Luxury goods firm Burberry is using Snapchat to launch its 2016 spring-summer collection next week.
Coinciding with London Fashion Week, the big reveal will take place exclusively on the ephemeral messaging service several hours before the collection hits the runway.
The move by Burberry gives the company a chance to build its brand among Snapchat’s user base, which currently stands at more than 100 million. It will also have taken note of comScore data published earlier this year revealing that 71 percent of Snapchat’s U.S.-based users are aged between 18 and 34.
Called the Snapchat Show, content including photos and videos will go live at 2pm ET this Sunday (Sept. 20). Of course, with ephemerality at the very heart of the Snapchat app, all the posted material will disappear after 24 hours.
Commenting on the plan, Burberry CEO Christopher Bailey said in a statement the company was excited “to launch the Burberry Snapchat Show allowing a unique, real-time view of the creation of our show which will include an unprecedented collection premier hours before it hits the runway.”
Burberry’s marketing team is clearly as sharp as the suits it sells, with news of its Snapchat Show coming hot on the heels of the launch of a new channel for Apple’s fledgling music streaming service. Content will come mainly from Burberry’s long-running Acoustic initiative, which showcases the best of emerging U.K. talent as well as new work from established artists.
The British fashion house first partnered with Apple two years ago when it broadcast live footage from London Fashion Week using the Cupertino’s just-launched iPhone 5S.
Meanwhile, Snapchat’s link-up with Burberry reflects the four-year-old startup’s growing efforts to build the service into a powerful multimedia platform capable of attracting major brands from around the world. Other revenue-generating efforts include, more recently, the rollout of paid-for Replays that give users a second look at a Snap before it disappears forever.
