It’s no secret that the the kale craze has nearly reached its peak. As other greens vie for their place at the top of the healthy food chain, salad shops are also flexing their muscles to create a buzz around their leafy $13 bowls. And there’s no lunch joint that’s taken the salad to new levels quite like Sweetgreen. Started by Nicolas Jammet, Nathaniel Ru, and Jonathan Neman in 2007, their first location was in Washington D.C.’s Georgetown neighborhood. The chain now boasts 29 branches, all of which tap local farms and organic food producers to fill their salad bowls. They now have three shops in Manhattan, as well as one in Williamsburg.
But beyond trendy fare, Sweetgreen lures their millennial clientele in through the Sweetlife music festival. Held at Columbia, Maryland’s Merriweather Post Pavilion on May 30th and 31st, this two-day lineup includes 25 artists and spans the gamut from Kendrick Lamar and Calvin Harris to Pixies and Billy Idol.
And now the restaurant is even dipping into the fashion realm, through a festival-focused collaboration with outerwear label The Arrivals. This direct-to-consumer brand creates lust-worthy jackets and coats at relatively attainable prices. The most shocking part about the editorially-adored brand? Its creators don’t have any formal design expertise; Jeff Johnson is a former architect and Kal Vepuri is an investor and entrepreneur. “The Arrivals was built to connect the creative community through collaborative design and innovation. This partnership with Sweetgreen allows us to reach an audience who has a love for creativity, music and supporting the very community we’re inspired by,” Johnson told The Observer.
This unlikely partnership has resulted in Preston, a white leather jacket featuring a silk green lining that boasts the names of this year’s Sweetlife lineup. Other details include oversized zippers, perforated patches, and a plethora of little pockets, all served up in natural-grain Turkish leather. Did we mention it’s unisex? While the coat is going for $745 online, two limited edition versions, signed by Sweetlife artists, will be raffled off at The Arrival’s website. Sadly, a hand crafted salad doesn’t come with the winnings.
