People say don’t buy your clothes from the same place you get your tires, but this grocery store staple just might become the next Sacks.
American fashion designer Brandon Maxwell kicked off the first day of New York Fashion Week by debuting his Spring 2025 ready-to-wear line. However, he followed up his invite-only runway show with a special surprise for the general public.
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Right next door, Maxwell hosted a free pop-up showroom in partnership with a grocery store giant, featuring new exclusive collections from the fashion lines Free Assembly and Scoop.
After years of multiple failed attempts to enter the fashion world, this marks the grocery store giant’s first-ever public participation in New York Fashion Week.
NEW YORK, NEW YORK – SEPTEMBER 06: (L-R) Jeremy Pope, Jasmine Tookes, Brandon Maxwell, Sunisa Lee and Doechii attend the Brandon Maxwell x Walmart Pop-Up Shop during the September 2024 New York Fashion Week on September 06, 2024 in New York City. (Photo by Michael Loccisano/Getty Images)
Michael Loccisano/Getty Images
Grocery store giant recruits luxury fashion
Walmart ( (WMT) ) has been committed to its “Save money. Live better.” slogan for years. Now, the grocery store is expanding its extensive category selection to include luxury-style fashion.
In March 2021, Walmart announced its collaboration with Maxwell as Creative Director of two debuting fashion brands at Walmart: Free Assembly and Scoop.
This collaboration was an effort to increase the store’s assortment of clothing options and its product quality, furthering its status as an all-in-one supercenter. The goal was to create elevated fashion, at an affordable price, for the regular customer.
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“This partnership allows me to bring the experience and joy of fashion to countless people who live in small towns across the country. Everyone deserves to have access to well-designed clothing at an accessible price point,” said Maxwell in the announcement. “That is, after all, the most fashionable thing we can do.”
Brandon Maxwell is an American fashion designer who made a name for himself in the fashion business as a stylist but later created his own luxury women’s wear brand. Over the years, he acquired an extensive portfolio of A-list celebrity clients, including Michelle Obama, Oprah, and Lady Gaga.
Luxury comes to small towns
Although innovative, Walmart is not the first or last local store to partner with big names in the luxury fashion world in hopes of reaching a broader audience and getting in on the affordable fashion business.
Target ( (TGT) ) has made multiple triumphant partnerships with luxury fashion brands to create collections that resonate with its customer base yet remain price-attainable.
In February, Target announced its partnership with fashion designer Diane Von Furstenberg to create an affordable yet luxurious spring collection. The Target-exclusive collection featured items spanning across fashion, beauty, accessories, and home decor.
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According to Target’s Q2 earnings report of 2024, the collection release was an incredible success.
Target’s traffic grew by 3% and nearly 9% for digital sales compared to the prior year.
All six main Target categories reported growth, with apparel sales increasing over 3% and beauty reporting growth in the high single digits compared to last fiscal year.
New York gets a Walmart
Although there are currently no physical Walmart stores in New York City, Walmart could not miss the chance to open a shop featuring both of its high-end apparel brands in one of the world’s top fashion capitals.
During the pop-up showroom, Maxwell announced the opening of Walmart’s first-ever fashion-dedicated retail space featuring the brands Free Assembly and Scoop so people do not miss out on the hypermarket’s fashion collections.
“I just love the idea of democratizing fashion,” said Maxwell in an interview.
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