It was summertime when Lauren Brown’s daughter pleaded with her to buy an $89 hoodie.
The hoodie wasn’t any regular sweatshirt, at least not in the eyes of Gen Alpha.
“My friends asked where I got them, and I told them Pink Palm Puff.
I also have the pajamas now.”
“I feel like there’s many components to a good hoodie,” Balaisis told Business Insider.
The design is also important.
It’s “either on trend at the moment or has good colorways that match your outfit.”
The brand currently sells pastel-hued sweatshirts and matching sweatpants.
“I feel like in my generation, pajamas are super popular,” the younger Balaisis said.
The garments have frequently sold out over the last year, leaving some parents stymied especially over the holidays.
Mr. Balaisis declined to reveal sales numbers but said that they have exceeded expectations.
One sign pointing to Pink Palm Puff’s growing cultural relevance is the rise of counterfeits.
(Amazon is removing some “dupe” listings after BI asked about them).
A handful of sites also feature similar-looking hoodies with misspellings of the brand in the URL.
He now manages the business’s day-to-day operations full time.
The idea to start a fashion line centered on hoodies seemed like a natural next move.
The hoodies ship to customers in colorfully printed boxes with dust bags, as if they were luxury purses.
“We take pride in a really good unboxing moment, I call it,” Balaisis said.
To translate for millennials: think Regina George, not Blair Waldorf.
Expensive pink and pastel sweatshirts fit right into this new version of prep).
Scarcity is also an element of Pink Palm Puff’s business.
A constant topic of discussion is whether someone accidentally ordered from a scam site.
I do get tired, but I never get tired ofit, if that makes sense."
In the near future, Pink Palm Puff is adding more hoodie colors and a swimsuit line.
