Grindr on why it won’t be repeating its successful live streamed JW Anderson show
Gay hook-up app Grindr won’t be taking another foray in to the world of live fashion streaming despite a successful collaboration with British designer JW Anderson earlier this year, as the platform looks to remain “unexpected”.
The January collaboration with JW Anderson racked up 150,000 views during the first week of its release and generated a swathe of PR for both Grindr and the designer, however the app’s VP marketing Landis Smithers, said it is unlikely a similar live streaming of a fashion show won’t be repeated as Grindr wants to surprise its consumers.
“We are probably not going to do another live stream, we are going to do something else, not just in fashion, but in music or technology… we look for partnerships to come up with that great break through idea,” he said at the Decoded Fashion Summit in London today (17 May), before adding that the fashion world “wasn’t ready” for the collaboration.
“Everyone expected us to come out and do an underwear runway show so we intentionally went to someone who was esteemed. Fashion wasn’t ready for it in some ways, certain modelling agencies turned down Johnathan’s show because they didn’t want their models on Grindr… but Johnathan didn’t flinch. Certain publications were afraid to cover the show and afterwards came scrambling.”
The app, which sees 85 million messages sent every day globally has also worked in the charity sector to provide a messaging service to those in countries such as Syria, where gay relationships are illegal (half of Grindr’s members live in countries where this is the case), to send information about safe houses. “We share a lot of concerns of how to be humane and progress the world at the same time,” added Smithers.