“Do as Peggy Says!” -Captain America (Probably)
In July of 2017, Bésame Cosmetics, the upscale vintage makeup brand famous for its elegant, retro glam aesthetic, announced a collaboration with Marvel to release an officially licensed Agent Carter line of makeup.
The brand already had a healthy following of Agent Carter fans, since Hayley Atwell, the enigmatic actress that plays Peggy herself shared the brand on her Twitter for cosplayers to reference.
Agent Carter fans are not quite like your typical fandom cosplayer. Many don’t expand their interest in Marvel beyond the vintage spy’s story, and are drawn in by Peggy’s elegant fashion and mature look. AC fans tend to wear her unique vintage accessories or full outfits as everyday wear, and have developed their overall vintage aesthetic based off Peggy’s influence. It’s well known that Marvel brand development suffers from an inability to market to an adult female audience, as seen time and time again, but the spending power of Agent Carter fans is vastly underappreciated.
They are also a hell of a lot more clever than Marvel likely suspects.
Sources say that while Gabriela Hernandez, Bésame’s founder and owner, wanted to do a much larger Agent Carter line, the male powers that be over at Marvel insisted on an Avengers: Infinity War tie in. Not only that, but a lack of faith in the audience size for Agent Carter lead to them canceling one of the exclusive make up line’s most prized pieces, the Agent Carter Train Case.
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Only 2 prototypes are in existence, one given away at Disneyland’s Dapper Day event on April 22nd, and one being sold on eBay at a current price of over $700 USD.
Seem like a lot of cash? It’s nothing Agent Carter fans aren’t already used to. While not licensed by Marvel, several pieces of screen accurate Agent Carter accessories are available to purchase and carry a hefty price tag. These items sell out quickly, as a must-have for every Agent Carter fan and cosplayer alike.
Since the launch of the Agent Carter television series, vintage brands have been inundated with requests for the items to be made available for fans to get their chance at dressing a bit more like Peggy Carter. Not only are hats, sunglasses, shoes and other accessories worn for the most screen-accurate cosplay possible, but many fans wear these items in day to day life.
Not only are these pieces highly sought after, but some were even produced specifically after a wave of interest from excited fans. After the few prototype Old Focals sold on eBay for upwards of $600, the cosplayers at the Agent Carter Cosplay Community on Facebook petitioned the company to produce more, and sure enough Old Focals delivered to this underserved audience. BAIT Footwear, makers of shoes seen in Agent Carter season 1, were petitioned by fans to re-release the shoes after they quickly sold out. They announced on Instagram that the shoes would be re-released, new and improved, by popular demand.
While some items are commercially available, others need to be manufactured from scratch, and vintage items hunted down on eBay, Etsy, and even antique stores. Yet again the Agent Carter fans are not deterred, and work together to develop custom made accessories and props to fill in the gaps.
Even “unofficial” Agent Carter fashion has arisen, with high end clothiers such as Magnolia’s and Miss Candy Floss developing items inspired by Peggy’s signature looks.
When marketing to different segments, brands like Marvel commit to various strategies. For boys we see plenty of toys, for young women we get a plethora of Funko Pop figures and a few items from Her Universe.
However, adult marketing works a little differently. Adults have different priorities and incomes to spend, so for adult men we see things like officially licensed Captain America and Iron Man high end leather motorcycle suits (retailing for thousands of dollars), Captain America dumbbells ($250), Nike/Adidas tie in sneakers ($135-$175) and even the replica “Magtitan Neo Legend Power Band” which Tony used for a few seconds in Avengers to activate his armor ($199). There are countless ways for adult fans of these hyper-masculine brands to indulge with pricey luxury items, almost exclusively marketed to men.
Knowing how dedicated Agent Carter fans are, one would think we’d see an influx of officially licensed items taking advantage of adult women’s spending power and tastes for high end chic fashion. Unfortunately, Marvel doesn’t seem to think this is the case.
Allegedly, while the folks at Bésame Cosmetics are huge fans of Agent Carter, the all-male leaders at Marvel’s brand development insisted that they reduce the Agent Carter line and introduce a number of Avengers: Infinity War themed tie ins. For a merchandise executive, the move might make sense. Avengers: Infinity War is set to break every box office record to date, and is releasing in less than a week. However, for Agent Carter fans, nothing could be less interesting than a brand that already has the full power of Disney’s marketing machine behind it. Tie-ins for Infinity War can be seen on everything from Ziplock brand sandwich bags to toys, games, collectibles, popcorn buckets, replica props, jewelry, graphic tees, and surprisingly yet another makeup line from Her Universe. Without understanding the audience for Agent Carter or the customers Bésame has formed long-lasting relationships with, the men in charge have shut down an opportunity for a fantastic brand tie in that fans are clamoring for.
However, all is not lost! As the story unfolded this past weekend at Dapper Day, enterprising Agent Carter fans got to work, developing a petition to bring back the Agent Carter Train Case and show the marketing men at Marvel that the audience is hungry for more.
The fan favorite lady spy has not yet reached the end of the line, and no one knows Peggy’s value like her most dedicated fans.
