NYFW is now NYBW: Part Two

RIP NY Fashion Week...but hip, hip, hooray for the Brands.

Sep 18, 2024

And now…back to our NYBW theory of brands making great impressions.

5. HEAVEN MAYHEM

Marketing, of the Guerilla sort

Contemporary jewelry brand Heaven Mayhem whipped up interest during NYFW with a swath of inescapable marketing moments, weaving the brand into city life, the energy of the week, and consumers' hearts. The friendly, approachable, clever presence let us hear the brand voice, pick up on the personality, and understand the values. Tapping into analog and digital tactics, this brand made a mark.

6. MERIT

Placement, in a makes-sense way

Connecting to NYFW attendees and city dwellers through sightline advertising, MERIT beauty took to the streets with taxi cabs wrapped in their sophisticated blue branding, including LED screen taxi toppers looping their message: “a beauty routine so easy you can do it in the back of a taxi cab.” MERIT ambassadors posted themselves flawlessly applying to their faces while on route. Similarly, Alexa Chung for Madewell sent out a fleet with an open invitation to share the journey on socials.

7. JONES

Hijacking, with permission

In a fish-where-the-fish-are maneuver, Jones, for those looking to curb and kick the nicotine habit, cozied up next to their favorite brands during NYFW. Planting themselves at shows and presentations, timed with two new retail outlets, Casa Magazines and Happier Grocery, the brand offered samples from a delightful coffee cart in gorgeous, fashionable, and discreet packaging.

8. J.CREW

Nostalgia, for the win

In what can only be heralded as a triumphant return-to-roots campaign, J.Crew, after a studied and paced renovation, burst onto the NYFW scene with a newsstand dedicated to the reboot of the famous catalog. Checking every box on the Coller Davis & Co. brand moves list - returning to print vehicles, tapping into nostalgia, adding cross-industry collaborations (especially food & bev), offering world-class swag and, above all, tapping into consumer interests (we’re talking about reading and bookishness, see below). Bookending our two-part branding evals, J.Crew and L.L. Bean are returning us back to the future, and we are enjoying the time travel.