Lilly launches Zepbound clothing campaign with Tan France to address obesity stigma

Eli Lilly announced on Nov. 10, 2025 a marketing campaign for its obesity drug Zepbound (tirzepatide) built around clothing, with stylist and Queer Eye star Tan France as its public face ^[1][2]. The company calls it the Changing the Thread Collection and describes it as the first collection of its kind, using garments as a canvas for stories from people living with obesity ^[1].

The pieces, which include scrubs and a swimsuit, are embroidered with personal accounts of living with obesity ^[1]. Lilly says the goal is to "unthread" bias and push toward treating obesity as a chronic disease that deserves understanding and treatment ^[1][2].

An immersive display of the garments is scheduled for Nov. 14 and 15 from 1 p.m. to 8 p.m. at 13 Crosby Street in New York City ^[1]. A companion site, ChangingTheThreadCollection.com, carries videos in which people connect their story to a specific piece of clothing — including Antequa's one-piece swimsuit, Samantha's gray jacket and Kevin's scrubs ^[3]. In one of the videos, a speaker named Hannah says obesity "is a real disease" and adds, "Sometimes your body just needs help" ^[3].

The site also offers a five-question quiz called "What Kind of Threadsetter Are You?" Results include "The Challenger," who is encouraged to "call out a myth when you hear it," and the "Quiet Force," who can "offer a compliment that makes someone feel truly seen" ^[3].

France, who does not take Zepbound and was compensated for his time, said in the announcement that "So many people with obesity use clothing to hide from bias and judgment" and that over time such judgment "can become internalized" ^[1][2]. He described one story that stayed with him, about a black puffer vest worn almost nine months out of the year — to work meetings, dinners and dates ^[1].

Why it matters for patients

The campaign is company-funded advertising, not new clinical evidence, and it does not change what Zepbound is or who can take it. According to its label, Zepbound is a dual GIP and GLP-1 receptor agonist approved for adults with obesity, or some adults who are overweight with at least one weight-related medical problem, and also to treat moderate-to-severe obstructive sleep apnea in adults with obesity ^[1]. It is not known if it is safe or effective in children ^[1]. The label directs patients to use it with a reduced-calorie diet and increased physical activity, and lists warnings including thyroid tumors, severe stomach problems, gallbladder problems, pancreatitis, low blood sugar and depression or thoughts of suicide ^[1].

The practical claim behind the campaign is about stigma: Lilly and France argue that shame and judgment can stand between people and obesity care ^[1][3]. That is a messaging position from the drug's maker, and no data on whether such campaigns change patient behavior appears in these announcements ^[1][2].

Separately, price changes for Zepbound are in motion. FiercePharma reported that the drug will soon be available at major discounts for self-pay patients through Lilly's direct-to-consumer channel and at $50 per month on Medicare, after Lilly struck a deal with the White House earlier in November ^[3]. At a Nov. 6 press conference, Health and Human Services Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. claimed Americans will "lose 125 million pounds by this time next year" because of agreements with Lilly and rival Novo Nordisk ^[3]. No start date for those prices was disclosed in the report ^[3].

France is not Lilly's first celebrity partner for Zepbound. The company's first Zepbound celebrity spokesperson was actress Kym Whitley, announced this summer ^[3].

What happens next

The New York pop-up runs Nov. 14 and 15 ^[1]. Whether the garments will be sold, how much the campaign cost, how many patients' stories are included and whether the display will travel beyond New York have not been disclosed ^[1][2][3]. The timing of the discounted self-pay and $50 Medicare pricing has also not been reported ^[3].