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Pondering the Fate of the Tents

Runway shows generate buzz, conversation and brand love.

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“Fashion week’s traditional value is evaporating and runs the risk of becoming an orgy of self-importance with no [return on investment],” said Scott Galloway, clinical professor of marketing at New York University’s Stern School of Business and founder of NYU think tank Luxury Lab, or L2. –Women’s Wear Daily, Sept. 4, 2013.

I remember thinking when I read this that it was a very bold statement to put in print. It made me imagine the fashion world without the revolving calendar of fashion weeks around the globe and how that would trickle down to my world – not as a customer, but as a retail designer. The runway shows create drama for the luxury brands, affording them the opportunity to highlight the most outrageous and the most glamorous of couture, although fast fashion brands like H&M and Topshop have gotten into the act and have staged their own fashion shows. And of course, who could overlook the annual Victoria’s Secret runway extravaganza, complete with appearances from the likes of Justin Beiber and Rihanna.

I went to a runway show once several years ago. We were working on the Adidas Y-3 stores at the time and our client was kind enough to give me two tickets to the Y-3 show at Chelsea Piers. My daughter and I, being Project Runway devotees, were very excited at the prospect of seeing our first live runway show.

We arrived about 30 minutes early and were surprised to find the makeshift venue nearly full. There was some rapper that people were fawning over, but I can’t recall now who it was (not that I knew at that time, either, without my daughter telling me). Anyway, I recall the start was delayed about 30 minutes, so we were pretty restless by the time it got started. I think they ran through 20 or so looks and the whole thing was over in roughly 10 minutes, when Yohji Yamamoto came out for his bow. It then took another 20 to file out with the crowd.

I do have to say my attendance at the runway piqued my interest in the brand. I own a few items from the brand now, and I continue to check out the collections periodically. Now, this event was no spectacle at a Scottish castle such as the Chanel Fête created at the hands of Karl Lagerfeld, nor the theatre that the populace came to understand was regularly produced under the direction of Alexander McQueen (exposure to the latter courtesy of that magnificent exhibition by the Costume Institute at the MET). But it was a taste of the brand in its purest sense – the clothes, the design and the designer behind the creation. We all like to peek at the genius behind the curtain, and the runway shows allow a rare few that opportunity in periodic doses along the calendar.

But what if there were a way to bring this to the larger fan base, to dish out and receive brand love en masse? Certainly Betsey Johnson gave it a shot, as she broadcast her fall/winter runway show live on 11 screens in Times Square last week. Certainly the brands use social media and websites to webcast the shows and there’s liberal use of Twitter and Facebook, as well. And don’t forget about the Bloggers. But what about year-round? While Dior has an impressive integration of in-store screens for streaming runway content, Burberry’s Regent Street flagship seems to garner the most kudos for the technology quotient. Brands must balance the aspirational with the everyday, where the specific percentage of each depends on the particular brand. But I think all brands can benefit from spicing up the customer journey a bit.

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Coming back to Scott Galloway’s quote, I have a hard time seeing these events going away. Even if there is limited to no direct ROI, they generate buzz and conversations, whether live or on social media. And that’s marketing value. I would wager there are many brand flagships that serve more as a well-positioned and semi-permanent billboards than as revenue generators; of course, it’s always nice if it does both. Retailers should aspire to instill their store environments with a vehicle through which customers can peel back the curtain, see another side of the brand and create a memory that builds a lingering emotional response: i.e. Brand Love.

Kathleen Jordan, AIA, CID, LEED AP, is a principal in Gensler’s New York office, and a leader of its retail practice with over 24 years of experience across the United States and internationally. Jordan has led a broad range of retail design projects as both an outside consultant and as an in-house designer. She has led projects from merchandising and design development all the way through construction documentation and administration, and many of her projects have earned national and international design awards. Contact her at kathleen_jordan@gensler.com.

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