Claire’s teams up with young ‘Gen Zalpha’ influencers
Claire’s Holdings LLC is turning to teen and tween social media celebrities for a new branding initiative.
The specialty jewelry and accessories brand, which focuses on what it calls "Gen Zalpha" customers (Gen Z and Gen Alpha tweens and teens), is launching a new brand platform known as “The Collab.” The platform is designed to enable Claire’s customers and global young consumers to provide content and engage in social dialogue.
The Collab will launch with a select group of Gen Zalpha influencers for spring and add more influencers throughout the year. The influencers will advise Claire’s in its creative direction across content, communications and activations, including in-store experiences. They will also participate in activities such as styling shoots and hosting events.
Initial influencers participating in The Collab include 7-year-old Ayla Palmer, creator and designer of the "AY" fashion line; 13-year-old Caro Hecks, a drummer, surfer, ballerina and singer; 15-year-old Ashlyn So, a fashion designer recently named one of top three designers to watch by “Vogue Hong Kong”; Maggie Sophie Brown, co-founder of the Pad Project and producer of an Academy Award-winning documentary; Ariana Feygin, a viral chef and mentee of a Michelin star chef; 17-year-old Kaylee Foxhoven, a state youth soccer star; and 12-year-old skateboarder Junior Gutierrez.
The Collab launches in tandem with Claire's spring collection, which features all new styles, products and in-store offerings.
"Everything we do at Claire's is in service to our consumers," said Kristin Patrick, executive VP and chief marketing officer of Claire's. "In an effort to turn the brand over to them and let their many talents shine, we created The Collab to serve as a platform for them to share their hopes, dreams, passions and accomplishments with our global audience.”
Claire’s enters audio content partnership
In other content development efforts, Claire’s recently partnered with Audio Up Media, a podcast and audio entertainment production studio, building on other content creation projects via its Claire's Production Studio and original intellectual property (IP) franchises.
The partnership will kick off with two original Claire’s audio entertainment concepts with opportunities for physical extensions across merchandise and publishing, as well as cross-platform extensions tied to the original series.
Claire's Holdings LLC operates the global brands Claire's and Icing and delivers an omnichannel shopping experience with owned and concession stores throughout North America and Europe, as well as franchise stores in the Middle East and South Africa.