exploring the Powerful Partnerships Shaping Culture Vol. 18
From LYAS watch parties bridging fashion’s elite with Gen Z fandoms, to Uncommon’s PAIN installation rethinking hustle culture, this issue tracks how brands are building offline communities and cultural moments. Explore the rise of wide-format Instagram, Miu Miu’s creator-first PR win, and the game-changing Nike x SKIMS collab. Plus, deep dives into JW Anderson at The Ritz, Nara Smith x Reformation’s sustainable collection, and more. A guide to how fashion, tech, and culture collide in 2025.
Free fashion show watch party to London and Milan - this time with official sponsors, including the British Fashion Council and MAC Cosmetics.
Now, in 2025 Gen Z & millennials are tired of being online 24/7. So they’re building their own IRL linkups: run clubs, sauna squads, creative collectives and DIY dinner parties to name a few.
Fashion fandom is stepping offline. For those who haven’t cracked the invite list—or anyone craving a fashion clique—these watch parties are access, belonging, and community. They’re not just events, they’re a bridge: between fashion’s elite and the obsessed.
“This is more than a moment—it’s a movement,” says Lyas. “The kids at the heart of fashion are the ones yearning to learn, to love, and to wear the clothes.” The creative strategy here is clear: LYAS positions itself as a cultural connector, transforming passive spectators into active participants.
UNCOMMON - BAG - GAME TITLED PAIN
In SoHo, a claw machine rigged with an unattainable Hermès Birkin has stopped passersby in their tracks. The installation, titled PAIN, comes from creative studio Uncommon.
More than a gimmick, it’s a sharp metaphor for NYC’s hustle culture: the grind is relentless, the prize is almost within reach—and always just out of grasp. “Whether you’re in it for the fashion, the irony, or the existential crisis, PAIN is a must-see,” says the studio.
The creative strategy here: turn scarcity and struggle into spectacle. PAIN reframes frustration as cultural currency—an installation as meme-ready as it is meaningful.
The 5120 x 1080 format, aka the thinnest post on Instagram, is reshaping how creators and brands tell stories. From landscapes to street shots, everything looks sharper, wider, and grander.
The strategy is simple: go wide to stand out. On a cluttered feed, format innovation becomes aesthetic innovation, pushing creators to experiment with scale and storytelling in new ways.
If you haven’t already jumped on this new format, you’re probably already too late.
Miu Miu just pulled off a rare PR win (see WISDM…) . Instead of another static perfume drop, they sent creators a branded mini mic—tiny, chic, and fully functional.
This wasn’t a throwaway prop, but a tool. Something that integrates seamlessly into content creation. The perfume may sit on a vanity, but the mic will live in videos for months—keeping Miu Miu in-frame long after launch.
The strategy: don’t just insert the brand into creators’ lives—embed it in their workflow. Utility becomes longevity.
It shows they understand the creator experience. They didn’t just send the product, they sent tools that make creators’ jobs easier.
The result? An activation strategy that doesn’t interrupt but integrates a ton of authentic branded content.
Nike and SKIMS have officially joined forces to launch a highly anticipated collaboration in September 2025. This partnership blends Nike’s heritage in sports and performance with SKIMS’ cultural influence and inclusivity, creating a new standard in activewear that connects athletic trust with lifestyle relevance
The strategy is bold but precise: build a new category standard that balances athletic credibility with cultural clout. For consumers, it’s not sportswear or shapewear—it’s both.
This collab is less about dinner and more about how cultural power is staged today.
The Ritz signals old-guard British luxury—heritage, exclusivity, legitimacy. JW Anderson, known for playful subversion, positions his relaunch within that tradition, showing how even avant-garde fashion needs institutional recognition. The British Fashion Council provides that stamp of authority, turning a brand moment into a national cultural narrative.
Then there’s Google Pixel: the reminder that in 2025, luxury only exists if it’s seen. Pixel’s role isn’t just capturing the night; it’s making sure the spectacle lives on in feeds, stories, and cultural memory.
Together, the partnership shows how heritage, creativity, and tech intersect: luxury isn’t just who’s at the Ritz—it’s who witnesses it online.
Model and TikTok creator Nara Smith—famed for crafting elaborate meals from scratch in statement looks—has partnered with Reformation on a 20-piece sustainable collection
This partnership is a smart cultural play. Reformation has been leaning into pop-culture collaborations to stay tapped into the zeitgeist, and Nara brings a highly engaged community already invested in style, homemaking, and aspirational domesticity. By aligning with her, Reformation borrows from Nara’s unique cultural capital—where slow living meets luxury—and translates it into fashion credibility.
The result is a collaboration that feels both timely and on-brand: sustainability reimagined through the lens of a creator who embodies modern aspiration.