From "masochistic" product placements to spin-off product lines, brands, retailers and streaming platforms are testing ways to monetize the relationship between fashion and the small screen.
PARIS — From Burberry’s “ludicrously capacious” handbag to the colorful berets worn by Lily Collins on “Emily in Paris,” today’s trends are increasingly driven by TV shows, opening a rich seam of potential revenues for fashion brands, retailers and entertainment firms alike. Teasing Flogger
But with writers and actors on strike, the sector is dealing with fresh uncertainty, as everyone from e-commerce sites to makeup artists tests ways to monetize the relationship between fashion and the small screen, at a time when streaming platforms have plunged the traditional Hollywood model into crisis.
“Lockdown was the tipping point,” said luxury consultant Eric Briones, author of “Luxury and Digital: The New Frontiers of Luxury,” describing the moment that clothing labels became cultural content creators. Since then the synergies between fashion and entertainment have continued to grow, even as the mechanisms for making money remain opaque. Related Articles People 'One Day' Star Ambika Mod Brings New Life to a Beloved Story Financial Six Takeaways From Amazon's Q4 Earnings
“The journey of the luxury consumer is 95 percent driven by digital. Given this digital dominance, the key is how to win the attention war,” said Briones. “How do you tame the algorithm? How do you break the internet? With strategic hindsight, luxury has understood that in order to master the algorithm, it needs an amplifier, and that amplifier is entertainment.”
From Louis Vuitton hiring Pharrell Williams as creative director of menswear to Saint Laurent launching a film production arm at the Cannes Film Festival, luxury brands are seeking to make inroads into entertainment in innovative ways. Conversely, retailers are riding on the popularity of shows to drive product sales.
Thom Bettridge, head of creative and content at e-commerce site Ssense, has dubbed the phenomenon “merchtainment,” pointing to examples such as the Balenciaga-themed episode of “The Simpsons.” With his team, he seeks to drive engagement through social media posts that tap into the pop culture conversation.
“Something we often talk about is, what are the digital water cooler moments?” he said. “What is the Ssense angle on the topic du jour? Sometimes the topic du jour has nothing to do with Ssense and we skip it over. But then when we see an opening, we like to just try to put our stamp on it.”
In response to the “Succession” episode where Tom Wambsgans disparages another character’s vintage check print Burberry bag, Ssense published an image of a model carrying an oversize black Kassl Editions shopper with the tag line: “She’s brought a ludicrously capacious bag.” Another time, it pictured a collage of models wearing the sort of monochrome outfits favored by Wednesday Addams under the heading: “It’s Wednesday Every Day.”
“As far as social media storytelling, we’ve really allowed ourselves to depart further and further from simply discussing product, so that’s definitely been a more recent thing, but I think it’s also part of just a larger convergence that’s happening between fashion and pop culture,” Bettridge said.
“Those two worlds were once very siloed, but now, I think there’s a very fluid exchange,” he continued, citing the Met Gala as an example. “Things that were once too niche about fashion are now popular, and things that were once maybe considered too lowbrow about pop culture have been adopted and accepted into the lexicon of fashion.”
The streaming revolution has led to a glut of content released at the same time around the world, and instantly amplified on social media, spawning TikTok trends such as Regencycore, inspired by the Empire waist dresses and corsets of the Netflix series “Bridgerton.”
The data confirms the huge influence of series on inquiries for products.
Global shopping platform Lyst reported a 600 percent jump in searches for Loro Piana baseball caps similar to the one worn by Jeremy Strong’s character Kendall Roy in “Succession,” while an episode of “And Just Like That” resulted in a 488 percent rise in searches for JW Anderson’s pigeon-shaped clutch bag toted by Sarah Jessica Parker, aka Carrie Bradshaw.
“A look can become a meme, which can become a kind of worldwide talking point in a matter of minutes, and so the potential for a series and its stars to go viral now means that the costuming in those shows is put on this very powerful global stage, and streaming shows have become this really huge platform for shaping fashion trends and inspiring shoppers,” said Katy Lubin, vice president, brand and communications at Lyst.
“We’re seeing brands and retailers rightly responding to this movement, too: brands tapping talent from hit shows to become ambassadors, incorporating the vibe of the hit series into their collections or creating licensing agreement merchandise deals, and really just riding the wave of social media hype that surrounds those big moments. It’s forced brands and retailers to be way more reactive and respond quicker and in a more smart way to capture that mood,” she noted.
“The speed at which culture moves online now can feel exhilarating and completely overwhelming at times and for marketers, it’s super high-paced and really high-stakes, and if you can ride that wave and position your brand or your product at the crest of that wave in that moment, then you will see huge rewards. Everyone wants the must-see show or the must-write-about moment. But the rewards of that can be quite short-lived and capturing that attention in the moment is one thing, but keeping it is much harder,” Lubin warned.
In a neat example of potential synergies, Amazon marked the premiere of “Daisy Jones & the Six” on Amazon Prime Video with a dedicated landing page allowing fans to shop looks inspired by the main characters, in addition to beauty products from Essie and Clairol; the soundtrack album of the series, and the book by Taylor Jenkins Reid that it was based on.
In parallel, Free People curated a capsule collection inspired by the show, with Riley Keough — who portrays Daisy Jones — appearing in the campaign.
Meanwhile, Lacoste teamed with Netflix for a capsule collection inspired by no fewer than eight shows, ranging from “Stranger Things” to “Lupin” and “Bridgerton,” in a move designed to capture fans across various genres. Polo shirts featured the French sportswear label’s signature crocodile in costumes inspired by various characters from the series.
