listen to this articleWendy Bronfein, co-founder, chief brand officer and director of public policy at Curio Wellness, was one of the thousands who attended opening day for the Baltimore Orioles in late March. Like many other Birds fans, she wore an orange and black t-shirt in honor of the Charm City team, but her t-shirt was a little different.
Instead of a traditional “O” like the team’s, her shirt featured an “O” in the font of the cannabis company’s logo. The word “Curio” was written in the area where the player’s name would go. There was also a Curio “O” where players’ jersey numbers would be written. She saw someone in the crowd wearing the same Curio shirt, so she wasn’t the only one wearing that shirt.
“It was such a joy,” she said.
The game was just one of many times Bronfein saw Curio’s clothing while out and about in the Baltimore area. If you see someone wearing your company’s logo, tell them you love their work and ask them to tell you how they heard about her Curio. She has also interacted with people while wearing Curio items.
The fashionable clothing and household items are all part of a collaboration between Towson-based Curio Wellness and Route One Apparel, a proud Maryland apparel company that designs and sells customized products. is.
“I think they’re doing a great job and providing a really unique service,” Bronfein said. “They’re inherently connected to the Maryland atmosphere, and I think that’s part of what makes them special.”
Route One started by selling private-label Maryland Pride products and has since expanded to include many brands that are part of Maryland’s identity, including Old Bay, Natty Bo, Domino Sugar, and local professional sports teams and universities. We have entered into a licensing agreement with. The collaboration includes products from over 70 different product categories.
Route One founder Ali von Paris saw a growing need for the broader industry to collaborate with strong apparel partners, especially those based in the states. This collaboration led to increased brand awareness through fun and innovative everyday products.
“What was exciting from our perspective is that over the years, I didn’t really focus on Route One being a design agency and kind of a production agency for local businesses. That’s not to say there wasn’t,” von Paris said. “We have evolved through partnerships like Curio because we no longer just make products under the Route One brand.
“In fact, we are a very strong and growing partner for a variety of companies in a variety of industries who need reliable talent who can deliver quality products and designs and don’t have to worry about it internally. This is a growing part of our business and whether you’re looking for an apparel partner for employee products or corporate gifts, or simply have a strong brand in your industry and want to bring it to apparel. We welcome anyone who wants to join the line. We love working with everyone like that…It confirms my vision from the beginning of creating a community through clothing. I really enjoy realizing that my business spans many industries, and it’s rewarding for me and my team.”
Mr. Bronfein and Mr. von Paris met at a Curio open house and got back in touch through a mutual business acquaintance to discuss a partnership.
The cannabis industry typically sells branded products as gifts with purchase. They wanted more design options and e-commerce opportunities rather than just printing their logo on the product.
“By working with Route One, they can not only provide designs and ideas and fun options for what they can brand, but also showcase the products on their website and provide fulfillment. “We can also integrate things like this,” Bronfein said.
Both Curio and Route One sell catalogs of cannabis company apparel products on their respective websites. Curio’s best sellers include Bucket’s hat and shirts featuring the Maryland flag and Curio’s logo. There are plans to expand the line in the future.
“They (Route One) do a great job of staying on top of everything (in apparel and accessories trends and what’s coming),” Bronfein said. “One of the reasons we turned to them is because they gave us great suggestions that we hadn’t thought of. … They have a keen eye for what’s going to happen next.”
