Afterpay Announces Exclusive Drops at NYFW Times Square Experience
As previously reported by WWD, Afterpay’s partnership with IMG as the presenting partner of NYFW: The Shows will include consumer-facing, interactive programs with the goal of championing New York City retail.
As NYFW gets closer, Afterpay has announced that as part of this programming, its DropShop franchise will be taken from digital activation to a physical experience in the middle of Times Square starting Sept. 7. The two-day in-real-life drop will include experiences from Crocs, JD Sports and Snap Inc.
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“We’re thrilled to expand our New York Fashion Week footprint to shoppers in Times Square,” said Nick Molnar, cofounder and co-chief executive officer of Afterpay. “This DropShop experience is just another way we are bringing the excitement of New York Fashion Week, and all of its creativity, to consumers with this amazing IRL immersive experience.”
As part of the event, Afterpay will integrate augmented reality technology from Snap Inc. to allow consumers to try on items and experience virtual worlds. Starting today, consumers are able to begin using Afterpay and Snap’s Wayfinder 3D Bondi Mint Mapping, which takes New York objects, including a taxi, a fire hydrant and a food truck, and illuminates them in Bondi Mint around key locations in Manhattan. Each object has a Snapcode that will serve to unlock a AR 3D map in Snapchat to reveal the DropShop location and other points of interest for Afterpay’s NFW program.
“Fashion and apparel have always been at the forefront of immersive AR commerce, and Afterpay’s DropShop is helping propel the industry forward,” said Nina Mishkin, director of creative strategy at Snap Inc. “Together at this year’s New York Fashion Week, Afterpay, Crocs, JD and Snap are truly leveraging augmented reality to create innovative brand experiences, that ultimately take the traditional experiential to the next level.”
Bringing exclusive items to participating consumers, Afterpay has teamed with Crocs and JD Sports to release two limited-edition drops. With only 50 available, JD Sports has commissioned Glassface, the multidisciplinary artist Josh Goldenberg, to create a digital art NFT that will be available to the public for the first time. The limited-edition piece, called “Enter News Worlds,” “pushes you to gain access to new perspectives and reach unimaginable heights.”
With a top-selling item on Afterpay during the back-to-school shopping season, Crocs will release a collection of Jibbitz charms in collaboration with Bretman “Da Baddest” Rock. The charms are inspired by the social media star’s love of crystals, stars and reflective materials. Fans can also use Snapchat to try on the charms virtually on a pair of black classic Crocs through a new Afterpay Snapchat Lens.
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