New York Fashion Week is just around the corner, and Klarna has a plan to democratize access to runway looks.
If “see now, buy now” was the fashion week talking point in the mid-2010s, then Swedish fintech firm Klarna is hoping to make a splash with a February popup, in partnership with fashion event agency Style360, featuring shoppable catwalk fashions customers can pay for with its pay-later plan of four equal installments.
Klarna Style360 will host fashion presentations in addition to the popup at Metropolitan West on Feb. 11-12. The schedule will feature the Saski Collection by “fitness mentor” Tammy Hembrow, a luxury athleisure label, and Footaction No 1 Way Design Program, a historically black college union student design competition in partnership with FAAS at Pensole Academy. According Klarna Style360, five finalists will showcase functional apparel designs as well as “the future of fleece,” and one of the program’s designs will be sold at select Footaction stores in the fall.
Other participants include premium outdoor lifestyle brand Roots with contemporary athleisure brand, Boy Meets Girl, which will highlight their joint capsule, Roots x Boy Meets Girl, a limited-edition streetwear collaboration. Items in the 15-piece collection include organic cotton unisex T-shirts, recycled yarn sweatpants, hoodies, a sweatskirt, leggings and a pint-sized kids’ collection.
Just Drew by Andrew Warren will offer statement and everyday essentials in the women’s ready-to-wear category. And Klarna Style360 said Andy Hilfiger presents Artistix by Greg Polisseni will close out the programming schedule.
Hilfiger is “widely known for his effort to merge music and fashion,” the companies said, noting Artistix’s potential to become “the next big thing within the streetwear culture.”
Deferred payment options have helped brands attract new shoppers and boost conversions. Millennials and younger consumers especially like having the option to spread out the cost of a purchase rather than absorbing the full price upfront.