Sydney Sweeney is one of the most popular actresses on the planet.
But it seems that her attempt to parlay that fame into a second career as a fashion mogul has not gone according to plan.
Clearly inspired by Skims, the brand that helped make Kim Kardashian a billionaire, Sydney’s SYRN lingerie line launched in January with the founder and CEO also serving as the company’s top model.
But eight months after its debut, SYRN is reportedly enduring a major sales slump.
“It’s been a disaster,” an insider tells Radar Online.
“They thought it would be a sellout based on Sydney’s brand, but clearly her saleability is waning rapidly.”
The problem, according to some industry analysts, is that Sydney basically took the opposite of Kim’s approach.
While Skims prides itself on offering items for all shapes and, SYRN’s ad campaigns often feel as though they’re centered on the sexiness of the brand’s founder.
“SYRN’s branding feels exclusionary,” states a review on The Robin Report.
“It does not invite women in; it asks them to emulate and fawn over the founder. And the inconsistency between the brand’s intention and execution is a threat to its long-term viability.”
The review goes on to allege that the brand’s Sydney-centric ad campaigns have been off-putting to potential customers.
“The brand ultimately remains centered on one figure: Sydney Sweeney. It’s as if the underwear is not actually the product; Sweeney’s body is,” it reads.
Sydney has noted on several occasions that SYRN offers a wide array of sizes.
But while Skims and Rihanna’s Fenty brand make a point of showcasing models with different body types, SYRN ads do tend to keep the focus on Sydney herself.
It makes sense that the company’s marketing team would choose to go in that direction.
After all, Sydney has a massive following online, and she knows what her audience likes.
But while Sydney certainly has no problem attracting the internet’s attention, there’s a big difference between appealing to horny dudes online and selling lingerie to a mostly female customer base.
And the gap between those demographics is often reflected in the comments on Sydney’s SYRN posts:
“This is so sexy, yet it doesn’t appeal to me because this is shot from a male gaze. I think lingerie should be shot from a female gaze because at the end of the day, the girl needs to feel sexy,” wrote one commenter.
“This brand could blow up the way it really should if there is some inclusivity featured in the media… I mean look at skims
“This is sooooooo male gaze. the garments are beautiful, and the photoshoot is too, but the poses could be SO much more tasteful if your target consumers are women,” a third chimed in.
Again, it makes perfect sense why the SYRN marketing gurus leaned into Sydney’s sex appeal to launch the brand. But it seems like the time has come to begin considering alternative strategies.
