BRANDS MOVE TO DEMOCRATIZE FASHION THROUGH DIGITAL TV

By Lizzy Zarrello

Telfar and Coach’s digital offerings are making fashion accessible to all.

With New York Fashion Week becoming in-person once again, designers have moved digital show viewings to the wayside. Coach, however, returned to the runway paired with a digital montage of their newest collection on Coach TV: Public Access. Coach TV is a digital video series hosted on Instagram that encapsulates the nostalgia of cable TV with public figures and modern fashion. The brand introduced the series for their Fall 2021 Collection; it’s now on its second season.

Coach’s in-person Spring ’22 show began with the latest episode of Coach TV hosted by actor and comedian Rickey Thompson. The episode featured celebrities including Utica Queen sporting the collection while recreating Bob Ross paintings, alongside retro commercial reenactments with Megan thee Stallion. The show was followed by a face-to-face runway at Hudson River Park, streamed to the public via Coach TV.

However, Coach isn’t the only fashion house with its eyes on digital TV. The unisex clothing brand Telfar just launched an online public access channel called Telfar TV as a means to connect with the public. The brand will randomly broadcast QR codes on the channel, which buyers can scan, receiving equal opportunity to purchase their high-demand bags. Rather than having large “drops” where “bots” buy in bulk to resell, Telfar has created “drips” where the brand places a cap on purchases to avoid any unfair extortion. Although the bags still hold a luxury price point, the brand will offer free bags to those who send in particularly superb creative video content. The winning submissions will also be featured on the channel for the public to see. 

As a brand that has grown viral on social media over the past few years, Telfar’s adoption of a website buying channel over a social media platform demonstrates how brands can reshape their place in the public domain. Although Coach is not selling products through their channel, Coach TV allows Coach’s audience to experience the show virtually without a personal invite. By focusing on developing their brands using a familiar platform with a modern fashion viewpoint, Telfar and Coach are embracing accessibility over exclusivity. 

Image credits: Telfar and Coach