A growing number of brands outside of traditional clothing retailers are competing for attention this year: Raising Cane’s staged its own Fashion Week with looks inspired by its fast casual menu, Panera sold limited-edition insulated clutches that promise to keep your food warm, and Amtrak has recruited fashion students to design track suits.

To promote its new NextGen Acela fleet, Amtrak invited students from New York School of Design to compete in a competition to produce “Trak Suits” in two categories: one couture look and one ready-to-wear for consumer purchase.

“The whole point is not only to engage our existing customer base, but to attract younger travelers,” said Jessica Davidson, vice president of digital and brand management at Amtrak, “and these designers are those travelers.”

Beyond creating an appealing style, students were tasked with creating something “trending yet timeless” with a clear tie to the brand, said Davidson.

Amtrak has crossed category lines with its marketing before. Last year, the brand partnered with clothing rental service Nuuly on a social series that tied Amtrak to fashion, with language like “wear loud outfits in the quiet car,” and “Dressing up for the Amtrak commute, and the Amtrak commute only.”

Building campus connections

Instead of generic efforts to reach Gen Z, brands are now taking a more concentrated approach by building relationships within campus communities.

• Bath & Body Works expanded into over 600 campuses this season, Chipotle partnered with Urban Outfitters to launch a line around its college rewards program, and brands like Pacsun are pushing campus popups with curated looks.

Amtrak aimed to go behind simply connecting with students, and rather use their expertise to shape the campaign.

“Given their roles as fashion students, many just had their finger on the pulse of pop culture trends, and some are very involved in the social landscape,” said Davidson of the students who took part in their competition.

Considering long-term value

Instead of taking a traditional creator-first approach to the train launch, Amtrak is using the track suit photo shoots for its own social and website content, extending the campaign beyond the initial rollout.

Designers and models were the talent for this campaign, and while Amtrak has only confirmed it will sell a limited supply of its ready-to-wear look, the value for Amtrak spans beyond immediate conversion.

That reflects a broader shift: Brands recognize that social partnerships don’t always translate to instant sales but can still drive meaningful value over time.

• 56% of social users who made a creator-driven purchase did so through a platform’s shopping feature like TikTok Shop, 41% through a brand or retailer link, and 17% made a purchase later, according to a March 2025 impact.com and EMARKETER survey.

The path to purchase extends beyond a single post and supports Amtrak’s focus on shareable, persistent content.

“Our golden metric on social is the share,” said Davidson, giving the brand room for growth. “We really want to reach new audiences and capture the intention of new riders.”

This was originally featured in the EMARKETER Daily newsletter. For more marketing insights, statistics, and trends, subscribe here.