Knix's ACOTAR Lingerie Line Sold Out 4 Styles in 12 Hours

Knix sold out four styles of its A Court of Thorns and Roses lingerie collection in the US within 12 hours of launch, the intimates brand told Marketing Herald. The campaign also drove a 31.7% click-through rate on the Knix homepage — nearly triple the brand's typical activity, according to company data.

The line, developed with IMG, the licensing company behind Sarah J. Maas's bestselling romantasy series, marks Knix's first move into new lingerie silhouettes. Until now, the brand has been best known for leakproof underwear. The launch landed ahead of the sixth ACOTAR book, one of the most anticipated releases in the genre.

Knix is not alone in chasing the fandom. More than 100 million English-language copies of Maas's books have sold worldwide. Target released an ACOTAR merch line in October featuring book-inspired tumblers and jewelry, and fragrance brand Fine'ry rereleased existing scents in ACOTAR-themed packaging.

How did the partnership start?

It began with an internal fan base and a cold direct message. Roughly 40 Knix employees already loved the series, CMO Cyntia Leo said. Founder Joanna Griffiths, a fan herself, kicked things off by messaging Maas on social media.

"One day Joanna decided, she was like, 'I'm gonna DM Sarah and just see if we can do something, and that's how it started," Leo said.

The team validated the idea with customers first, surveying its audience on social channels and by email about which brand or franchise they wanted Knix to work with. ACOTAR won clearly on both.

An employee-fan task force then pressure-tested the designs as they developed. "Every design element, every Easter egg, we really needed to run it through our internal experts to make sure that we didn't miss," Leo said. The stakes felt high: "We know that the ACOTAR community knows those books inside out and are incredibly enthralled in the world. It was a bit of pressure to make sure we got it right."

What did the launch look like?

Knix debuted the collection at a midnight launch party in October attended by about 200 people, including 20 BookTok influencers on an official brand trip. The event space recreated elements of the books' setting — interpretations of the Autumn, Summer, Winter and Spring Courts, plus main character Feyre's art studio — and opened to the general public.

"It was really important for us, as part of our experience, to have an IRL consumer day as well, where we can invite the broader community to come in and celebrate and explore and touch and feel the collection," Leo said.

Working with a book series that has no screen adaptation added pressure but also creative freedom. "It gave us incredible space to create and build, but we wanted to stay truly authentic," Leo said.

Knix has not committed to continuing in lingerie. The team will weigh community response, and early numbers point the right way. "We haven't made plans yet to continue in lingerie, but we'll see if it's something that continues to soar and people love," Leo said. "It could be an option for the future."