Neiman Marcus opens shoppable virtual footwear showroom

Neiman Marcus Group is partnering with digital media platform Hypebeast to promote exclusive footwear from 11 luxury brands.

As part of its fall “Re-Introduce Yourself” campaign, Neiman Marcus is launching its first-ever shoppable virtual showroom, featuring one-of-a-kind products from footwear brands Alexander McQueen, Balenciaga, Balmain, Christian Louboutin, Dolce & Gabbana, Givenchy, Maison Margiela, Moncler, Off-White, Versace, and Giuseppe Zanotti.

The showroom features a digitally recreated retail floor, inspired by a futuristic laboratory crossed with a contemporary art gallery exhibit. Every style is virtually displayed with accentuating lighting and compositional angles within the CGI environment. Customers can enter the space and virtually examine every pair, with interactive navigation and shoppable annotations explaining the sneakers' design details. 

The virtual showroom experience is available on Hypebeast beginning Tuesday, Sept. 21. The 11 styles will be released exclusively on the Neiman Marcus e-commerce site. Additionally, select styles will be available at all 37 Neiman Marcus stores.

Content will be hosted across Hypebeast's platform and social media channels, including a homepage takeover and Instagram Stories teasing entry for the showroom. Neiman Marcus will also roll out content on its own social platforms and via email marketing.

In June 2021, Neiman Marcus kicked off a three-year intensive digital investment strategy. The retailer has already implemented technology and digital solutions from over 25 companies in an effort to enhance and elevate its luxury customer experience. Neiman Marcus says it will continue to explore opportunities to further its integrated luxury retail focus through acquisitions, partnerships, and building out digital capabilities internally.

"We are experiencing extraordinary growth in our luxury business overall with men's as one of the standout categories and Neiman Marcus continues to focus on creating magic for its customers with one-of-a-kind experiences and products," said Lana Todorovich, president and chief merchandising officer, Neiman Marcus. "This opportunity is both innovative and exciting for Neiman Marcus and Hypebeast – it's allowed us to reimagine what the future of e-commerce looks like while bringing the best of both worlds together and offering access to our top luxury brands who specifically created exclusive shoe styles for our customers.

"Online luxury retail continues to grow and our customers are seeking retail theatre outside of traditional retail interactions," said Todorovich. "As this space evolves, so does our larger strategy as a multi-channel luxury retailer to provide the most unique and engaging experience in our physical, digital and remote selling environments. We are excited to work with Hypebeast as a forward-thinking partner to explore the future of integrated luxury retail at Neiman Marcus."

"Exclusivity, hype, and sneakers are three words that make up the 'hypebeast' vocabulary, and this virtual showroom continues to push the boundaries on how our readers experience new and exclusive luxury products, specifically sneakers, digitally," said Huan Nguyen, U.S. VP of brand partnerships, Hypebeast. "In an era of fast-paced digital consumption, a traditional model of promoting has grown stagnant. With our audience in mind, the Hypebeast team worked alongside leading luxury retailer Neiman Marcus to create a digital showroom that can highlight and showcase the sneakers in a new, profound light."