Fashion Weeks A/W 25: Best Brand Engagement Strategies

Bibliophilic Activations Tap into Consumers’ Analogue Desires

Catering for the 67% of Americans who long for the pre-plugged-in era (The Harris Poll, 2023) while piggybacking on growing physical book sales, fashion brands including American label J. Crew and Italian house Fendi harnessed literary culture.

In New York, J.Crew partnered with London and New York book club Buffy’s, hosting a public literary event at J.Crew’s Spring Street store. Buffy’s curated the selection, which comprised reading recommendations from 11 independent New York bookshops. Each guest could take a book home for free, which included a handwritten note from the bookshop staff member who selected it.

In Milan, Fendi celebrated its centennial anniversary with a takeover of bookshops (Libreria Bocca, Adi Design Museum Bookshop and Hoepli) and news stands across the city. The spaces were redesigned with yellow-and-brown Fendi branding and showcased its recent heritage-highlighting publications: the Hand in Hand Baguette Book (referencing the Hand in Hand project by Fendi, a tribute to its Baguette bag’s 25-year history, where the bag was remade by 20 Italian artisans, including lacemakers, weavers and silverworkers) and Peekaboo-K (which maps the origins of the 2008-launched Peekaboo bag).

Dylon’s Laundrette Encourages Eco-Overhauls  

Providing valuable learnings for fashion-adjacent brands during fashion calendar moments, British textile dye brand Dylon hosted a laundrette-themed pop-up in Covent Garden during London Fashion Week.

Encouraging consumers to adopt sustainable habits by bringing new life to old clothes, it offered masterclasses (such as sewing, darning and creative embroidery, all £7.50/$9.70) to members of the public with sustainable fashion experts, including fashion psychologist and author Shakaila Forbes-Bell, sewing workshop The New Craft House and author-influencer Andrea Cheong (all British).

In addition to the consumer-facing pop-up, Dylon also collaborated with Serbian-British brand Roksanda to revive archival pieces as part of the designer’s catwalk presentation.

Alo Yoga Sanctuary’s Soothing Soundscapes & In-Store Touchpoints

Aligned with New York Fashion Week, American sportswear brand Alo Yoga revived its wellness-centred Roblox experience, Alo Sanctuary. With guided meditations and in-game yoga sessions, the Roblox activation leveraged soothing sonic elements, such as the sound of lapping waves and swaying foliage, to heighten visitors’ sense of immersion. See also, Self-Care Soundscapes: Custom Apps & Well-Spaces in Sonic Brand Strategies.

Incentivising in-store visits, Alo’s New York stores were equipped with NFC touchpoints, which visitors could scan with their smartphones to unlock exclusive branded skins and clothing within Roblox.