We tried to warn you weeks ago...in fact, so did she. But if you were one of the unsuccessful among the throngs hoping to get their hands on a piece of Cardi B’s collaboration with online fast-fashion mecca Fashion Nova when it dropped at midnight, you’d better start stalking eBay, because that’s likely the only place you’ll find it until it’s restocked. (Though, notably, there’s currently no trace of it there.)
Trust us: You’ll live for the next two or three weeks it’ll take for items to become newly available. Cardi’s even teased that some items will be restocked for Black Friday. But in the interim, can we discuss the insane marketing machine the platinum-selling artist has become?
A mere 11 months ago almost to the day, we were teasing a cute little endorsement deal with Steve Madden. Fast forward a year, and the megastar’s appeal pretty much destines anything she puts her name on to become a bestseller. By Fashion Nova’s own admission, Cardi B x Fashion Nova set a new record for the retailer. Similarly, a Gucci lipstick named for the entertainer sold out the same day, and Reebok has banked a mass revival of their classics on her petite but powerful shoulders—as have Netflix and YouTube.
And at a level that can only be compared with her friends, the Kardashian-Jenners, Cardi’s runaway success has inspired even marketing experts to attempt to decode her mass appeal. Inc., NPR, and more have attempted to cull strategy from her authenticity-based, “no fucks given” brand—and frankly, we’re not sure it can be taught or replicated.
And whether or not you like her music, or are waiting for her 15 minutes to be up, “I make hits—hits, hits, hits!” is an accurate declaration she made with a hilarious series of air thrusts. So, I wouldn’t hold my breath waiting for her to disappear.
What will disappear, though? Pretty much any product she’s attached to. So if you’re in the business of Cardi B, you might want to set those alerts.