'Marty Supreme' Rides a New Wave of Movie Merchandising
The jacket-led campaign fronted by Chalamet has been powered by a clever strategy that A24 has quietly mastered.
'Marty Supreme' Rides a New Wave of Movie Merchandising
The jacket-led campaign fronted by Chalamet has been powered by a clever strategy that A24 has quietly mastered.
As Josh Safdie’s Marty Supreme approaches its Christmas Day release, the A24-produced film is leaving behind a whirlwind of merch-focused activations that have resonated like no other title in recent years.
On the surface, the initiative pales in comparison to the $150 million USD marketing blitz for Greta Gerwig’s Barbie (2023). Warner Bros.’ strategy enlisted over 100 collaborations — ranging from Gap and Crocs to Xbox and Airbnb — cementing it as one of the most robust promotional pushes in history. And, it certainly appears that Universal’s Wicked franchise has grabbed the torch, releasing similar collaborations with Gap and Ruggable, as well as PUMA, Le Creuset, Casetify, and more.
However, scale is exactly what distinguishes Marty Supreme. Instead of knocking on as many doors as possible, the campaign tailored its collaborations carefully and leveraged high-visibility figures to spread the message.
The Chalamet Effect
Playing the lead role of Marty Mauser, Timothee Chalamet has served as the de facto billboard for the movie, appearing time and time again in different-colored Marty Supreme jackets. Merchandise pop-ups aligning with the film’s promotional tour have drawn crowds of eager fans hoping to get their hands on the $250 USD windbreakers.
The actor’s style was already a hot topic this year, making him the ideal launchpad for the jacket designed by Los Angeles-based label Nahmias. Often captured by the paparazzi, dripped in flashy streetwear grails and luxury pieces curated by stylist Taylor McNeill (who also styles Kendrick Lamar), Chalamet served as the anchor for a wider strategy to sow the jacket into wider cultural conversations.
The windbreaker — emblazoned with the film’s title — was released in a spectrum of colorways, including palettes inspired by the flags of Mexico and Brazil. After Chalamet debuted the black-and-blue version in a promotional clip, the jacket quickly appeared on Kylie and Kendall Jenner, instantly capturing millions of eyes. Soon after, figures from Kid Cudi to Tom Brady and Misty Copeland were spotted in the gear.
To cap the momentum, Tyler, the Creator’s Golf Wang announced a limited-edition collection following the artist’s appearance at the film’s NYC premiere.
The Rise of the A24 Store
A24 has risen from obscurity to the top rungs of the entertainment industry over the last decade, not only because of box-office hits like Moonlight (2016), Hereditary (2018), and Everything Everywhere All At Once (2022), but also because of its modern approach to merchandise.
The shift began in 2018, when A24 Creative Director Zoe Beyer met with the founders of cult label Online Ceramics. What started as a “bootleg” Hereditary tee evolved into a formal partnership that redefined the studio’s strategy.
Today, the A24 webstore is a destination in its own right, featuring logo collaborations with Brain Dead, jewelry by J. Hannah, and niche capsules like the Smashing Machine line with NYC’s Minor Planet. Elsewhere, one of the most influential designers of the year, Jonathan Anderson, used his own channels to unveil merchandise with director Luca Guadagnino for A24’s Queer (2024).
The indie film studio may have changed the film merch game with its niche brand collaborations, but now it’s not the only studio aiming for more organic impact. Streaming platform MUBI has an ongoing partnership with Brain Dead, holding screenings at the brand’s LA flagship and partnering on merchandise for titles like The Substance (2024) and Lurker (2025). In a more unconventional move, Dover Street Market and film platform Criterion have announced a partnership, which will host in-store DVD pop-ups at the high-fashion destination.
Even industry giant Universal Pictures has carefully upped its presence in fashion. In 2025, Universal inked a partnership with Japanese retailer Uniqlo to expand its UT line with archive-inspired merch for iconic Universal titles Jaws, E.T., Back to the Future, and Casper. On the other end of the spectrum, the studio also initiated a discreet collaboration with eyewear label Oliver Peoples to recreate Guillermo Del Toro’s glasses in Wes Anderson’s The Phonecian Scheme.
Collabs With Quality Over Quantity
In the post-Barbie era, it’s more apparent than ever that fashion collaborations have become a core channel for building hype around new releases. Yet, flooding the market with a barrage of licensing partnerships looks less and less like the winning strategy. Not only is throwing everything at the wall to see what sticks a capital-intensive gamble, but it also risks audience fatigue long before a film hits theaters.
Marty Supreme demonstrates how a slow drip strategy can be just as powerful as a flood. The campaign benefited from its selective partnerships, as well as the organic buzz from its VIP-centered seeding. By choosing an emerging label like Nahmias and limiting supply, the film’s merch gained an allure of exclusivity. On secondhand markets like StockX, those $250 jackets are already fetching upwards of $1,000.
The movie’s tagline may be to “dream big,” but its scaled-down, quality-over-quantity approach to driving marketing may have been the key to standing out from the noise.
