style existed, but was frowned upon by major designers.
While leggings and athleisure were once seen as what you wear to the gym or worn by urban enthusiasts, it is now considered as "streetwear." This change has become a major trend for big designers. Gucci, Louis Vuitton, and Chanel have attempted to crack into this popular trend amongst millennials by dropping sneakers. Ivy Park, unlike the House of Deréon, was simply created and launched at the right time.
This line is so successful that even French men and women lined up to view the collection. Despite certain pieces being exclusive to the US, a large crowd was drawn nonetheless. Paris, a society that notoriously frowns upon the use of leggings for anything other than the gym, surprisingly had a large turn out for the athleisure brand. Even though it was not marketed on social media, the Adidas Concept Store at the Champs-Élysées had a heavy stream of shoppers looking at the collection since its in-store launch on January 18.
Picture of Crowd at the Adidas Concept Store, Image Credit: Kayla Stokes
Upon entering the store, attendees were immediately greeted with a live DJ and a large mural of the founder herself, Queen Bey. There was a live fashion "show" with models showcasing some of the pieces, and a selfie corner with a bike for shoppers to strike the same pose as the songstress, as seen on the Adidas site.
While I was one of the many who could not get their hands on pieces offered on the US Adidas site, I had the opportunity to try on some pieces in the Paris pop-up store! Most of the pieces fit true to size, but some pieces such as the skirt ran a size or two too small. This is a collection that I would suggest to try on before buying, or consult the size guide on the website.
According to Paris' Adidas employees, the pop-up collection only lasted until last Tuesday; however, there are still items available on the Adidas.fr website! The two brands hinted at a second drop coming soon via a press release.
Make sure to sign up for updates on your preferred Adidas website to get your hands on the next drop!
