As part of its mission to de-stigmatize male beauty and provide useful beauty and grooming information, the Gen Z-focused publication Very Good Light is spreading out to physical products with the launch of a genderless beauty travel bag.
The bag, called “Soon” is a play on the English definition referring to waiting for something to happen or arrive and the Korean definition meaning “pure,” begins with an online pre-sale on Nov. 19. The bag is limited to only 250 and will be sold through Opening Ceremony online and in their New York and Los Angeles retail stores. Soon is essentially a hybrid between a crossbody bag and a men’s dopp kit, and will come with travel-friendly and unisex products from brands like Herbivore, Farmacy, Ouai and Youth To the People.
“This bag is needed in the market because there is no bag on the go for beauty and nothing but dopp kits for guys. It’s all for our readers and our mission of redefining masculinity,” David Yi, founder and editor in chief of Very Good Light, said.
The bag, which was created with fashion brand Haerfest and consultancy firm Talk to Her, is designed to be genderless even though Very Good Light is a men’s publication.
“We are moving to a genderless future that has no boundaries when it comes to products and it means Gen Z is saying ‘hey we can wear our beauty out [in public],’ Yi said, adding, “[Soon] allows men to participate in beauty without feeling ostracized or having to go into the women’s section.”
And, despite being a Gen Z focused publication, Very Good Light chose to offer its bag in-store as well as online even though the larger narrative around Gen Z shopping habits frequently focuses on erroneous assumptions about their shopping habits. Despite being the first generation to be truly of the internet-age, about 98 percent of Gen Zers still shop in-store “some or most of the time”, according to National Retail Federation and IBM’s Institute for Business Value.
“[Everyone] thinks brick and mortar is dying but it’s still a part of the Gen Z experience. They still want to touch and feel.”
