• by Danielle Oster , Yesterday

Capri Sun had its moment in the high-fashion limelight.

Fans of the brand – and/or DIY fashion – have been stitching together Capri Sun bags from the Capri Sun’s signature silver pouches for years, and there’s no shortage of homemade versions available on sites like Etsy.

Along with a food-themed bag trend which took off last year – with the publication Eater calling it “the accessory of the summer” – Capri Sun went all-in and took the bag to the runways of last week’s New York Fashion Week with a design by Christian Siriano.

The Kraft Heinz juice brand partnered with the New York- and Connecticut-based fashion designer – who has designed clothes for Michelle Obama and Billy Porter – on the Capri Sun x Christian Siriano Pouch Purse.

“I’ve always looked at fashion as an incredible canvas to turn everyday inspirations into something extraordinary,” Siriano said in a statement, noting that the brand’s celebration of “having fun and not taking things too seriously” matched his own approach to his designs.

“I wanted this Pouch Purse to embody that same spirit,” he added. “This purse is not just fashionable – it’s playful, nostalgic, and a reminder that fashion should make you smile.”

Designed in collaboration with the brand’s agency partner on the campaign, The Kitchen, the bag centers around “a sleek, silver silhouette” evocative of Capri Sun’s signature squeeze pouches, with colorful chains and fruit charms dangling from the bag in reference to the brand’s flavor lineup. It also contains a zipper made from Capri Sun’s yellow straws, and an internal pocket designed to hold a pouch of the beverage.

Following its Fashion Week debut, Capri Sun is making the bag available for sale. Today, September 15, at 12 p.m. ET, fans can join a list to gain access to order the limited-time merchandise. In addition to The Kitchen, Capri Sun worked with media agency Carat on the campaign, with paid media running across Instagram and TikTok. 

“Capri Sun has sparked a playful sense of adventure with its fans for over 50 years and we are constantly inspired by where this ingenuity takes them,” Capri Sun director of marketing Kristina Hannant said in a statement. “After years of seeing fans proudly tote Capri Sun not just in their hands but also on their arms, we knew we had to join in on the fun.”

“The Pouch Purse transforms the iconic pouch into a fashion-forward accessory, giving our older fans a fresh new way to carry a piece of childhood nostalgia with them,” she added.

Nostalgia is an important aspect of the brand’s success with millennials and Gen Z. Capri Sun is among the top differentiated brands uniquely appealing to Gen Z, according to Collage Group’s recent “Top Brands For Gen Z” report, and 31st overall with the generation. Collage Group executive director of cultural insights Jack Mackinnon cited the brand’s success as an example of the role nostalgia can play as a “stabilizing force” in appealing to the generation. Mackinnon told Marketing Daily that a “desire for stability” was a deeply motivating driver for Gen Z.

Other recent campaigns from Capri Sun also feature the brand riffing on its signature pouches, including a 15-inch pouch for the summer solstice, and releasing its limited-time Moon Punch flavor in glow-in-the-dark pouches to coincide with a lunar eclipse.

Speaking to the popularity of the food (and beverage) bag phenomenon, Capri Sun isn’t even the only drink brand to launch a bag last week. PepsiCo’s Mug Root Beer beat the brand to the punch, brewing up a “Mug Float Tote” launched September 8 via its TikTok shop. The brand described the insulated, spigoted bag in a press release as “constructed with the creamiest of fabrics,” inspired by the “rich dark brown hues” of the beverage, and designed to hold a can of Mug Root Beer and a scoop of ice cream.