As NYC buzzes with news of the latest fashions at New York Fashion Week (NYFW), it’s exciting to see how designers have partnered with companies to create unique, fashion-forward marketing campaigns. One surprising trend we are seeing is that financial institutions such as Nerd Wallet, the Teachers Insurance and Annuity Association of America (TIAA) and Afterpay have been taking the runway and making headlines with their creative design collaborations. See below some of our favorite finance-inspired fashion campaigns from this season. 

TIAA and Designer Fe Noel Debut ‘The Dre$$’ at NYFW to #RetireInequality 

TIAA partnered with designer Fe Noel to create ‘The Dre$$’ a garment made of faux money. Using various denominations totaling $1.6 million dollars—which represent the amount women lose in retirement savings because of the persistent wage gap between genders, and the income that could have been earned through the investment of those lost wages—the dress and cape ensemble is an eye-catching way to bring attention to gender inequality. 

The gown, which graced the runway during Fe Noel’s NYFW show, was explained further in a statement released by TIAA’s Chief Marketing Officer, Micky Onvural: “Women retire with a staggering 30% less retirement income than men. We were able to work with Fe Noel to turn that shocking statistic into a visceral, visible, and high-impact learning opportunity.” This piece rightfully strikes a chord with women in fashion as TIAA recognized that, although more than 85% of students from top fashion schools are female, only 14% of the top 50 fashion brands are run by women. 

The gown will be on display for public viewing in New York’s Soho neighborhood on Broadway and Grand streets from the 13th to the 20th of September. To learn more about this collaboration, check out the article published on AdWeek.  

 

Avant-garde designer Jack Irving partners with Nerd Wallet to provide financial advice through ‘Inflashion’ 

In response to rising inflation rates, Nerd Wallet partnered with avant-garde costume designer Jack Irving, who is best known for his spikey inflatable dresses, to create an inflatable inflation-inspired clothing line under the title ‘Inflashion.’ The collection, which features one-of-a-kind pieces like the ‘The In-Vest‘, ‘The Inflation Spike‘ and ‘The Cash Flow Trainers‘ is currently being promoted across Nerd Wallets social channels in short-editorial style videos. Each video features a garment and corresponds with advice on how to best handle inflation. The collaboration of high-end design and financial tips acts as a reminder to investors not to let inflation deflate them or their portfolio. More specifically, it suggests that taking the right moves to strategically to combat inflation in your everyday life is incredibly in-fashion… or should we say inflashion. 

Afterpay has partnered with five top designers to offer limited edition #KeystoNYFW NFT’s  

Afterpay, the leader in “Buy Now Pay Later” payments and official partner of NYFW, has teamed up with five top designers – ALTU by Joseph Altuzarra, AnOnlyChild, Jonathan Simkhai, Kim Shui and The Blonds – to create limited-edition NFT keys. Through their Keys to NYFW program, fashion enthusiasts could purchase these one-of-a-kind collectibles, which were sold for $100 apiece. The collectible NFTs unlock events and limited-edition designer products, allowing consumers to immerse themselves into the world of each designer. Having been promoted on Afterpays Instagram page, the keys could be purchased using their services and paid for in four free installments.  

On August 23, the keys launched and sold out in record time. Proceeds from the collaborations raised more than $20,000 for Free Arts NYC, a nonprofit organization dedicated to bringing art and mentoring programs to children in underserved communities throughout New York City. Click here to read more about the collaboration.  

Whether you consider yourself a fashionista, financial expert, or both, it’s exciting to see how the two industries have come together this week to create both meaningful and innovative partnerships. From NFTs to garments filled with money, we look forward to watching as financial companies continue to use new marketing strategies to connect both the digital and real world.  

 

Written by Jennifer Dars.