Since her first collection over a decade ago, British menswear designer Martine Rose has pushed against the system, subverting the established norms of “high” fashion – becoming one of the world’s most celebrated designers.

Her philosophy and success are built on a unique juxtaposition: high fashion presented in relatable, diverse and democratic contexts. Eschewing the conventional trappings and tropes of the industry, Rose showed her AW17 collection in a market in a working-class area of London during regular trading hours, and set her SS19 collection in a North London residential street, casting residents among the models.

For Martine Rose’s first collaboration with Nike (a trademark reimagining of classic 90s sportswear silhouettes), the challenge was to launch this landmark collection at scale in a manner entirely authentic to her ethos - in a way that would capture the attention of her target audience of fashion early adopters and the industry press.

Menswear designer Martine Rose subverts fashion norms – juxtaposing high fashion into democratic contexts.

Launching her first collaboration with Nike, the challenge was to stay true to her ethos.

Two creative principles drove the approach:

1. Make the ordinary, EXTRAordinary

2. Blur the lines between real and fake

Craigslist is the internet’s yard sale - where the magical and mundane coexist in democratic harmony. It is also unverified – leading to speculation around any item’s authenticity.

But Craigslist is a peer-to-peer marketplace - for a brand launch to feel true to the platform, it had to be true to the platform.

Handpicked “stockists” from Martine’s community drove the launch: Steve, who lives on the street where Martine showed her last collection; Tesfa, a 19-year-old sneaker obsessive; and Suraya, a ferret-racing photography student.

They would handle every interaction with consumers and media – without ever behaving as anything other than themselves.

Inspired by Martine's ethos of bringing fashion and real people together, our strategy was built on three pillars:

Values Fit: harness Rose's trademark tension between extraordinary product and ordinary

contexts - but at scale. For this reason, we chose Craigslist as the ideal (and only) place to launch.

100% Authenticity: commit with authenticity to the codes, confines and capabilities of Craigslist and its conventional peer-to-peer sellers. This commitment would dictate the entire campaign arc including the lack of paid advertising or brand spokespeople, instead having our sellers engage directly with media and consumers.

Humanity: Craigslist is a peer-peer marketplace resulting in a distinctively human, unpredictable quality. Posts are written by the seller, transactions take place in person, locally. Payments are fulfilled via peer-to-peer means - cash, Venmo, PayPal. For the launch to feel authentic and resonate, we had to embrace this innate humanity of the platform.

“I’m interested in real people and fashion. There’s no reason the two can’t come together in a beautiful union. It’s about making the ordinary, extraordinary.” Martine Rose, Highsnobiety.

Inspired by this sentiment, the strategy for the launch was built on three pillars:

- Values Fit. We had to devise a launch that harnessed Rose’s trademark presenting of extraordinary product in authentically democratic environments - for this reason, we chose Craigslist as the ideal (and only) place to launch.

- 100% Authenticity. For the campaign to be Craiglist-authentic, we would adhere absolutely to the codes, confines and capabilities of the platform and the behaviors of conventional peer-to-peer sellers (including no paid advertising or brand advertising).

- Humanity. Craigslist is a peer-to-peer marketplace – resulting in a distinctively human, inconsistent quality to the experience. For the launch to feel both authentic and resonant we had to embrace this innate humanity of the platform.

The campaign launched quietly with our sellers commenting below-the-line on specifically selected articles on Hypebeast and Reddit. Devoid of any branding, these comments directed buyers to a personal Craigslist post to buy exclusive pieces from Nike by Martine Rose. And also drew wanted speculation on the authenticity of the product.

Each post, entirely in the voice of our authentic seller, introduced the consumer to the collection – supported by a personal video and key product imagery. From this point, every transaction followed the authentic behavior of the site: emails were exchanged between each seller and consumer, agreeing a price and a meeting location to hand over the product.

Every sale was conducted in person- on a street corner, in a pie and mash shop, at the local pub – with product handed over in unbranded packaging. Transactions were completed via peer to peer payment systems like Venmo or Paypal.

“Neither Nike nor I have ever done anything like this before. It’s like the Wild West – totally uncharted territory. We have no idea how it will go.” Martine Rose, Vogue UK.

What Highsnobiety described as “an unorthodox advertising and distribution strategy, well-fitting with Rose’s own codes of transforming the mundane into standout fashion” was an unprecedented success.

The campaign generated thousands of one-to-one digital interactions with highly-engaged target consumers, some leading to real-world in-person connections. Fueled by significant coverage from the fashion and advertising industry press – entirely without media spend or conventional advertising of any sort – the launch collection sold out through Craigslist in a matter of days.

Nike does not disclose campaign metrics or sales figures.