Vicky Elmer

Context

Y-3 sits at the intersection of luxury fashion, sport and cultural innovation. By FW17, Instagram had become the primary platform for fashion discovery and real-time commentary, yet Fashion Week coverage across the category remained fragmented, broadcast-led and inconsistent across pre, during and post-show moments.

The challenge was to modernise Y-3’s social and communications approach for Paris Fashion Week, creating a system that could build anticipation globally, translate the runway concept into a distinctive digital narrative, and operate with the same level of craft and intent as the physical show itself.

Mandate

Design and execute a complete social media and digital communications overhaul for Y-3 FW17, anchored in Instagram, that would:

• Build global hype and anticipation ahead of Paris Fashion Week

• Translate the runway concept into an ownable, platform-native digital story

• Function as both individual content moments and a cohesive feed experience

• Support PR, influencer and editorial amplification

• Drive all traffic back to Y-3.com

• Establish a scalable framework for future seasons

This work formed part of the official Paris Fashion Week activation and was delivered in close alignment with global brand, PR, digital and event stakeholders. Y3 TISSUE SESSION

Strategic Idea

The Perfect Swarm

I led the development of The Perfect Swarm, a social-first operating model designed to behave like culture itself: distributed, anticipatory and cumulative.

Rather than treating the runway as a single broadcast moment, Paris Fashion Week was reframed as a phased cultural build, where every asset contributed to momentum before, during and after the show.

The creative platform mirrored the FW17 show concept:
a childlike journey through a forest that gradually transformed from low-tech, tactile and emotional into stark, minimalist modernity. This sense of evolution shaped both the narrative arc and the visual treatment across platforms.

Platform Architecture

Instagram Feed

• Abstract teaser imagery and films pre-show to seed intrigue

• Clear, product-led and full-look photography during and post-show

• A carefully paced grid designed to read coherently in-feed and in profile view

Instagram Stories

• Y-3’s first use of Stories as an elevated, editorial format

• Deeper storytelling through sound, texture and abstraction pre-show

• Lookbook-style execution during and post-show to support retail understanding

Instagram Live

• Introduced as a considered, premium broadcast format

• Designed to feel innovative and immersive without detracting from the live show

Facebook (supporting role)

• Post-show carousel and link formats to extend reach and drive consideration

Creative Pillars

• Hi-tech vs Low-tech
  Visual treatment evolved as the show space transformed, using a mix of camera technologies and formats to echo the narrative shift.

• An Exploration of the Senses
  Sound-led Stories, abstract motion and tactile close-ups translated fabric, movement and atmosphere into digital experiences.

• A Child in the Forest
  A metaphysical journey evoking vulnerability, protection and memory, expressed through abstract teasers and progressive reveal.

• The Moon Room
  A moonlit UGC moment designed as a natural intersection between guest experience, PR imagery and social content.

Y-3’s First Instagram Livestream

Paris Fashion Week | FW17–SS18

As part of the FW17 social overhaul, I led the strategic development and delivery of Y-3’s first-ever Instagram Live broadcast, marking a step-change in how the brand showed up digitally during Paris Fashion Week.

Instagram Live had launched only months earlier. While many brands were eager to experiment, the challenge for Y-3 was to create a genuinely distinctive live experience that reflected the brand’s long-standing obsession with innovation, rather than simply adopting a new feature for novelty’s sake.

Once Y-3 had established credibility as a leader in live Fashion Week coverage in FW17, the brief extended into SS18: evolve the format again without repetition or creative dilution.

Insight

Fashion Week audiences consume content in real time, on mobile and at speed. A single-angle runway feed was insufficient to meet both audience expectation and brand needs.

The livestream needed to hero the full-body silhouette while giving equal prominence to Y-3’s iconic footwear, ensuring viewers could understand both styling and construction within a single, uninterrupted experience.

