Cross category collabs are the all the rage these days. Just look at Barilla and Parasuco’s fashion capsule.

Titled “Moda” (Italian for “fashion”), the collection is comprised of a pasta-themed ballcap, t-shirt and hoodie. The drop is available through a daily “spin-the-wheel” instant win contest on Barilla’s website and will run until Sept. 18. One grand prize winner will also receive a $1,000 Parasuco gift card, and a one-year supply of Barilla pasta.

“To drive interest and buzz around the launch, we believed having a finite number of pieces that could only be won during the sweepstakes, would demonstrate the premium value and exclusivity of the collab and the items,” says Gino Rulli, VP and general manager of Barilla Canada.

“Since it is the first time that Barilla Canada has embarked on a collab with a clothing brand, the company wanted to focus on the digital experience [and] drive consumers to the microsite for a more fulfilling engagement experience with the brand and to simplify the coordination of the prizes,” Rulli says.

He tells strategy that during the summer months, shoppers tend to purchase short pastas for salads. But now, as the weather cools, many will turn to longer comfort pastas like its new Pappardelle or Tagliatelle varietals that are heroed in the fashion collab.

Barilla chose to spotlight these two new premium shapes to drive buzz and increase awareness of the strategic pairing between Barilla and jeans company Parasuco, two iconic Italian brands that produce “high-quality, premium yet approachable products.” The pastas also come in convenient “nests” that are easy to measure for a family, and the premium packaging is resealable.

This year, Barilla overhauled its “outdated” packaging and logo. The new branding marks the first time in 25 years that Barilla has updated its look. The pasta brand wanted to pay homage to its roots and 145 years of expertise in pasta-making, sporting a new logo to remind everyone of its starting point, along with more modern typography, and a new Barilla blue and red hues.

“Some of the key on-pack callouts are the pasta illustration strategically placed around the logo to help shoppers find their favourite shapes in a pinch,” Rulli says. He says there is a new claim (“premium quality pasta crafted with care”) to explicitly showcase Barilla’s devotion to producing high-quality pasta and reflecting the values of the company.

In the current inflationary environment, Rulli says it is seeing category shifts with some consumers trading down to value brands and private labels. “At the same time, some wellness segments that previously benefited from dietary trends have also been impacted as consumers went back to classic white pasta,” Rulli notes. During tough economic times, he says its internal data reveals that rather than paying more for dine out indulgences, many of its consumers would rather replicate a restaurant experience at home.

“In fact, 45% of pasta shoppers seek premium pasta for everyday main meals,” he says. “Despite rising inflation, the premium segment has grown by 5% since 2021, and is growing by 18% year-to-date in 2023.”