Third Edition of Bread&&Butter by Zalando with Record Number of 35,000 Visitors

Berlin, September 3, 2018 // Bread&&Butter by Zalando (B&&B) celebrated its third edition from August, 31 until September 2, 2018. The ‘Pop-Up of Style and Culture’ saw a record number of 35,000 visitors and was sold out on all three days. Attendees celebrated 43 brand exhibitors such as adidas originals, MAC Cosmetics, Nike, and Vans as well as over 100 product drops and limited editions. Moreover, visitors could experience six pop-up fashion performances, nine panel-talks, street food and music highlights from personalities such as Ms. Lauryn Hill and Jaden Smith.

“This year’s Bread&&Butter offered an exciting mix of style and culture with a great variety of brands and performances. The event was sold out on all three days including record peaks in visitors on Saturday”, says Carsten Hendrich, VP Creative Lab at Zalando. “This shows that the way we are evolving B&&B is really catering to our selected target group’s needs. Staying true to the spirit of Berlin we created a lively, inspiring atmosphere for experimenting with trends and sharing ideas in fashion, music, and culture.”

Personalizing the Customer Experience

Last year’s Bread&&Butter hinted to it, this year customization and personalization identified as the most important topics throughout the event. Many brands brought personalization to the next level offering customers immersive experiences and unique products: customized sneakers and shirts, limited editions, tailoring and nail art. This resulted in visitors spending more time at the event compared to last year. “I see personalization alongside limited and special products as some of the biggest trends in the fashion industry right now. Whether online or offline, brands need to tell a story through the products they are offering and showcase what makes them unique. Especially when it comes to Generation Next, the trend- and mobile-affine customers between 20-30-year-olds”, says Hendrich. “I am very impressed with how the different brands interpreted this trend throughout Bread&&Butter and how well this resonated with our visitors.”

Connecting Online and Offline: New Bread&&Butter Hub on Zalando

Since Zalando took over three years ago, B&&B has developed from a closed industry trade show into a consumer event. Consequently, this year’s edition introduced a ‘See Now, Buy Now’ concept, bringing online and offline experiences closer together. During the event, customers were able to shop exclusive drops like the Nike Air Force 1 Jester and the Converse Triple White One Star either directly on-site, or on the newly launched Bread&&Butter hub on the Zalando fashion store, where brands will continue to offer exclusive product drops all year. An example is the Bread&&Butter exclusive adidas Falcon W that will be available online in the hub from September 6th. The launch will be accompanied by an adidas take-over of the Zalando homepage for 24 hours on the same day.

“The borders between online and offline will continue to blur. We also see this when looking at the reach Bread&&Butter created in social media, especially through user generated content”, says Hendrich. "In the next few weeks, we will conduct a more detailed evaluation of the event. But I can already say that the third edition of Bread&&Butter was our most successful one yet and a great way to kick off Zalando’s tenth anniversary celebrations.”