Lego launches limited edition clothing range on Snapchat

By

Sandra Halliday

Published
Feb 13, 2019

We hear a lot about ‘social’ commerce these days but so far we've seen very few examples of it in action. However, Lego is setting out to change all that with a new streetwear line that will be available for a limited period and can only be bought via Snapchat.

The offer, which is a young adult's line rather than childrenswear, also had a one-day-only pop-up store on Eastcastle Street in London on Wednesday, but that shop wasn’t full of product. Instead it housed nothing more than a Snapchat code on a plinth.

Snapchat users could scan the QR ‘Snapcode’ using their smartphones and enter an augmented-reality boutique where they could browse the collection that was presented on Lego mannequins. The shop also featured youth-friendly attractions such as a DJ booth and arcade machine.

It's certainly an interesting concept and one that makes the most of the new technology that’s out there, as well as keeping the launch closer to the quirky DNA of the licensed property than many licensed product launches are able to do.

Aside from the pop-up, the products are available in the UK, France, Germany and the US and are the latest result of the licensing deal between Lego and Danish clothing company Kabooki that has held the toy brick company’s clothing license since 1993.

Lego is known for its creative approach to retail and marketing as much as it is for its interesting product launches and this one certainly fits that tradition.

The Snapchat link-up is a global first for Lego with the concept created by the agency We Are Social, which is one of a number of agencies that are part of the social media network’s UK Lens Creative Partners Program.

COO and marketing chief of Kabooki Birgitte Holgaard Langer said: "Approaching the adult fashion audience with this limited-edition clothing line through an AR experience is something we have never done before. We are very excited to see how this new audience will respond to the launch and the AR experience.”

And the products themselves? There are sweatshirts, T-shirts and caps carrying the Lego logo in a definitely-not-childrenswear palette of grey, white and black.

So why did the company choose to launch a line for adults? The licensed product and logo trends are huge at present and Lego clearly saw an opportunity to target a wide range of adults with an appealing product offer that taps into those trends. But we can’t ignore the fact that committed adult Lego fans are an important part of the brand’s audience and are avid buyers of all-things Lego.