YouTuber Niko Omilana has launched a confectionery brand positioned to appeal to “the next generation of sweet lovers”. Called Shades, the brand will debut with three vegan and halal-certified variants (rsp: £1.70/150g): Straight Up Strawberry, Tropical Blast and The Originals. All packs feature gummies in the shape of sunglasses, in a nod to Omilana’s 2021 high-profile campaign to run for London mayor, during which he wore a pair of children’s sunglasses. The sweets will hit supermarkets and convenience stores nationwide on 21 May, rolling into Sainsbury’s, Co-op, WH Smith Travel and Booker. Omilana teased the launch in a three-minute video posted across his and Shades’ social media channels on Friday, in which he vowed to take down a bear called ‘Harry Bowe’, who didn’t make sweets suitable for him. By the time of writing, the video had been watched 969k times on YouTube alone. Shades is the latest project from Tuckshop London, an investment fund which supports creator-fronted fmcg brands. Tuckshop London was founded by Candy Kittens co-founders Jamie Laing and Ed Williams, along with Katjes managing shareholder Bastian Fassin, in 2021.
BBQ - Is there a gap in the market for this product? Can social media backed brands become long term successes or are they only ever short term?
