.png)
Duolingo turns mispronounced designer names into a phonetic fashion collection for NYFW
Key Takeaways
Duolingo partnered with designer Megan O’Cain to create a seven-piece capsule collection inspired by commonly mispronounced fashion labels.
The designs reinterpret familiar tailoring, sportswear and accessories using phonetic spellings of names including Hermès, Loewe and Givenchy.
The campaign is supported by YouGov research revealing that 62% of Americans felt confident pronouncing Hermès, but only 15% selected the correct pronunciation.
The collection will be displayed at a two-day New York Fashion Week pop-up where visitors can bid their Duolingo streaks for the chance to take home a piece.
Fashion fans might instantly recognise a Loewe bag or Hermès scarf, but knowing how to pronounce the name is apparently a very different matter.
Duolingo has used that gap as the inspiration for a new phonetic fashion collection created with designer Megan O’Cain, who appeared on the second season of Netflix’s Next in Fashion. Launched around New York Fashion Week, the seven-piece capsule reworks recognisable fashion silhouettes with phonetic versions of designer names, turning pronunciation lessons into clothes and accessories people can wear.
The collection will be displayed at a two-day pop-up at Null Object in Manhattan on 9 and 10 September, where visitors can explore interactive experiences and bid for the pieces using their Duolingo streaks instead of money. Alongside the event, the campaign is appearing across social media and out-of-home advertising, bringing the phonetic designs into New York during one of the biggest moments in the fashion calendar.
How Duolingo turned commonly mispronounced fashion names into a seven-piece collection
The concept began with a familiar problem, that many people may recognise a fashion label immediately, but they still hesitate when asked to say its name aloud. Instead of creating another pronunciation guide, Duolingo worked with O’Cain to turn those names into physical designs that encourage people to look more closely and decode the references.
Across the collection, classic tailoring, sportswear and accessories have been reinterpreted using the phonetic spellings of fashion houses including Hermès, Jacquemus, Issey Miyake, Givenchy, Comme des Garçons and Loewe. To support the campaign, O’Cain drew on familiar silhouettes and design details before adding the pronunciation through embroidery, distressing, 3D printing and puff paint. O’Cain explained that she wanted people to be drawn towards the clothes before looking more closely, recognising the references and working out the spellings for themselves.
How YouGov data gave Duolingo a reason to enter the Fashion Week conversation
The campaign is supported by research commissioned by Duolingo and YouGov among more than 2,600 people, which explored how confidently Americans pronounce well-known designer names. Although 62% believed they could say Hermès correctly, only 15% selected the correct French pronunciation, revealing a considerable difference between confidence and accuracy.
Other names also caused uncertainty, with 62% saying they weren’t confident pronouncing Jacquemus, followed by Issey Miyake at 60%, Comme des Garçons at 58% and Loewe at 55%. Hermès produced one of the clearest misconceptions, as 46% believed the name began with a spoken “H”.
The timing of this being around NYFW also allows Duolingo to speak to an audience already discussing collections, designers and runway shows online. As people share their favourite looks and debate what they have seen, the campaign introduces pronunciation as another part of understanding and participating in fashion.
Why The PR Insider loves it
What we really like about this campaign is that Duolingo has taken a conversation that already happens regularly online and turned it into something much bigger. Whenever someone posts a video mentioning a brand such as Hermès, Loewe or Jacquemus, the comments often fill with people debating or correcting the pronunciation, showing that there is already plenty of curiosity around how these names are actually said.
The YouGov research gives Duolingo the data to demonstrate just how common that confusion is, but the brand hasn’t simply published the findings alongside another pronunciation guide. Instead, it has turned them into a playful fashion collection that asks people to decode the names for themselves, while the pop-up and streak-bidding mechanic create a natural link back to the app. It challenges how confidently we pronounce familiar names, makes the lesson feel fun and gives Duolingo a credible reason to appear at New York Fashion Week without moving away from what the brand actually does.
SOURCES
Comments