Limited series, exclusives, collaborations… Fashion brands organize rarity to arouse the desire of young consumers. Welcome to the wonderful world of “drop culture”, which the DRP Festival proposes to decipher from June 23 to 25 at the ephemeral Grand Palais in Paris.
In 2020, the hard discount brand Lidl caused a sensation by marketing sneakers in the brand’s colors, but in very limited quantities (1,500 in all, 50 pairs per store). Sold 13 euros, they were torn off in a few days, before finding themselves, for some, priced at 1,000 euros on eBay a few weeks later. Booba, DJ Snake or ex-footballer Djibril Cissé appeared on social networks with the famous pair. A nice promotional shot for the German brand, and a perfect embodiment of the drop culture, the concept of which could be summarized as follows: sell a product exclusively and in small quantities to stir up consumer desire.
From La Redoute to Supreme
The phenomenon appeared in the 1980s, in Japan, which culturally claims this distribution system, and in the United States, with the appearance of sneaker collectors. Nike, Reebok and other Adidas will then very regularly release limited edition models to satisfy them. Or frustrate them to generate buzz… France is not to be outdone: in 1996, La Redoute was already marketing a tuxedo by Yves Saint Laurent in its catalog. From 1994, the American streetwear brand Supreme will make it its only selling point: you will have to queue for long hours every day to hope to win the grail, usually a simple white t-shirt flocked with the brand in the rectangle.
rouge.
Generation Y
“For a few years now, consumers have wanted to not look like everyone else, they are looking for rarity. With the advent of social networks, everyone can now be a collector, and maintain their passion on a planetary level,” analyzes Frédéric Maus, director of WSN, the company that manages Who’s Next, an alternative fashion show that has become a reference for more than twenty-five years. And which will have a little brother this year, with the first edition of the DRP Festival, intended to renew the clientele by addressing younger generations – the famous millenials, lovers of limited series. This great raout which intends to bring together under one roof all these passionate consumer collectors who form the drop generation and have a taste for encounters. “We live in a world where collaboration creates the event, whether in music or in fashion. It has really become one of the main engines of the drop culture, because it allows you to expand your community of fans”, continues Frédéric Maus. As the DRP festival proves, the drop is everywhere today.
A good alternative for editing
In fact, in the aisles of the ephemeral Grand Palais, where no less than fifteen thousand people are expected over three days, there are proposals in video games, fashion, sports, and even books. Christian Omodeo manages Le Grand Jeu, a Parisian bookstore specializing in street culture. He participates in the festival and explains: “The world of publishing has changed a lot in recent years. Before, few publishers marketed books printed in several thousand copies. With the arrival of self-publishing, the market is now much more fragmented. Print runs are now more limited but the number of books is greater. It’s war to be visible! Therefore the drop is a great way to get noticed. So much so that some of the books I distribute would not have existed without it. »
If everyone deplores the almost systematic speculation generated by this marketing of the moment, it scares no one. “Resale is an integral part of the drop culture, it is very well accepted by brands, because it is ultimately beneficial for their image”, explains Frédéric Maus again, before concluding: “Fashion has come out of its microcosm, it now infuses all of society, it inspires it. Today the drop is everywhere. By releasing a new phone model per year, Apple is doing nothing else. Finally, the only danger for the drop in the years to come, there will be too many »…
Have
DRP Festival, from June 23 to 25, ephemeral Grand Palais, Paris 7ᵉ. Admission: €15.
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