How investing in local culture is shaping Streetwear at Zalando

Gen Z customers look for online platforms to seamlessly fuse what’s happening on the streets with unique online experiences. Learn how our investments into the streetwear community at a local level are enabling us to engage the next generation of customers across Europe.

In recent years, the streetwear movement has expanded well beyond its niche. While it remains deeply rooted in subcultural influences across skate, surf, art, music, and sports, it is also fueled by relevance, exclusivity, and limited availability. However, now, it occupies the entire fashion spectrum – from the mainstream to designer and luxury.  

Looking at the current trends in streetwear, customers are searching for style that’s beyond just t-shirts, hoodies, and sneakers. Gen Z customers spend over 50% of their purchase journey seeking inspiration and influencing others and are highly motivated to find pieces that stand out.

So, what does it take to engage customers across a broader spectrum while maintaining a connection to popular culture? Let’s dive into how we are meeting our Gen Z shoppers and streetwear communities exactly where they are looking for their next fit. 

Respecting the roots of the streetwear movement 

Streetwear as a movement begins locally and our aim as a platform is to contribute and celebrate it with the community. We are building stronger connections with them by meeting them at a grassroots level through local offline streetwear events. 

It facilitates a deeper understanding of what excites them and showcases our broad and most-sought-after product assortment through immersive activations. Hence, becoming a part of events like Scrapworld and Sneakerness is essential for us.

Loved by Gen Z and Millenials alike, Scrapworld has fast become a point of reference for streetwear in Spain. It has created a unique space for brands, retailers, and consumers to celebrate streetwear and sneaker culture. Working in partnership with founder @ByCalitos, Zalando has been the main sponsor since its launch.

Sneakerness in Zurich holds a similar space for the Swiss streetwear community. As a presenting partner for the third year in a row, we headed to the event with the goal of showcasing the breadth of our curated assortment on the heels of our global campaign, ‘For All Your Vibes.’ 

Through our interactive showroom and a packed event agenda, including live musical performances by Geneva’s own emerging rapper, SLIMKA, and Naomi, we brought leaders of the movement closer to our audience.

Fusing streetwear culture with e-commerce 

Gen Zs are digital natives, and so, it is absolutely essential that we translate the excitement of our offline events to our online platform. Mirroring the local, offline streetwear culture and values, we are building dedicated online experiences and storytelling formats in collaboration with Highsnobiety.  

This offers streetwear customers the ‘extra something’ they are looking for – the inspiration and exclusivity that they won’t find elsewhere. It also empowers our partners to do what they do best – reach the next generation of online customers across Europe while respecting the roots of streetwear culture.

Setting the right stage for our Streetwear partners

Streetwear builds community through culture and nurtures discovery and self-expression. Gen Z shoppers who comprise nearly half of our active customers on Zalando expect this to be mirrored in the online world.

By investing in local streetwear communities, we’re able to create unique online experiences and deliver a truly relevant curated assortment. We are engaging the full range of streetwear customers and sneakerheads across Europe while simultaneously, respecting the roots of the streetwear movement.