The Super Bowl may have a damper on it in the wake of the Vikings’ loss in the NFL Playoffs, but local brands are still betting on some special product releases to commemorate our turn as host city for the big game. Here are three new releases from local brands that give visitors a taste of Minnesota style, with a philanthropic twist.
Minny & Paul’s “Super” gift boxes
The Super Box
COURTESY minny & paul
Minny & Paul is known for their custom-made birch boxes (by WAAM Industries) filled with Minnesota-made goods by some of the area’s top makers, each with a different theme. For the Super Bowl, owner Laura Waldman has created two boxes featuring Minnesota essentials that serve as both an introduction of Minnesota brands to the out-of-town visitor as well as a keepsake for locals. The boxes—a larger size ($125) and a smaller version ($65)—feature items such as leather coasters and a leather tabletop football by Leather Works MN, beeswax lip balm by Worker B, retro knit “Great Lakes” pom-pom hats by Great Lakes Collection, and beer tokens from local craft breweries.
The Super Minny Box
COURTESy minny & Paul
The themed boxes are available for pre-order now at minnyandpaul.com and will ship on Friday, January 26. (Two-day priority shipping is included in the price.) You can pick up a box and meet the participating makers this Sunday at Lyn-Lake basement speakeasy, Volstead’s Emporium. You can also pick one up next Thursday, when Minny & Paul hosts a tabletop football tournament at its Northeast studio in partnership with Leather Works MN (which provides the footballs) and wood maker Hagen and Oats (which created the end zones). Proceeds from games and 10 percent of all Minny & Paul box sales during the event benefit local after-school program, ACES. Sunday from 6-8 p.m. @ Volstead’s Emporium, 711 W. Lake St., Minneapolis; Thursday, Feb. 1 from 6–9 p.m. @ Northrup King Building, #247, 1500 Jackson St. NE., Minneapolis & now available for pre-order at minnyandpaul.com
mono’s Cold AF Trapper Hats for a cause
The Cold AF trapper hat by mono
COURTESY MONO
Another product launch tied to the big game comes from local advertising agency, mono, in anticipation of the expected one million visitors coming into town for the Super Bowl. They’ve developed and created Cold AF, an on-demand hat-delivery service. Beginning February 1, visitors can visit ColdAFSupply.com to order the oh-so-Minnesotan, buffalo-plaid trapper hat with faux-fur trim and have it delivered to wherever they are in Minneapolis—including chilly street corners. Each hat is promised to be delivered within 45 minutes or less by a flannel-clad bike messenger and arrived in a heated case. Each hat costs $50 and all profits benefit Operation Warm. Each hat purchased is equivalent to donating a coat to a child in need. Available beginning Feb. 1 @ ColdAFSupply.com
Warby Parker x Askov Finlayson’s climate change–fighting shades
Warby Parker x Askov Finlayson “Keep the North Cold” Sunglasses
COURTESY MONO
Just over two years after opening a showroom within North Loop menswear store, Askov Finlayson, national eyewear brand Warby Parker has launched its first collaboration with the shop just in time for the big game. Together, the brands created a limited-edition pair of sunglasses. They feature Warby Parker’s mid-century-inspired Barkley frame in Oxford Blue Crystal, outfitted with Pacific Blue flash lenses. It comes with a custom lens cloth that pays homage to Askov Finlayson’s Keep the North Cold campaign to support climate solutions. The shades are now available in a limited quantity at Warby Parker’s showroom at Askov Finlayson for $95. Best of all, for every pair sold, a pair of eyeglasses is distributed to someone in need. Now available @ Askov Finlayson 204 N. First St., Minneapolis
