Robot Fodder Vol 14
The fashion week effect: what tactics can brands pull from the fashion playbook?
The fashion week succession is a memorable event that holds significant influence. These events, held in iconic cities around the globe, are more than just showcases of new looks. They are catalysts for trends and generators of brand visibility.
In 2024, the once elitist barriers of fashion week are crumbling, as brands - both from the fashion industry and beyond - recognise the appeal of presenting their collections in non-traditional settings. Now brands are competing in the race to break the internet with theatrical shows, unique collaborations and limited drops that grab the attention of publications and consumers alike. But what impact has this season’s fashion shows had, and what tactics can brands pull from the playbook?
Insight
Entertain the masses
The line between fashion and entertainment is blurring as fashion shows become more theatrical. With digital tech, fashion week events have evolved into public entertainment, supported by live show screenings at Rockefeller Center.
Brands are now looking to capitalise on the popularity of fashion week, and even unconventional brands are making an appearance. While baked goods may not be the first thing that comes to mind when thinking of fashion week, Greggs and Lidl have proven that any brand can participate if they make their merchandise desirable enough.
The entertainment continues following a Brat summer as H&M featured Charlie XCX to open their show, and Eckhaus Latta turned a celebrity dinner into a runway. Brands should entertain with unique experiences, surprise moments, and cultural relevance.
Reflect the times
Fashion serves as a reflection of society, and some designers have used their platform to express the social unease and anxiety prevalent in our current state of ongoing crisis. For example, Helmut Lang's A/W collection focuses on the protective nature of clothing and the tension between armour and adornment.
Bearing in mind this functional consideration, brands from various backgrounds can begin to embrace this shift by better understanding the needs of their everyday consumers and taking into account the realities of daily life. This involves recognising the challenges and issues that consumers face and providing practical solutions. Consumers are seeking products that can offer more utility, so it's important for brands to think creatively and explore new ways to enhance product functionality to meet future needs.
Encourage behavioural change
Activism has been prominently displayed across fashion weeks. We’ve witnessed pre-loved fashion shows with brands like Vinted and Oxfam teaming up to champion donating and buying second-hand items. The likes of Ebay have also tapping into the global demand for circular fashion, with pre-loved looks from designers like Khaite, Off-White, Christopher Kane and Simone Rocha.
At Collina Strada's S/S 2025 show in New York's Marble Cemetery, the collection delivered a vibrant, eco-conscious message inspired by the "touch grass" meme, urging attendees to reconnect with nature. This playful yet meaningful call for balance highlights how brands can use relatable memes to promote a cultural shift.
What’s going on?
Food as decoration
Food has become a trendsetter, with food fads emerging and disappearing as quickly as fashion trends. Hosting has become a hobby, with people now using food as the focal point of table settings to impress guests at themed dinner parties. London-based food stylists ‘Hands’ have capitalised on this trend by specialising in creating food-centric events. Foodie brands should take note and consider how they can make their brand the next centrepiece of dinner parties.
Minimalist-maximalism
Fashion’s influence has always found a way into the homes of consumers. Now, as fashion takes a maximalist turn away from ‘boring beige’ aesthetics, it seems the home is also following suit - but keeping its functional appeal! Ikea’s collab with Tokyo-based influencer Machiko Naito presents a joyfully explosive home that embodies the vision of a minimalist-maximalist.
Luxury coded merch
Fashion and alcohol collaborations have always been a great match. Now, merchandise is getting an upgrade as the quiet luxury trend reshapes brand approaches to merch. The Guinness and JW Anderson collab shows a more considered approach, with Anderson having spent time at the Guinness brewery, exploring its roots and delving into its archive to create a luxury capsule collection that celebrates the “unrivalled craft and vibrancy that runs through the heart of both brands”.
“From the LBD and its epitomisation of a nation’s post-war liberation; to the symbolism of denim and its use as a uniform amongst activists – fashion is more than just clothes. Preluding cultural trends and being used as a marker of moments-in-time, it leads the charge in predicting, dictating and representing the sentiments of a nation. By boldly embracing societal shifts, and reflecting the beliefs of the zeitgeist, brands too could find themselves at the heart of the cultural epicentre and, much like the Birkin or Kate Moss, cement themselves as both iconic and inspirational for generations to come.”
Jed Welsh
Account Manager
