Rihanna’s Virtual Concert Among The Ways Brands Peddle Solace During COVID-19

According to the Boston Consulting Group, luxury sales could drop by up to 35% this year. The business consulting firm also predicts the fashion and luxury industry stands to lose up to $600 billion in sales worldwide.

If your customers stop shopping, losing their attention and loyalty is a distinct possibility to follow. Some brands wager that if they can’t sell goods, the next best thing to offer comfort and escape in these uncertain times.

Rihanna, via her LVMH-owned Fenty brand, kicked off Easter weekend with a 5-hour concert on Instagram Live featuring on-brand DJs such as Kitty Cash, Pedro, Stretch Armstrong and performers like Lil Uzi Vert Octavian. The event was dubbed #FENTYSocialclub. While it may have been in lieu of an IRL (In Real Life) event to celebrate her latest faux leather capsule collection drop, the singer-turned-entrepreneur’s community reveled in the feel-good vibes from the online party.

Kenzo also dove into the feel-good space with the launch of #stayhomewithKENZO. Along with newly appointed brand creative director Felipe Oliveira Baptista, Kenzo aims to inspire optimism and creativity with a weekly series of Instagram live events and content by KENZO’s friends and community, according to a release. With sessions ranging from Music Monday’s Wednesday’s Workshops, TGIF Live Sets, and Weekend Conversations, the brand is keeping its audience engaged with a range of special guests.

At Alexander McQueen, helmed by creative director Sarah Burton, community engagement via creativity is a brand ethos. The brand launched McQueen Creators recently, designed to encourage creativity from home as well. First up, participants selected a favorite piece shown via social media such as a dramatic red dress to sketch or paint. The second week the challenge involved creating roses from materials found at home. Several participants’ work was re-published on the Kering-owned brand’s social media networks. The brand has promised more in the coming weeks, such as one exploring iconic prints from the house.

Sarah Burton isn’t the only designer whose conjuring up a floral motif as a form of escape. New York-based designer Jonathan Cohen has launched a digital flower shop where he created hand-drawn floral arrangements that can be sent to loved ones or anyone in need of some cheering up. The arrangements cost $20 apiece and can be chosen from six existing arrangement styles or can be custom designed. The designer will donate 30% of the proceeds to charities such as Bowery Mission, Feeding the Front Line, No Kid Hungry and A Common Thread.

“Everyone is going through such a difficult moment right now, and it can impact your mental health. You can feel how scared everyone is, and that is why we started Our Flower Shop,” said Cohen. “I started to sketch flowers to send to family and friends. It’s a way of connecting with them and sending them a bit of love during uncertain times.”

Christian Louboutin is also providing a moment of escape by posting entertaining films pulled from their recently-opened-then-quickly-shuttered-due-to-lockdown exhibit, L’Exhibitioniste at the Palais de la Porte Dorée in Paris. First up was The Atelier, which depicts an almost cartoon-like Louboutin describing the many steps involved in the making of his famous red sole shoes.

The trend towards adult coloring books, which are touted for their stress-relieving abilities, inspired jeweler Emily Satloff of Larkspur & Hawk to re-issue a custom coloring book she designed on her brand’s website to be downloaded and printed at home. Her collection of 18th-century Georgian period-inspired jewelry is depicted in black and white sketches of the gemstones for the user to color in.

Redemption, the sustainability-minded rock and roll aesthetic brand, has offered their community a bit of Zen through weekly yoga and meditation workshops streamed live on their Instagram account. Redemption Athletix – high-performance sportswear made from certifiably sustainable materials using an ethical labor force – is worn by yoga specialist and health and nutrition coach Claire Grieve who leads the sessions. Thus, marking the feel-good moment with a bit of old fashion marketing.