If you’ve not seen Industry yet, where TF have you been? Diving deep into the dark heart of London’s financial district, the unflinching HBO drama with a killer soundtrack follows a bunch of eager young graduates as they undertake a lengthy internship at Pierpoint & Co. Investment Bank.
From booze-fuelled client dinners and all-night drug binges, to shady bosses, backstabbing, and BDSM-tinged relationships, the show touches on the racism, misogyny, and classism that bubbles under in the industry, and shines a light on the high costs that come with climbing the corporate ladder. All in all, it’s a must watch (and we mean, what else have you got going on right now?)
Since the show landed on the BBC in early December, however, it’s not just the high-octane drama that’s gotten people fired up across social media. Instead, a blink-and-you’ll-basically-miss-it off-duty hoodie – as worn by problematic boss Eric (Ken Leung) and emblazoned with Pierpoint’s corporate logo – has been doing the rounds on Twitter, with people calling on HBO to drop the merch already.
“Finished #IndustryHBO, I don’t know what I should feel about it. But that purple Pierpoint hoodie though” wrote one viewer, while another demanded the company drop not just the Industry-inspired style, but also the Argestes cap Kendall Roy wears in Succession (which is a move we could totally get behind tbh).
Also joining the chorus of those pleading with HBO to update its merch store with the unremarkable style is none other than Virgil Abloh, who threw his hat in the ring this weekend. Taking to Instagram, the Louis Vuitton and Off-White designer posted a (now disappeared) photo of Eric wearing the understated style to his stories, summing up everyone’s feelings by simply captioning it “Need this…”
With the hoodie's appeal likely rooted in Industry's under-the-radar success (if you know, you know), its normcore 2.0 sensibilites, and the fact it wouldn’t look out of place on Balenciaga’s runway among the label’s post-apocalyptic officewear, right now it’s unclear whether or not HBO are listening to the baying masses’ cries, nor whether they are getting set to give the people what they want, but Abloh’s endorsement surely can’t have hurt. For now… well, keep your fingers crossed we guess.
Watch the Industry trailer below.