Heaven is a Place on Fairfax

Ask any fashion-literate child of the Internet what brand stays at the top of their wishlist and you’ll hear repeatedly: Heaven by Marc Jacobs. Since its inception in 2020, Heaven has been described as “a gateway into the sprawling and enigmatic omniverse of Marc Jacobs.” With celebrities and pop icons like Olivia Rodrigo and Bella Hadid sporting the designs, it’s fair to say that Marc Jacobs has found its place among the cool kids of Gen Z. 

Heaven’s ability to remain consistently tapped into the trends and interests of their demographic is impressive. In 2021, the brand created silk skirts printed with the most iconic stills from The Virgin Suicides in a brilliant collaboration with Sofia Coppola that sold out in just a few hours. Their Fall 2022 campaign featured Gen Z favorites Doja Cat and Charli XCX in the latest designs. 

However, Heaven’s most ambitious collaboration came just a few weeks ago: a live pop-up event at the Heaven Fairfax Ave LA store with Enya Umanzor and Drew Phillips, the best friends behind the popular Gen Z podcast, Emergency Intercom. With clips from their podcast consistently going viral on TikTok, you’d be hard pressed to find a Zoomer who doesn’t know this duo. While their main endeavor together is the podcast, these two have long established themselves as aspirational figures in post-millennial cool kid fashion circles, and they’ve been linked to Heaven since its 2020 rebirth, at one point working the floor as sort-of celebrity retail associates. 

This partnership glow-up, from essentially paid employee to collaborator, is exactly why Marc Jacobs should be teaching masterclasses in influencer marketing. The brand holds real credibility in fashion and business, and as such, a collaboration with Marc Jacobs serves as the ultimate stamp of approval for any person or brand lucky enough to get the opportunity. At the same time, the minds behind Heaven also recognize that the endorsement of an It-creator can bring the right eyes and wallets to a more subversive collection. In that context, Heaven and Emergency Intercom’s partnership was a brilliant maneuver in the evolving symbiotic relationship between brands and influencers, with each partner catching some of the others’ shine, both in coolness and credibility. Both also gained from the in-person opportunities for fans. Drew and Enya’s followers flooded the in-person LA pop-up, bumping sales of the latest Heaven drop and merch, and giving the podcast duo facetime with their audience in an ideal setting. Overall, this collaboration has proven to be a major success, with fans of Emergency intercom blowing up the r/emergencyintercom subreddit with glowing reviews of the experience and the merchandise. 

Let this serve as a wake up call to all brands: Tap into the obsessions of your target demographic and they’ll tell you exactly how they want you to advertise to them!  And in the spirit of seeing more epic collaborations, here are a few suggested partnerships that would certainly pop off with Gen Z. 

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01
TRISHA PAYTAS
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STEVE MADDEN

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Trish fans remember her devastation in 2023 when she couldn’t fit into a pair of pink Givenchy boots… Who better to collaborate with than the master of dupe designer shoes himself?!

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02
BRITTANY BROSKI
x
RABANNE BEAUTY

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Imagine these promo pics: a royal court outfit made from Paco Rabanne chainmail and a full face of the new Rabanne beauty to boot….

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03
STRAWBERRY MILK MOB
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VICTORIA'S SECRET PINK

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Recreate a VS fashion show with the Milk Mob sisters in bikini patterns made for VS PINK. 10/10.

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04
VICTORIA PARIS
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GANNI

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Ganni already has the stamp of approval from many cool girls, and adding VP as a Ganni Girl would only further solidify their grip on the fashion scene.

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05
EMMA CHAMBERLAIN
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ANY UNIVERSITY OF CALIFORNIA SCHOOL

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One of the most successful people of Gen Z, Emma Chamberlain would do wonders for any school that invited her to give a commencement speech or guest lecture series. Watch applications triple!

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Kalli Roberts is an internet anthropologist living in New York City! She has 13 years of experience being online, for better or for worse.