Why Fashion Brands Aren’t the Only Ones Capitalising on Fashion Week

It’s Fashion Week season. From Berlin, Milan and Paris to London and New York, the world’s biggest fashion brands are all congregating in some of the world’s biggest fashion cities to showcase their latest collections.

But it’s not only traditional fashion companies that are capitalising on the buzz that Fashion Week brings to build their brands. With industry, consumer and media attention all focused on the happenings of Fashion Week, the season is proving to be the ideal way for less obvious participants to get their name out there.

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‍Walmart Makes Its Biggest Fashion Play

US retail giant Walmart has long wanted to be a go-to destination for fashion. The challenge has been changing the perception that consumers have of the brand as fashion often isn’t the first thing that comes to mind.

Aligning itself with this year’s New York Fashion Week - via a pop-up store - is one way that Walmart is building its brand visibility in the fashion world. It’s not just the first time that the brand has publicly been part of New York Fashion Week, but it’s also the first time it has opened a fashion focused space in New York City.

What’s interesting is that New York City is one of the few places that Walmart doesn’t have any physical retail spaces. This means that the brand is able to carefully curate the experience to give its fashion offering a high-end feel.

The pop-up store focused on Walmart’s Scoop and Free Assembly ranges, which US fashion designer Brandon Maxwell has been the creative director of since 2021. Only one of each style was displayed to make the store feel more luxurious and open, with the majority of stock held out back.

Walmart also officially sponsored Maxwell’s runway show for the first time, which put its brand in front of the industry crowd.

Fashion Week is just the start of Walmart’s strategy for making its brand known for fashion. It’s also planning a 40-event travelling fashion tour across the US from the end of October. The Walmart Style Tour will offer customers an elevated, boutique-style space to shop and be inspired through experiences like styling tips and personalised colour analysis.

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Lidl Uses Fashion to Strengthen Bakery Brand

German discount grocery retail chain Lidl isn’t an obvious fashion collaborator. Better known for high-quality, affordable grocery staples, the brand stepped into the world of London Fashion Week for the first time this year.

In August, Lidl collaborated with New York artist Nikolas Bentel to develop a handbag themed around the retailer’s incredibly popular croissants, which it sells 122 of every minute. Designed to look like a paper bag with a croissant-shaped coin purse and Lidl trolley coin inside, the bag sold out in just two minutes - partly because of its £50 price tag. All profits were donated to the NSPCC charity.

The success of the project led to Lidl opening a two-day bakery themed pop-up shop as part of London Fashion Week. Not only could customers buy the Croissant Handbag while stocks lasted, the pop-up also helped emphasise Lidl’s position as the UK’s number one supermarket bakery by selling croissants and other baked goods.

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‍Unexpected Opportunities for Brand Building

Fashion Week is just one example of how businesses are looking for more unexpected opportunities for brand building. It’s human nature for us to stop noticing the familiar so presenting themselves in unusual ways is one way for brands to stay front of mind.

For companies like Lidl and Walmart, participating in Fashion Week isn’t just a way of increasing brand visibility and making sure they’re part of the conversation, but also changing the perception that consumers have of their brand.

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By Jack Stratten, Head of Trends at retail trends agency Insider Trends.

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