What lengths would you go to sell a bra?
Would you stage an annual runway show extravaganza complete with angel wings, glitter and big, bouncy blowouts? Or add faux nipples to the bra cups? Because recently, lingerie marketing antics have reached new heights.
On Monday, actress Sydney Sweeney, who is no stranger to controversy, posted a video on Instagram depicting her with a group of people clad in all black scaling the Hollywood sign under the cover of night. The crew were carrying multiple duffel bags jam-packed with bras that they draped over the landmark. As their mission wrapped, Ms. Sweeney stood in front of the sign, proudly beaming as she promoted her new lingerie brand, Syrn (pronounced “siren”), which launched Wednesday.
In an interview with Elle, Ms. Sweeney explained that Syrn was created to address such nagging issues as “annoying” bra straps and “cutting bands.” Her goal, she told the magazine, is to build a brand that “understands women instead of talking at them.”
The video quickly landed Ms. Sweeney in hot water. Steve Nissen, the chief executive of the Hollywood Chamber of Commerce — which owns the intellectual property rights to the image of the Hollywood sign — said in a statement to The New York Times that Ms. Sweeney’s production was not authorized by the body, nor “did we have prior knowledge of it.”
The Hollywood Chamber of Commerce requires individuals and groups looking to use or access the sign for commercial purposes acquire a license or permission from the organization. According to Mr. Nissen, permission was not granted to Ms. Sweeney and her team, nor did the organization receive requests for a license. “We are still investigating how, and under what authority (if any), the production accessed the site,” Mr. Nissen said.
This is not the first time the Hollywood sign has been appropriated by companies or groups to promote their own interests or businesses. In fact, the iconic symbol, which originally read “Hollywoodland” when it was built in 1923, was created as a billboard for the Hollywoodland real estate development. In the years since, the sign has been altered to read “Holywood” to celebrate the visit of Pope John Paul II in 1987. That same year, Fox struck a deal with the Hollywood Chamber of Commerce to alter the sign to “Fox” for five days to celebrate the launch of the network.
Unauthorized attempts to amend the sign often have been met with legal consequences, including arrests for trespassing. In 2021, a group protesting censorship of nudity on Instagram was arrested for altering the sign to “Hollyboob,” and last October, six people were apprehended for trespassing by the Los Angeles Police Department for attempting to hang a banner over the sign.
The Hollywood Chamber of Commerce did not immediately respond to whether the group would be taking legal action against Ms. Sweeney. A representative for the LAPD said in a statement to the Times that “there was no crime committed.” Ms. Sweeney did not respond to requests for comment on whether she was authorized to access the Hollywood sign. She instead characterized her antics not as a stunt, but as “a signal” in a statement to the Times, and declined to elaborate further.
Ms. Sweeney’s marketing ploys land in a cultural moment rife with stars going to extremes to promote themselves, their projects and their businesses in order to capture the attention of audiences in a fragmented media landscape. Last year, Timothée Chalamet and A24 launched merchandise and hosted an event for would-be fans in the run-up to the premiere of the film “Marty Supreme.” Zendaya is known for thematic dressing, often having her red carpet looks correspond with those of her onscreen characters. And last year, Ms. Sweeney, in collaboration with Dr. Squatch, sold bars of soap that were made using her bath water.
“She just, culturally, is in the right place to be doing this,” said Gabriella Santaniello, the founder of the retail research firm A Line Partners, referring to Syrn launching on the heels of the outsized attention Ms. Sweeney’s recent American Eagle campaign received.
Ms. Sweeney’s venture, which, according to Puck, is backed by Ben Schwerin of Coatue — a private equity firm that counts Jeff Bezos and Michael Dell as investors — will face stiff competition in the intimates market, including from other celebrity-backed brands like Skims by Kim Kardashian, Savage x Fenty by Rihanna and Yitty by Lizzo.
Syrn boasts an extended size range (44 sizes in total), a feat that is important to Ms. Sweeney, who said, in a press release, that “designing for different bodies” will be a focus for the label. Additionally, the variety of styles the brand offers — from sporty boxers to romantic styles like lacy bottoms, which are popular with shoppers at the moment — could help the brand distinguish itself from its peers, said Ms. Santaniello. (Ms. Santaniello has not worked with Ms. Sweeney nor her team.)
Ms. Sweeney’s star power may not be enough to convert fans into shoppers. In recent years, consumers have become disillusioned with stars hawking products at them that often don’t live up to the hype. Brands that are winning over customers and challenging the dominance of players like Victoria’s Secret are competing on price, practicality and quality.
Merely having a celebrity attached to a brand, however, “doesn’t stick like it used to,” Ms. Santaniello added.
Yola Mzizi is a reporter for the Styles section and a member of the 2025-2026 Times Fellowship class, a program for journalists early in their careers.
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