Who is Ricky Regal? Well, we know Bruno Mars – the man known for smooth R&B hits with a delectable twist of funk. Ricky Regal is Bruno’s alter ego who embraces freedom, luxury, and creativity with an effortless wave of luxe. Being Bruno Mars’ first fashion collaboration, the blend of Lacoste’s elevated sportswear flair with Ricky’s 70’s inspired style was the perfect fit. The result? An exclusive line full of relaxed style and confidence.

Our challenge was to execute a pop-up retail experience with extensions into key retailers that brought you inside the life of Ricky Regal and his flair for nostalgia while never losing sight of Lacoste’s core tenants of elegance and tenacity; with the primary objective of selling out of product.

But the ultimate objective was to reach an audience desperate for engagement to drive awareness and shift brand perception through a branded retail experience.

Through the pathos of midcentury elegance, we aimed at creating a feeling of exclusivity whilst providing access to the masses in a non traditional retail environment. Flowing seamlessly from store to lounge, we blurred the lines between product display, casino and a nostalgic art installation.

A contemporary, colorful, minimalist approach was applied with inspiration from the Rat Pack era. Blending the worlds of Bruno Mars and Lacoste without coming across as forced or inauthentic proved vital. We wanted this all to feel like a destination. One you’d arrive at in your flyest attire. This concept came to life with decor and branding inspired directly from the past, to transport the audience to a bygone era.

Our strategy was to design a retail experience that would resonate with Lacoste’s core customer base while generating excitement amongst the targeted Millennial & Gen Z audiences. More than just beautifully designed Instagrammable installations, we understood that Lacoste was looking to use this launch as the start of a new conceptual retail strategy to reinvigorate Brick & Mortar in the US market.

The approach was to build an environment that offered customers a peek into Ricky Regal’s den. By engaging with his personal effects and listening to his playlist, you understood who he is and what inspires him. We designed the spaces to be an extension of the clothing line, an intentional seamless aesthetic that felt inviting and exploratory. We extracted Ricky’s unique & brazen charisma and Lacoste’s premium approach into the live retail setting, incorporating rich textiles, gilded highlights, and casino elements.

The collection and campaign were strategically scheduled to line up with a flurry of Bruno Mars’ activities in culture, both in US and global markets. Coinciding with his new band, Silk Sonic (Bruno Mars & Anderson .Paak) and their new single, “Leave The Door Open”, the campaign dropped in front of millions. Simultaneously, we began Lacoste’s influencer seeding experience nationwide while also extending the narrative with additional films and IRL experiences.

Additionally, to complement Bruno’s world-wide fan base, we hand-selected a mix of influencers that would open up new lanes to non-Bruno Mars fans. From Hollywood’s up and coming Gen-Z hyper-influencers to major names across the country, we targeted a younger generation of social and digital-first consumers.

From Kendall Jenner and DJ Khaled, to Maluma and Diplo, influencers took part to share their experiences on social media to spread word about Ricky Regal, leading to a firestorm of social participation.

Our main business objective was to design and build a versatile and immersive retail experience that amplified the clothing line and ultimately exhaust all inventory - and that we did. Over the 10 day execution period, we sold out of every SKU in both the Melrose Pop-Up location and our partner retailers (The Webster LA & NY and UNKWN Miami). Lacoste Melrose Place was Lacoste’s second-highest boutique domestically during the 10-day execution, notable considering its fewer SKUs sold.

Staying within our 25% capacity restriction, we saw a 40% visit-to-purchase conversion rate, 20% higher than retail pop-up averages.

This program was full of firsts for Lacoste, the first conceptual retail execution & the first significant collaboration with a music artist. This approach proved successful in impacting brand perceptions; we saw 78% of social media conversations containing emotions that expressed Joy & Love.