Photo: Courtesy of Pacha Group Save Story Save this story Save Story Save this story On a balmy evening in July, the cobbled streets of historic Ibizan neighborhood Dalt Villa began to look more Berliner than Balearic. Streams of cool kids dressed in all-black tank tops, slip dresses and leather pants crammed into the old town, sipping cocktails as DJs slid faders. Only a few flyposters gave away that this wasn’t an impromptu street party, as did a stone facade carved with the text: “YSL Beauty.” The club-inspired event was part of the brand’s “Block Party” series, which has seen the house take over cafes and squares in cities including Marseille, Jakarta and Madrid.
It follows in the footsteps of other branded parties and hangouts on the island. This summer, Casablanca has been on tour across La Isla Blanca, continuing a long-running events series with Solid Grooves at airport-adjacent hangar DC-10 and taking over Six Senses’ beach with a more laid-back pop-up. “For me, Ibiza will always be more than a destination. It’s a place where fashion, music, design and culture naturally come together, making it the perfect setting for the Casablanca world,” says Casablanca founder Charaf Tajer. Armani Exchange, meanwhile, has been bunkering down at Ibiza’s Amnesia club for a series of Sunday parties. “It shows how fashion can become an authentic part of club culture,” says Beatriz Murillo, Amnesia’s marketing manager.
Casablanca took over Six Senses’s beach, opening a pop-up with a chill-out space, a detox smoothie menu and laid-back DJ sessions.
Of course, a fashion brand heading to Ibiza is nothing new — for decades, designers have leant into the wellness and culinary scenes of the island, with branded beach clubs and flashy influencer trips. Nor is throwing a sponsored party (see: almost every fashion activation, ever). But it’s fair to say that stepping into the rave scene has always been met with trepidation, a possible nightmare for brand safety officers.
But if brands can successfully attach themselves to DJs with die-hard fans and club nights full of young clubbers looking to amp up their wardrobes, there’s more than just clout on offer — there’s the chance of a serious afterglow. “Experiential activations are fast becoming the best way to access consumers, and few things are more impactful than a truly transcendent night on the dance floor,” says youth culture journalist, model and party girl Bee Beardsworth .
Gen Z are increasingly searching for this transcendence, looking to escape from the permacrisis that’s pervading reality. Many have caught up to their older siblings’ partying ways; almost seven in 10 (68%) 23-year-olds reported binge drinking in the past year , while nearly a third (29%) said they did so at least monthly, up from 10% at age 17. “Gen Z are guided by wellbeing, but they’re increasingly aware of the traps of perfectionist wellness, and they’re looking to inject more pleasure into their leisure time,” says Annie Corser, senior trends editor, pop culture and media at Stylus.
But there’s also a sober curious group to cater for; it’s why the Milan edition of YSL Beauty’s Block Party was teetotal, reflecting a desire to enjoy banging beats without the equally banging headaches the next day. Similarly, while Casablanca’s DC-10 series, which has run since 2024, is not a sober affair, Casablanca’s Six Senses soiree focused on detox smoothies, not boozy cocktails. “We wanted to create a destination where celebration a…