Simon And Refinery29 Elevate The Millennial Shopping Experience With A Music Festival At The Mall

The Retailer And Digital Media Company Present Style Festival, A Multi-City Shopping Experience Rooted In Entertainment

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Jun 16, 2015, 08:00 ET

INDIANAPOLIS and NEW YORK, June 16, 2015 /PRNewswire/ -- Today, Simon and Refinery29 announced Style Festival, a six-city nationwide tour that will transform mall shopping into a summer festival experience with fashion "stages," beauty bars, and live musical performances.

This is the second year of collaboration between the two brands, which launched their partnership in Fall 2014 with The Shopping Block. Style Festival will highlight the joy of fashion, discovery, and community, bringing Refinery29 - the leading lifestyle digital media company for millennial women - to life in the world of retail, and giving mall shoppers new ways to shop major brands alongside local, emerging designers.

Style Festival takes inspiration from the music festival culture that has become a millennial rite of passage. The interactive Style Festival will feature a headlining performer at each stop, and custom activities that capitalize on shoppers' desire to create their own individual style and discover local talent.

70% of millennial women view shopping as a form of entertainment¹. As such, Simon and Refinery29 are creating unique entertainment destinations by bringing together the best in music, national brands, independent designers, and do it yourself (DIY) experiences to surprise and delight shoppers with an entirely new mall experience. Each event will include:

"Sound Stage" Musical Performances: Music is the newest element to the Refinery29 and Simon collaboration that seeks to merge shopping and entertainment. Style Festival attendees will have the unique experience of discovering emerging musical artists — from top headlining acts to the coolest DJs — in a more intimate setting than a stadium or concert hall. Musical acts include: MS MR, Twin Shadow, Austra, Cults, and more to come.
"Style Stage" Indie Boutiques & National Brands: Refinery29 and Simon have invited their favorite independent boutiques and retailers to participate in Style Festival, creating an interplay between local, breaking talent and popular national retail brands, all within the mall landscape. This shoppable "stage" will be inspired by summer's trends curated by Refinery29 editors, such as "Jean Scene" and "Fringed Benefits," and feature select items from local boutiques such as Style Mafia, Bear Cat Vintage, Beehive, I Shine 365, Supra Endura, and Violet Boutique.
"Beauty Stage" Beauty Bars: Style Festival will have a beauty team on hand at pop-up beauty bars to give shoppers festival-inspired hair trends that have been selected by Refinery29 editors. Festivalgoers will also have the opportunity to select from a range of metallic, jewelry-inspired temporary tattoos at the pop-up tattoo parlor.
"DIY Stage:" Guests of the Style Festival can personalize custom band-inspired tour tees, taking home a keepsake souvenir from the experience.

Event locations and dates:

Brea Mall — Brea, CA, 6/20
The Domain — Austin, TX, 6/27
Dadeland Mall — Miami, FL, 7/11
King of Prussia Mall — King of Prussia, PA, 7/25
Burlington Mall — Burlington, MA, 8/1
The Fashion Centre at Pentagon City — Washington, DC, 8/8

"In this second year of collaborating, Refinery29 and Simon continue to seek out ways to appeal to the style preferences, tastes and sense of individualism that defines the millennial shopper," said Chidi Achara, Global Creative Director for Simon. "Events like Style Festival are helping to redefine the shopping center experience in new, modern and innovative ways."

Style Festival will extend digitally through editorial posts on Refinery29.com, including a photo series that focuses on street style at each event. The events will be supported through high-impact media on Refinery29.com, promotions on Refinery29 and Simon social channels, and www.simon.com/r29stylefestival, a dedicated micro-site hosted by Simon. Additionally, shoppers are encouraged to share their Style Festival experiences and discoveries using the hashtags #R29StyleFestival and #FoundAtSimon.

"Following the success of last year's partnership with Simon, we worked to create an even more engaging shopping experience that adds a new layer of entertainment to activations our audience loves, like beauty bars, DIY projects, and curated local finds," said Piera Gelardi, Creative Director, Refinery29. "This generation is crazy about all things festival culture and it's one of Refinery29's most popular content areas throughout the spring and summer. Style Festival will surprise shoppers by turning a trip to the mall into a super-rad, creative, and sharable event."

Also new this year, the Simon partnership extends into Refinery29 Originals, the company's video arm. Simon will be integrated into two series: "Split Second Style" and "Trend Takeout;" producing a total of eight episodes that will air exclusively on Refinery29's digital channels.

About Simon
Simon is a global leader in retail real estate ownership, management, and development, and a S&P100 company (Simon Property Group, NYSE: SPG). Our industry-leading retail properties and investments across North America, Europe, and Asia provide shopping experiences for millions of consumers every day and generate billions in annual retail sales. For more information, visit www.simon.com.

About Refinery29
Refinery29 is a digital media company for a new generation of women with a loyal following of over 25 million monthly. Through exclusive lifestyle stories, original video programming, and social, shareable content across all platforms, Refinery29 provides its audience with the inspiration and tools to discover and pursue a more independent, stylish, and informed life. Please visit www.refinery29.com to for more information and to browse content.

Source: 1. Generation Y: Shopping and Entertainment In The Digital Age, Urban Land Institute summer 2013

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