The mega star’s limited-time swag collection is another sign of the marketing potential in the 90s nostalgia trend.

“In west Philadelphia born and raised / On the playground was where I spent most of my days…”

If you’re a child of the 1990s, you probably just had total recall on what comes next.

“Chillin' out maxin' relaxin' all cool / shootin some b-ball outside of the school…”



The lyrics, of course, are from the theme song of The Fresh Prince of Bel-Air – the hit show of the 90s that became the vehicle for Will Smith to begin his transformation from popular rapper to A-List movie star royalty.

With 90s nostalgia now in full swing, and everyone from the Spice Girls to *NSYNC keen to capitalize, Smith decided to tap into the trend with a limited edition capsule collection of retro-inspired Fresh Prince merchandise.

Limited 'Fresh Prince of Bel-Air' Merch

The tees retail for $30, the hats for $25, and the keychain for $10. Perhaps our favorite of the bunch is the Classics box, which includes four T-shirts from the collection. Shop the Fresh Prince collection on Will Smith’s web store. pic.twitter.com/0CRXPcnoy0

— Fashion Podcast (@Freshfordummies) May 6, 2019

Alas, the collection of T-shirts, hats and more was only available through Sunday night. So, if you didn’t score some swag, you’re already too late (maybe try eBay…). Still, we thought the collection worth noting – and not just because Fresh Prince was one of our favorite shows.

First off, the bold, bursting color combinations of some of the collection’s pieces – so totally early-to-mid 90s -- harkens to a style trend that could start to see demand among fashion-forward end-users that promotional products distributors will be outfitting for clients. Also, check out the heat-reactive print on one of the line’s trippy tees. Distributors could look to do something similarly creative for clients that include summer festivals, night clubs and musical acts.



Even more broadly, marketers can take the Fresh Prince capsule as another cue that now might be a good time to think outside the box and try some 90s nostalgia-themed campaigns/promotions, whether targeting audiences in the Millennial range that experienced the decade or Gen Zers who have a hankering for the bygone era.

Who knows – it could work. It did for Will Smith; the collection sold out.