Brief:

• Lowe's was mentioned in social media posts during New York Fashion Week more often than the top designers who presented their collections at the semiannual event. With Lowe's providing backdrop furnishings for runway shows, social media users mentioned the home improvement retailer 8,600 times, according to data that social media analytics firm Talkwalker emailed to sister publication Mobile Marketer.
• The other most mentioned designers and brands included Christian Siriano (4,100 times), Jason Wu (2,000), Mercedes-Benz (1,500), Instagram (1,400), Michael Kors (1,200), YouTube (1,200), Burberry (975), Ana Sui (914), Ralph Lauren (787) and Tom Ford (754), per Talkwalker.
• Total mentions of New York Fashion Week declined from a year earlier because of pandemic disruptions. The term "FashionWeek" and this year's #FashionGoesHome hashtag were mentioned 82,000 times, generating 432,000 engagements. By comparison, social media users last year mentioned the event 484,000 times on its first day alone, Talkwalker found.

Insight:

Lowe's was the big winner on social media during New York Fashion Week, though the semiannual event experienced significantly less engagement because of the pandemic. With models wearing face masks, virtual experiences and runway shows bereft of celebrity attendees, Fashion Week was less glamorous this year. The public mood also is more somber amid worries about the health crisis and its negative effect on the economy.

However, Lowe's stood out in its effort to showcase its wares by partnering with designers Jason Wu, Rebecca Minkoff and Christian Siriano to create backdrops for the runway shows. Each designer created a setting inspired by their definition of home, hand-picking items from Lowe's selection of lighting, patio furniture, flooring and building materials. Lowe's livestreamed the runway shows from its Twitter account and gave viewers a chance to buy the featured products online.

While fewer people mentioned New York Fashion Week in social media posts than they did last year, Lowe's still gained attention with the event tie-in. The retailer has seen a jump in sales among homebound consumers who focused on home improvement and landscaping projects during the pandemic's summer months. Lowe's revenue surged 30% to $27.3 billion in the most recently completed quarter from a year earlier, as same-store sales rose 35%, per an earnings announcement. Whether Lowe's can maintain that momentum remains to be seen, with analysts at Oppenheimer last week downgrading their ratings on the retailer and its rival Home Depot because of concerns that demand for home-improvement products may soften, The Street reported.