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The End of the Night Out, Fashion’s Night Out
For years, the annual event of ‘Fashion’s Night Out’ has taken shoppers by storm, exposing us to annual events and in store experiences that were otherwise foreign to us. Taking place in September, it is a night that boasts great appeal – giving us the opportunity to rub shoulders with celebrities whilst browsing the latest collections from our favourite brands. That said, if you enjoyed shopping until the late hours to the sounds of a superstar DJ spinning the latest tracks, your love affair, like all love affairs, seems to be coming to an end – as WWD has informed its American readers that it will be no more. Started in 2009 with the support of Condé Nast, ‘Fashion’s Night Out’ hoped to restore some of the general public’s faith in the retail market, whilst providing a boost to both the wider global and smaller fashion economies. With extensive marketing and celebrity appearances, brands from Gucci to AllSaints have been known to host evenings in some of their flagship stores, and with a great turnout. The lingering thought in the back of our minds seems to question why this would come to an end; what changed? Upon reflection, it seems that the evenings only appeared successful on surface level, whilst in reality, the masses of people who attended were simply there to indulge in some free champagne and a celebrity filled atmosphere. Retailers were simply “keeping up with the Jones'” and in doing so, brought in shoppers outside of their customer base, whilst their true, dedicated clientele, veered away in fear of the pending pandemonium. To this end, brands were investing a lot without seeing the return, which, ultimately, had the opposite effect to what they had intended. All is not lost as the frenzy did create some stir in the fashion market and presented the retailers in a positive light, which, at a later date, may have paid its dividend. English retailers are yet to announce their ceasing of events, thus if ‘Fashion’s Night Out’ is already pencilled into your calendar, don’t scrub it off yet…
