Fashion Week in NYC just wrapped up with tons of cool new looks, celebrity sitings, and most importantly interesting brand experiences. The week-long fashion festivities brought people together from all over the world and it was also a chance for brands to showcase their newest product. Here’s what we learned at Fashion Week. 

EXPERIENTIAL POP-UPS ARE A THING

Brands are breaking tradition and looking for new ways to engage customers by inviting them to be part of an experience. For example, Showfields created a space where many Indie brands across a variety of industries had a chance to showcase their products. Each station had a story attributed to a brand that was part of a guided tour. Other pop-ups such as Shopbop and Mejuri were the most popular event influencers attended. These pop-ups made the experience available to influencers over a number of days in order to maximize social media presence throughout the week. 

BRAND VALUES DO MATTER

The new generation of buyers is interested in fashion but more so they want to know how fashion will share in cultural moments and that is why socially-conscious fashion speaks to this generation. Many influencers are not only challenging mainstream fashion but also beauty brands and they are interested in representing brands that share their values and think about the greater picture of how these brands build their businesses. 

SUSTAINABILITY

Consumers have long been taking advantage of fast-fashion that’s dedicated to a balance of trending and affordable. Now more than ever with the rise of global concern for the environment, many consumers are turning to rental services to satisfy their fashion needs. While other consumers are selecting to spend their dollars with brands that are sustainable or brands that sport vintage merchandise. 

These trends aren’t just specific to fashion but across the board brands in every industry are starting to recalibrate the way they are building brands. The days of simply creating ads are long gone as marketing is a cohesive practice of implementing social impact strategy, building brand values and actively listening to what consumers want and need.