How five luxury brands won Digital Fashion Week
ANALYSIS
It ’ s been a year of retailers around the globe experimenting with virtual events , with some mixed results . Here are the ones that pulled off their shows with great aplomb . By Catherine Kulke
A year into the Covid-19 pandemic , there ' s no question the global crisis has disrupted just about everything in the fashion world , from how we dress , to how we shop , to how the industry itself operates . The widespread cancellation of in-person Fashion Weeks in 2020 and 2021 forced luxury brands to radically rethink their collection debuts , as labels sought to translate their traditional runway shows into virtual experiences . But creating engaging digital shows is just half the battle : prior to the pandemic , Fashion Week was beginning to represent a massive influencer marketing opportunity , with backstage passes , front row seats , and exclusive parties prompting high-impact social content from bloggers . Now that jet-setting is on hold , brands have had to get more creative when it comes to inspiring influencer conversation about new collections .
With one Digital Fashion Week already under their belts , many luxury labels approached February ’ s Fashion Week with a renewed understanding of how to make their collections pop on social media . Based on Tribe Dynamics ’ earned media data , five brands , in particular , managed to stand out amid last month ’ s parade of online events thanks to influencer marketing strategies that did their shows justice .
Here are some of the tactics Prada , Burberry , Moschino , Miu Miu , and Salvatore Ferragamo used to galvanise their online fan communities in February , and the takeaways for other fashion , beauty , and lifestyle brands eager to maximise the value of their digital activations .
Luxury fashion it-girls dress up for Prada ' s ready-to-wear debut If you ’ re ready for re-openings , so is Prada . The top luxury brand ’ s Fall 2021 ready-to-wear digital fashion show nodded optimistically to the end of the pandemic , as models freely walked through doorways and onto an open blue circle . But hopes of returning to normal life didn ’ t stop Prada from stirring up ample online conversation about the live-streamed event . The label invited powerhouse fashion bloggers including Devon Lee Carlson (@ devonleecarlson on Instagram ), Claudia Sulewski (@ claudiasulewski ), and Leonie Hanne (@ leoniehanne ) to chronicle their experiences viewing the show from home , prompting a wide range of content : while Devon shared artful outfit
Instagrams , Claudia posed with her Cleo handbag , and Leonie created a sensual video of herself getting dressed in headto-toe Prada for Digital Fashion Week . Prada ’ s willingness to grant influencers creative agency over their posts led to activity as widespread as it was impactful : in all , 79 influencers tagged content with the associated # PradaFW21 , collectively driving US $ 1.7 million earned media value , or EMV ( Tribe Dynamics ’ proprietary metric for quantifying the value of digital earned media ). The luxury brand accrued US $ 22.8 million EMV from 2,300 content creators in February , achieving a 10 per cent month-overmonth increase in its average EMV per influencer ( US $ 9,800 EMV ).
Burberry invites influencers to take a seat One advantage of a digital fashion show is that you can watch it from anywhere — and you ’ re always in the front row . That was the message Burberry sent to influencers like Nathan Hopkinson (@ curlyfrysfeed on Instagram ) and Aleali May (@ alealimay ), when it gifted them branded deck chairs prior to debut its Fall 2021 menswear collection , inspired by the British countryside . Dressed in Burberry , recipients posed with their comfy seats in scenic outdoor locations , personally thanking chief creative officer Riccardo Tisci for the “ invitation ” to participate in the brand ’ s Fashion Week moment . Altogether , # BurberryAW21 won mentions from 29 content creators , accounting for US $ 338,700 EMV of Burberry ’ s net US $ 5.3 million EMV in February . Additionally , buzz about the menswear show contributed to Burberry ’ s 9 per cent month-over-month uptick in influencer posting frequency ( 2.0 posts per influencer ) and 14 per cent increase in average EMV per influencer ( US $ 6,100 EMV ).
Moschino ’ s Jungle Red film spurs conversation Most of us aren ’ t exactly living large during the pandemic — but on the ►
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