As expected, New York Fashion Week has been a whirl of surprises, from Givenchy opening his show to non-celebrity guests to Zac Posen’s LED dress, up to the introduction of Periscope on the catwalks.
And it was a special week for Alexander Wang, who celebrated his brand’s 10th anniversary. The spring-summer 2016 collection was an opportunity to revisit the best from the creator: sporty silhouettes, 90’s influences, reinforcing his hand-edge streetwear look.
Preparations of this 10-year milestone started a long time ago, even before he announced the wouldn’t be renewing his contract with Balenciaga. And this time around, there was a very interesting Influencer Marketing campaign on the agenda! And no… this time fashion bloggers are not the stars! If you think that only an army of fashionistas can leverage brands’ influence, you’re wrong. It’s true that the front rows during Fashion Months have changed and fashion bloggers are the new VIPs – for example, Chiara Ferragni from The Blonde Salad was listed in the Forbes 2015 Under 30 selections – but influence is multifaceted. So, that’s why at Launchmetrics we have categorized influenceurs according to three categories: celebrities, opinion leaders and prosumers.
Last call: decide which pieces will be brought back in the #AlexanderWang #WANG10 Capsule: http://t.co/u5xo0vuWCG Voting ends today.
It all began in June when the mysterious hashtag #WANG10 appeared. Behind this buzz, Alexander Wang was planning his namesake brand anniversary. As usual, the American designer wanted it to be spectacular and hyper connected. During the summer, the hashtag allowed his fans to vote via social media for the reissue of ten key pieces created by Wang from the past 10 years. This capsule collection has been available on the website and at his Soho store in New York City since September 7th.
For the brand, this is a symbolic way of involving consumers in the creative process. Alexander Wang often says that social media plays an important role in shaping the identity of the brand. His 2 million followers on Instagram, Twitter and Facebook allow him to take it to the street, inspiring him to develop his collections. Prosumers interact spontaneously and with the brand, fans of its democratic ideals. Sometimes, this micro-influence is more powerful than any influential fashion blogger.
Take your celebrity gang and go raise money!
To complete the celebrations around his decade in fashion, Alexander Wang has decided to support (once again) Do Something to promote a moral and political awareness among young people. This collaboration resulted in portraits of his most famous friends, from ASAP Rocky, to Cara Delevingne through Kim Kardashian and Kanye West, immortalized by the photographer Stephen Klein and modelling in an exclusive t-shirt or hoodie from the brand. 50% of the retail price will go to DoSomething.org.
To gain visibility and legitimate this charity campaign, celebrities have influence that goes beyond the borders of fashion industry. Moreover, Alexander Wang chose some of the most influential personalities on social media, in an attempt to access a wider audience. The brand has not just teamed up with its friends, but Alexander Wang was able to identify the right influencers that could send the right message to his audience. An intelligent way to keep the brand on a ground level, while leveraging the power of the stars.
Basically, Alexander Wang rocked this campaign and teaches us that you don’t always need fashion bloggers to spread your message. In fact, the main objectives of an Influencer Marketing campaigns are: win people over with good storytelling and, at the same time, engage them through influencers.
And this is why Wang 10 was a complete success that will attract new customers and allow the brand to continue to evolve!