LET’S GET OUR PROM ON
Celebrating Prom Season 2023 style
You only get one senior prom, one of your last chances to celebrate with your friends and classmates. Across the nation, preparations are underway in various ways to help young people safely celebrate and put “Prom” front and center in the last moments of the high school experience. This year, Gen Z continues to break down stereotypes, opening up Prom to students of all abilities, gender identities, and sexual orientations. Showcasing sustainable, ethical, and reclaimed fashion thanks to local Prom Projects highlighting once again how Gen Z is just being, well, Zs. With the PROMise of our #FYPs set to blow up with tags of #promposal2023, #prom, and #GRWM videos leading up to the grand entrance on a special evening, let's look at how brands are playing in the Prom space with some other ‘prom projects’ that have caught our eye so far this year.
PROM YOUR WAY
Celebrating Prom Season with a new campaign tapping into the emotional aspect of celebrating prom with friends, Men’s Wearhouse released its tech-forward Prom Your Way campaign and included a digital hub for high school students to start their fitting experience utilizing Snap’s Magic Mirror solution to provide an interactive shopping experience. The mirror uses AR to enable shoppers to try on clothes and accessories before buying them and share imagery with their peers. The fit technology embedded in the mirror allows for shoppers to see how clothes will look and visually moves on the customer to give them the feeling that the experience is realistic and personalized.
— Kelsey, 17, NY (Cassandra Collective)
SAY YES TO THE PROM
Earlier this year, the Say Yes to Prom program sponsored by Macy's and Warner Bros returned, providing 1,000 deserving students nationwide with the perfect prom look and ultimate prom shopping experience. What initially began as a prom dress donation drive and outreach event in 2011 has since evolved into a nationwide initiative designed to go beyond the dress to prepare students for college and careers; the program also features scholarship, internship, and mentorship opportunities as part of educational and youth workforce partnerships with the Emma Bowen Foundation, The Posse Foundation, and the T. Howard Foundation.
— Divine, 17, IL (Cassandra Collective)
PROM PACT
Never one to miss a zeitgeisty moment, Disney's newest 80s nostalgia-driven "prom-com," Prom Pact, hones in on high school senior Mandy Yang, who, rather than receive her very own promposal, is looking for a different offer of sorts - accepting a place at Harvard. When Mandy finds out she is on the waitlist, she is determined to do whatever to get herself accepted, even if that means asking for help from the person she despises. Incorporating references from well-known films from that same period, like Dirty Dancing, The Breakfast Club, and Back to the Future, the movie has taken the internet by storm, entering the #prompact discourse on TikTok, for its nostalgic, romantic feels and use of classic tropes.