Fashion for the masses is a concept that always garners very mixed reviews. While high/low is all the rage, many express disdain when high fashion involves itself in design for the mass market. Certain marketers tear up at the thought of cheapening the brand image while others jump with excitement for the injection of youth and relevancy that will undoubtedly result from such a partnership. In looking at the Lanvin and H&M pair up, one can’t help but feel it has somehow raised the standard in how to position such collaboration from a marketing standpoint.
The collection, set to be unveiled on November 2nd to both the public and the media simultaneously (smart move for this sort of initiative), allows people to purchase pieces of Alber Elbaz’s design at H&M price points. While far from the first partnership of this nature (Target and H&M have both been champions of these ventures), the manner in which it is approached by the brands, and received by the public, is something to applaud.
On the H&M website, six videos comprise the Lanvin for H&M section. Each video, shot in black and white, tells a different chapter in the story of this collection. Treatments of the footage, angles and close ups of Mr. Elbaz add an artistic edge representative of such a high-fashion label, but the approachability of the man himself, and the story he tells, is so right for an H&M audience. He manages to evoke a desire to be a part of this high fashion world, without alienating those who really are.
A blog competition offers a really fantastic and unique incentive that shows the team behind this truly thought about the audience and what would add the most value from their standpoint. Specifically, bloggers download a widget that allows their readers to cast votes based on how much they like the blog. Housed on Facebook, a fan can view the submissions and check out the vote counts. The winning blogger will receive exclusive rights to the video trailer for the upcoming Lanvin/H&M fashion show. The trailer will not be shown anywhere else, not on H&M’s website, Lanvin’s website, Youtube or anywhere aside from the winning blog. Talk about incentive.
Shifting to the Lanvin website, there is a section dedicated to the collaboration with H&M, where the exact same six videos live, though visually presented a bit differently. Lanvin has given each video snippet unique titles, like “Happy Collection” and “Sample Panic-Attach”. The sentiment expressed by Alber Elbaz in the video is so truly interesting. The videos are concise but intriguing, relatable yet inspiring and artistic yet direct. It feels in-line with Lanvin and fits seamlessly within the rest of the site.
The H&M/Lanvin initiative seems to have found the sweet spot in juxtaposing high fashion and high-design with massive global appeal. This is a wonderful example of how marketers can use platforms, assets, personalities and partnerships to tell a story with dual audiences in a way that elevates both brands.
Edited by: Gina Conforti