“We think products can be a powerful medium for storytelling and partnering with Lacoste presents a unique opportunity to blend the worlds of fashion and entertainment,” Josh Simon, vice president of consumer products at Netflix, said in a statement. “This collection is a compelling and creative way for fans to express their love for our stories and characters.”
Netflix did not reply to requests for an interview with Simon on how it manages its multitude of brand collaborations. However, a glance at Lacoste’s website revealed that three months after the launch, 90 products from the collection were available at discounts ranging from 30 to 40 percent, suggesting this particular line did not fly off shelves.
“For the fashion shopper, there’s still a sense that you go to those platforms to watch amazing content, not to shop,” said Lubin, adding that Lyst sees itself as a bridge to connect customers with the looks from their favorite shows, whether it’s an exact match or a more affordable alternative.
“Once we know that you love the vibe of a particular series, we can keep offering you great recommendations inspired by that look, or that complement that aesthetic,” she said.
Bettridge said it was more about community-building than flogging specific products.
“If you’re a fashion brand that creates compelling content, you give a reason for your audience to interact with you every day, because a luxury purchase, it can maybe take place once or twice a year for some people,” he explained. “It’s really about being that lightning rod, which we have evidence results in increased sales and increased customer engagement.”
Briones argued that despite their high visibility, the commercial viability of collaborations was up for debate. “Clever product placement remains the strongest weapon of desire. It speaks very powerfully to Gen Z,” he said. “Today, the new super influencers are the costume designers.”
He noted that it’s not always clear when brands pay for placements, as evidenced by scenarios where products are the brunt of derision. The Burberry bag in “Succession” is one example, while the Tiffany & Co. ring that is the object of a Holocaust joke in “You People” is another case in point. And was Valentino in on that episode of the controversial HBO series “The Idol”?
“We’re seeing a rise in masochistic product placements, where the filmmakers make fun of the product placement,” said Briones, who believes that self-flagellating placements act like a postmodern wink to savvy consumers. “The share of product placements will continue to grow because Hollywood desperately needs the money and it’s a hugely effective business tool.”
In some cases, producers are earning revenues from collaborations and spin-off products such as Half Magic, the cosmetics line created by “Euphoria” makeup artist Donni Davy that is backed by A24, the entertainment company behind the HBO show.
ViacomCBS Consumer Products — the parent company of MTV Entertainment Studios that produces “Emily in Paris” — sought to capitalize on the interest in the show’s fashion by curating a selection of shoppable content around Season Two.
But costume designer Marylin Fitoussi insists that her selections for “Emily in Paris” are strictly separate from such commercial deals.
“I still work the old-fashioned way with just a confidentiality agreement with no money changing hands. It’s not product placement. People pointed out that in one episode, Emily wore a Dior helmet and rode a Dior scooter. That was the work of the production design team. I don’t know what happened,” she said.
Likewise, she said she was not aware of Malone Souliers’ footwear collection inspired by the show. “I’m not involved in that side of things, which gives me complete artistic freedom, and that’s important to me,” Fitoussi said. “It’s great to be able to pair a Stéphane Rolland dress with a handbag I bought on asos.com.”
In the first season, only a handful of labels were willing to work with the show despite the fact that it was the brainchild of “Sex and the City” producer Darren Star and that Patricia Field was consulting on costumes.
“Then there are other brands that have understood that it’s part of the zeitgeist, and that it’s another way of communicating with and reaching people that might not be interested in their brand otherwise. In luxury stores, there are young women who weren’t customers before and who have saved up to buy Emily’s shoes or Emily’s bag,” Fitoussi said.
In what might be considered another example of “masochistic” product placement, Stéphane Rolland, the Paris-based couturier who has dressed everyone from Beyoncé to Celine Dion, is the actual designer behind the collection of fictional character Pierre Cadault, whose style is mocked as being out of touch.
Now that brands clamor to be on the show, Fitoussi likes to use it as a springboard for emerging labels. Designers such as Victor Weinsanto and Kevin Germanier have credited “Emily in Paris” with helping to keep their fledgling businesses afloat, with Weinsanto featuring series star Philippine Leroy-Beaulieu, who plays Sylvie Grateau, in one of his runway shows.
“It moves me, it makes me happy. I know it will enrich the show and above all, I know they will get worldwide recognition for their work and it will give them a bit more freedom,” said Fitoussi, who’s been nominated for an Emmy this year in the category of Outstanding Contemporary Costumes for a series.
Nonetheless, she noted it was hard for brands to anticipate any financial windfall from the show. “We never know how it will be edited and there is a six-month gap between when the series is shot and when it comes out. When you shoot in summer and the series is broadcast in winter, the stores carry winter clothes, not summer clothes,” she said.
The costume designer is taking advantage of the suspension of filming — due to the ongoing strikes by the Screen Actors Guild — American Federation of Television and Radio Artists (SAG-AFTRA) and Writers Guild of America (WGA) unions — to continue searching for new talent.
Briones said the crisis could benefit luxury brands, as actors become more dependent on side gigs to replenish their revenues. “It’s an opportunity for luxury houses to produce even more brand content and events,” he said. “I think we will see even more stars at the next fashion weeks, and potentially more celebrities on the runway.”
And it could tilt the balance of power toward other global entertainment powerhouses, such as India and South Korea. “Perhaps product placements will not be in the next series from the creator of ‘Succession,’ but in the next Korean show. There could simply be a globalization of product placement,” he said.
No matter how long the strike lasts, TV series are set to continue dictating the global fashion conversation.
“The fact that this content can resonate in such a powerful way across geographies, across time zones, I think really speaks to the immersive world-building skills of the teams that are making this content, and that’s I think why the fashion lands so well and has become such a powerful force within these shows,” Lubin said.
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