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D23: The Ultimate Fan Event is the perfect place for Disney fans to pick up exclusive merch and get a look at new product launches from all their favorite IP’s. BoxLunch had a huge presence at D23 this year. The fandom-first retailer’s booth was packed all weekend with fans lining up to play games, enter give-aways, and shop the exclusive merch inspired by Disney, Star Wars, and Marvel in their pop-up shop on the show floor.

Fashion and Fandom stopped by the BoxLunch booth during D23 weekend to check out all the new exclusive fashion and accessories and to talk with SVP GMM of Merchandising and Marketing, Rick Vargas. We talked about the inspiration behind using a black, red, and white color palette for the designs, how important BoxLunch’s fans are to the company, and giving back through a partnership with the Feeding America network to help the food insecure across the country.

Fashion and Fandom: I'm here at D23 with Rick Vargas, SVP and GMM of Merchandising and Marketing of Box Lunch Gifts. How's the show going so far?

Rick Vargas: Fantastic. There's so many fans here. It's great to engage with them. It's been a wonderful experience so far. You know, they're really happy about our new collection and about us being here at D23, in general. A lot of folks have been going in and out of Disneyland wearing our new collection this weekend. So it's good to hear about to hear about that as well. So yeah, it's been it's been a lot of fun. It's been great.

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Fashion and Fandom: You dropped a new collection here at D23 that’s full of black and white pieces with splashes of red. Can you talk a little bit about the new designs and the thought process behind using that color palette?

Rick Vargas: It's taken us a year to develop this collection. We were looking for a through line for every fan within the Disney Universe. The black and white theme came up across a couple different a couple different items, so we went with it. You'll find designs featuring The Nightmare Before Christmas, Venom, Mickey, Star Wars, 101 Dalmatians…you know, there's a little bit of everything for everybody across multiple categories. There's bags, apparel, pins…just a lot of fun stuff to be had. Overall, it's a little bit of a departure from we typically do, which is very light and bright. We decided to go with more of a tonal effect, and it's been really good. It looks fantastic.

Fashion and Fandom: It does look great. It’s a little edgy. Maybe “edgy” isn’t the right word, but it does seem like a bit of departure from BoxLunch’s typical collections. It looks amazing and there are so many pieces that have caught my eye. It’s nice to see Venom represented too. I don’t feel like you see that character as much as you see other Marvel characters so I’ll be there are some fans out there that are happy about that.

Rick Vargas: We're excited about the upcoming film. With the success of Spider-Man and our love of Venom as a character, we thought this is was a great opportunity for us to showcase Venom. You don't see it out there a lot, particularly in apparel. So it was a great moment for us to kind of lean into what we love, and really support that fan. The jacket just looks amazing, and some of the products are really differentiated from what you see in the market. So we're really excited about it, and the fans seem to be really loving it as well.

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Fashion and Fandom: You had a great activation at San Diego Comic-Con this year for fans to connect with your brand and with each other. You have another fun activation at D23 for fans to enjoy.

Rick Vargas: Yeah, we have Blinko. It's our giveaway game. So you come down and you play Blinko. I'm sure a lot of folks are familiar with Plinko from a show that I will not name (laughter), but yes, it's a great opportunity for fans to win some free stuff and have a good time doing it. So it's a lot of fun.

Fashion and Fandom: year. One of the things we’ve talked about in the past is how BoxLunch parters with Feeding America to give back to local communities. Talk to me a little bit about that partnership.

Rick Vargas: Since the beginning, BoxLunch has been partnering with Feeding America. It's in our name, “box lunch”, and we knew that we wanted to give back to the community in a meaningful way. Our partnership with Feeding America helps us do that. They are the most powerful organization in terms of helping those that are food insecure. And we thought, what better relationship can we build than one with them?

They also help us localize the effort. When you spend $10 with us, we give one meal back through the Feeding America network and that meal is localized. So if you buy here in Anaheim, we're gonna make sure that that meal goes back to somebody here in need in Anaheim, and that's across the nation. We feel that it's important for our fans to bond, and understand what's around them in terms of food insecurity. So this is a great opportunity for us to help them understand what that means. And you don't even have to buy anything to give back. We will come. We will show you, or tell you how to give back to your community through volunteerism, for instance. There's a lot of different ways to do this, and you don't have to spend a penny.

Fashion and Fandom: Do shows like this help you get a gauge on what fans are excited about, and does that influence you at all in your discussions with your design teams on the kind of licenses and fandoms you want to create products for?

Rick Vargas: It’s great to see fans connecting with so many properties… everything from “Avatar” to “The Simpsons” and everything in-between. It does provide us with a little bit of a roadmap of what the fans are excited about going going forward. So, yeah, I think you know, when you look around and you see what people are wearing and what they're excited about. There are a lot of different fandoms covered here, and we just want to be here to support the fans.

Fashion and Fandom: Is BoxLunch thinking about doing more black, white, and red collections moving forward? More of the “edgier” vibe collections moving forward like the ones dropping here at D23?

Rick Vargas: Yeah, based on the success that we've seen in the past with this kind of aesthetic, and we're excited about it. We think it's going to be great! The shirt I'm wearing today, it's a Western shirt. You know, the Western trend is out there. Country is obviously, very, very popular. We're gonna lean into that a little bit, because the customers want it. The fans want it. So I think you'll can expect to see this edgier kind of vibe going forward. We love it in the office too!

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Fashion and Fandom: What can fans expect when they check out BoxLunch online and in stores throughout the rest of the year?

Rick Vargas: Once again, we're here to support the fans. I think you'll find a little bit of something for yourself, maybe something for your friends. There's a little bit of excitement around the different aesthetic that we've created. It's a little bit new and fresh and different. So I think it's worthwhile to see it for yourself and see what the new aesthetic looks like. I think that, in time, we think can grow into something bigger.

To stay up-to-date on all the latest BoxLunch news and product reveals you can visit Boxlunch.com or follow the brand on Facebook, Instagram and X at @BoxLunchGifts. For more on the BoxLunch Gives partnership with Feeding America click here.

Marena Bronson is an award-winning journalist, a life-long nerd, and the Editor-in-Chief of Fashion and Fandom. Follow her on Twitter and Instagram.