What Is Up With All These ‘The White Lotus’ Product Collaborations?

Picture this: you’re settling into your CB2 x The White Lotus sofa on a Sunday night to catch the newest episode of the Max show. But Patrick Schwarzenegger’s horned-up, overgrown frat boy starts giving you the chills, causing flashbacks to your mid-20s situationship. No worries, you throw on Abercrombie & Fitch’s The White Lotus graphic crew, and allow the sweatshirt to envelop you in warmth. Then, twenty minutes into the episode, your stomach starts growling, so you reach for your Compartés The White Lotus Thailand Mango Sticky Rice chocolate bar. And as the end credits roll, you let out a yawn, head to the bathroom to apply some Kiehl’s TWL Midnight Recovery Concentrate Face Oil—then, to bed with your Blissy The White Lotus sleep mask. Aah…the perfect branded night.

This season, the cult-favorite show has spawned an absurd amount of product collaborations, and at this point, it feels like we’re losing the plot. I hardly feel confident calling this an exhaustive list, considering every time I open my email, another branded TWL announcement sits at the top. But as of this writing, the Max show has leant its name to candles from Adlan and Nest, Away luggage, Diff sunglasses, Fair Harbor bathing suits, Roccamore footwear, Saint James iced tea, Coffee Mate creamer, Brunch slippers and robes, and sunscreen from Supergoop! (in addition to those previously mentioned above). That’s not even touching on the multiple ready-to-wear collections, including those from H&M, Bloomingdales, Camilla, and a forthcoming line with Banana Republic. It makes one wonder—who is dealing with the exclusivity on these contracts? And how many items featuring lotus flower, pineapple, and monkey prints does one person actually need?

The answer (to the last question, at least): we don’t need any of it. But this is the reality of consumption culture—an especially notable part of this all, considering The White Lotus is, in many ways, a commentary about the upper class and their conspicuous consumption and laissez-faire attitudes towards wealth and spending. It’s puzzling that a show with such an overtly anti greed message would engage in that many business deals.

Besides, it doesn’t seem like Max or the show’s creator, Mike White, needs to be licensing the show so aggressively. The White Lotus is one of the most popular programs on television. The season three premiere pulled in 2.4 million viewers on February 16, gaining over two million more by the end of the long weekend. Those numbers are up 57 percent compared to the season two premiere in 2022. According to The Wrap, seasons one and two generated over $100 million for Max in less than three years, mostly from subscriber retention. And the cultural impact speaks for itself. Since the beginning, TWL has been an award season darling and Internet favorite, and has set many actors on the path to stardom, while kickstarting “renaissances” for others.

But a look at the show’s many collaborations would make one think The White Lotus is dead on arrival, forced to look elsewhere for revenue to supplement lost profits. This could simply be an added way for Max to squeeze some extra dough out of one of its most popular properties; it is hardly the first time a piece of media has cashed in on branding. The offerings associated with Barbie dwarf TWL’s current catalogue, and this past summer Wicked merch was unavoidable, ranging from Bombas socks to luxury jewelry.

In the TV space as well, these collaborations are nothing new. American Idol had a Kohl’s collaboration in 2012, Aéropostale rode the Pretty Little Liars wave, and Mad Men’s costume designer, Janie Bryant, created a collection for Banana Republic. More recently, Bridgerton similarly went all in, partnering with brands from Bath & Body Works to The Republic of Tea. Stranger Things has licensed out to Pandora, Monopoly, and Polaroid among many, many others. Of course, not every popular TV show can cash in on this phenomenon. What is Severance going to do, release a line of office wear? Or perhaps Yellowjackets can partner with Le Creuset on some cookware. Likely not.

For brands, a partnership with The White Lotus makes sense. As made evident by the stats above, the show is a sure hit. In the saturated world of television, TWL seems to be one of the few shows that everyone is watching, from Gen X to Gen Z. But does viewership translate to consumerism? Just because I tune in to hear Parker Posey’s uncanny southern accent every Sunday night doesn’t mean I’m in the market for a $1000 Camilla x The White Lotus hoodie or piña colada coffee creamer.

The White Lotus collab products actually worth buying:

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