Strategy and Execution

For FW17, Y-3 introduced its first multi-camera Instagram Live, merging Instagram Live with multi-cam capability to broadcast the runway in real time from multiple perspectives.

The show was teased across social channels in advance, then revealed through a high-resolution live stream that seamlessly wove multiple angles together within the platform. Audiences could experience the full runway narrative while moving fluidly between wide shots and detail.

For SS18, the format evolved again. Rather than switching camera angles, a split-screen livestream was introduced, showing full-body looks and footwear close-ups simultaneously. This ensured viewers could see how outfits were styled while also engaging with the craftsmanship and design detail of the shoes in real time.

Livestream Results

Live Multi-Cam Coverage | FW17–18

• 20,000 unique viewers on Instagram Live

• 288,000 views when placed on Instagram Stories

• Instagram feed posts using show content generated:

  • 157,000+ likes

  • 210,000 additional views

• 6.6 million total impressions across Instagram for FW17 show content

• Twitter coverage added a further 5.5 million impressions

Live Split-Screen Coverage | SS18

• 75,000 unique viewers on Instagram Live

• 2.5 million Instagram Stories views, representing a 275% increase versus FW17

• Instagram feed posts generated 566,000+ likes

• 49 million total impressions from SS18 show content

Audience response across both seasons was overwhelmingly positive. The livestreams generated immediate excitement around the collections, avoiding the muted and delayed reaction typical of post-show image galleries, and reinforcing Y-3’s reputation for digital leadership.

Results and Impact

The Y-3 FW17 Paris Fashion Week social and communications overhaul delivered strong earned, social and influencer performance across priority markets.

PR and Earned Media

• Total combined circulation / reach: 478,829,654

• Combined circulation of Global Top 50 titles: 330,896,569

• Total influencer, PR and media social reach: 36,559,123

• 145 pieces of quality cross-platform coverage (online and social)

• Show coverage generated in eight markets, with PR support across the US, UK, France and China

Three key interviews with Yohji Yamamoto were secured and executed with:

• Dazed

• WWD

• Vogue Runway

Top-tier coverage included:

• Vogue

• WWD

• New York Magazine

• The New York Times Fashion

• Hypebeast

• Highsnobiety (including newsletter)

• Footwear News

Influencers and Social Buzz

• Instagram Feed and Stories accounted for 94% of total Y-3 Fashion Week conversation

• 32 influencer posts tracked, including two influencer-led livestreams

• Several fashion titles, including Dazed, opted to cover the show via Instagram Stories rather than in-feed posts, reflecting shifting editorial behaviour during Fashion Week.

Key Industry Attendees

Y-3 FW17 Paris Fashion Week

The FW17 show attracted senior editors and cultural opinion-formers across global fashion, culture and business media, reinforcing Y-3’s position as a priority brand within the Paris Fashion Week calendar.

Confirmed attendees included:

• The New York Times Fashion (USA) – Alexander Fury

• Dazed (UK) – Jefferson Hack

• 032c (Global) – Marc Goehring

• SHOWstudio (UK) – Lou Stoppard

• Highsnobiety (Global) – Alec Leach

• Fantastic Man (UK) – Gert Jonkers

• Style.com (UK) – Rob Nowill

• Vogue (USA) – Luke Leitch

• WWD (USA) – Katja Foreman, Joelle Diderich, Stephanie Hirschmiller, Alex Badia

• The Wall Street Journal (USA) – Jacob Gallagher

• Document Journal (USA) – Jack Borkett

• GQ Style (UK) – Luke Day

• Evening Standard (UK) – Simon Chilvers

• Hypebeast (USA) – Arby Li

Strategic Impact

This work repositioned Instagram as Y-3’s primary Fashion Week storytelling platform, established a new benchmark for live social coverage within the organisation, and created a repeatable system integrating PR, influencers and emerging platform formats.

It remains a strong example of how culture-led storytelling, paired with executional rigour and platform innovation, can concentrate attention, accelerate response and elevate brand relevance at a global level.