Earlier this week Starbucks made the announcement that they’d be partnering with Lilly Pulitzer and S’well to create limited edition water bottles.  According to Starbucks, the 17-ounce water bottles will be available at over 4,000 Starbucks locations in the United States, while supplies last.  Eventually, the water bottles will be available online as well.
The water bottles will be in the following Lilly Pulitzer prints: Palm Beach Jungle, Siren’s Calling, Resort Escape Floral and Fresh Squeezed. Â
Photo from Lilly Pulitzer.
As someone who loves Starbucks, any partnership with the S’well water bottle brand makes me excited.  However, the inclusion of Lilly Pulitzer in the mix has be a little uneasy.  Sure, the three brands have a lot of the same market (see the “basic white sorority girl stereotype”) however I think it takes a lot away from the Starbucks brand as a whole.
The brand is based in coffee, not fun bright colors and beach trips, and with the popularity of the brand as is they hardly need any more tactics to attract business.  People will be flocking to the stores to not only see these “coveted” water bottles but to purchase them–making lines even longer than they already are.
As dissatisfied I am with the partnership it seems S’well and Lilly Pulitzer are eager for this partnership to grow.  S’well founder and CEO, Sarah Kauss, said: “Wrapping Lilly Pulitzer prints on our bottles instantly transported us to summer days and had us itching to head to the beach with a bottle full of Starbucks® Cold Brew.”
Photo from Instagram.
Websites like TSM are also loving this partnership, stating: “In case you haven’t figured it out yet, Starbucks and Lilly have teamed up, and whether or not I get a ring by spring, my life is finally complete.” So, will every girl at the College of Charleston have one of these water bottles?  Will they be a staple in every communications and marketing class?  We will see.  In the meantime, we’ll be at the nearest Starbucks watching the madness unfold. Â