With fashion week around the corner, Bergdorf Goodman is hoping to lure style-savvy men into its Fifth Ave. store to ogle covetable, hard-to-find sneakers.
The iconic New York City department store retailer, capitalizing on the consumer craze for high-end, limited edition sneakers from some hottest designers and personalities around, said it’s partnering with influential sneaker resale platform GOAT on special installation of unique grails featured in its Fifth Ave. men’s store.
Visitors to Goodman’s Men’s Store can soak up the sight of “rare and highly coveted” limited-production kicks including the Air Mag “Back to the Future” style with automatic lacing technology, the Kanye West x Louis Vuitton Jasper high-top, and the Adidas NMD Human Race Trail sneaker that sprang from Chanel’s collaboration with Pharrell. Customers can also purchase any of the styles on display.
Bruce Pask, men’s fashion director at Bergdorf, noted the enduring influence that high-end sneakers and athletic-driven sportswear wield on the luxury and designer markets. “GOAT is an innovator and leader in the resale space with an elevated aesthetic, peerless expertise, and a focus on customer experience and service,” he added, “aspects that we absolutely share, making this a perfectly suited partnership and an exciting new experience that our customers can only find at BG.”
“Retail and resale are just at the beginning of their convergence, and as the global demand for streetwear increases, we will continue to see its influence in the luxury market,” said Daishin Sugano, who co-founded GOAT Group and also holds the position of chief product officer. “Collaborating with Bergdorf Goodman, the iconic luxury retailer, exemplifies the endless possibilities in the industry.”
Luxury has shown a willingness to experiment with the growing popularity of high-end resale. Neiman Marcus invested in luxury pre-owned business Fashionphile earlier this year, and the tie-up allows the department store’s shoppers to drop off their unwanted garments in designated areas in store. And LVMH invested in Stadium Goods, among the top players in the sneaker resale world. All this as a new report finds consumers forsaking fast fashion to invest in luxury resale goods, and especially streetwear.
The GOAT installation opened on Aug. 21 and will continue in Bergdorf Men’s through fashion week next month.