This started out as an article discussing the hate that Telfar gets for “not being luxury.” But during the editing process, I decided to redirect my energy. Especially after seeing the brand’s newest promotion for their AZALEA tracksuit and shopping bag.
Telfar’s marketing caters to familiar and wholly Black experiences and that resonates deeply. The comment section of my TikTok reacting to the promotional video is evidence of this!
Telfar is a brand that prioritizes community. Raw, authentic, hilarious, African-American antics. Telfar incites the kind of tomfoolery that brings folks together! I think it’s no coincidence that the brand became a pure powerhouse during the Coivd-19 shutdown.
Let’s talk about Telfar and community building.
The Shopping Bags
Telfar’s shopping bags are some of the most recognizable in the game. A simple rectangular silhouette, their “e” emblem embossment, three size variations with corresponding price points, and color options galore.
Don’t let the simplicity fool you, the bags were the most popular fashion accessory of the 2020 shutdown and quickly became synonymous with Black femme luxury. The limited, color-specific drops sell out within minutes to this very day.
United by Drip
Generally speaking, the Telfar brand and, by way of proxy, their ever-popular shopping bags don’t carry an air of arrogance.
Getting a Telfar can be a real hassle. But, when you finally get your Telfeezy, the feeling that overwhelms you is communal.
You don’t feel like you bought your way into an elite group that takes pride in excluding. And Telfar bags aren’t meant to raise your social capital. Opening your Telfeezy for the first time makes you want to call your friend up and scream “I’m gang for real!”
When you wear it out and see another black woman with one, the feeling is AHHHH same sis!
The healing and definitively Black comradery that come with a Telfar bag is palpable.
Telfar’s Marketing
Telfar’s marketing is some of the best I have seen. Their marketing is easily the most interactive and genuine in the fashion industry.
They know their target audience. They know who shows them consistent love. Their marketing is an open dialogue with those loyal supporters.
Telfar’s marketing is just so fun. And a huge reason why Telfar’s marketing hits the mark is because it’s us.
It’s us showing love. It’s us out being joyous, being fly, cracking jokes, and accomplishing goals all with our Telfeezies in hand! There’s no better marketing.
Telfar’s messaging is clear: Black ass luxury exists, it can and should be accessible, and fashion can build community. Respectability politics be damned!
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