What A Victorian Bathhouse In My Backyard Reveals About the Future of Brand Building

My neighbourhood WhatsApp group is permanently on mute. The endless chat about lost deliveries and misused recycling bins isn’t worth the hourly interruption. Yet, it was there I discovered that skateboarding brand, Palace, were moving in next door.

It wasn’t immediately obvious what the trend-setting streetwear brand were thinking when they moved to Elephant and Castle. And it certainly wasn’t clear what they were planning to do with the late-19th century former public baths that they were moving into. 

Maybe the cue to their ambitions could be found buried in today’s internet culture. Founded in 2009 out of London’s skate scene, Palace has always appreciated the power of community. For years that’s been evident in their mastery of the internet’s hype culture. In many ways, they’ve written the playbook when it comes to attention-grabbing collaborations. Carefully curating a string of hit capsule collections with brands as diverse as Ralph Lauren, Stella Artois and even Elton John. Each drop setting the internet on fire, selling out in minutes online and inspiring an enthusiastic army of teenagers to queue outside their stores, eager to be the first people seen in the latest collection.  

Yet the internet isn’t what it used to be. Even before the proliferation of Gen AI, we were drowning in algorithmic engagement bait. Now that anyone can generate endless amounts of mindless content at little-to-no cost, we’re reaching new heights of inauthenticity and toxicity. So rather than chasing digital reach and engagement in an increasingly dubious world of infinite content, Palace have chosen to do the opposite – they’ve built something real. Something that can’t be faked.

For their latest drop, Palace has chosen to partner with Nike and release the P90 collection, featuring an update to the iconic Nike T90 boot along with tracksuits, t-shirts and hoodies. For once, however, it’s not all about the clothes.  

Manor Place, the Victorian bath house at the end of my road, has now been transformed into a world-class indoor skatepark that mechanically transforms to reveal an underground football cage. Perfectly catering to the significant Venn diagram of footballers and skaters, in one unique space. There is also a residency programme offering six young creatives free studio space, with an exhibition showcase serving as a cultural hub for panel talks, workshops and events.  

More importantly, the new facility is open to the public for free.   

This isn’t a pop-up. This is infrastructure.  

They might not be the first brands to invest in physical community spaces, but this isn’t’ a fresh coat of paint on a neglected basketball court, their ambition and scale takes this strategy to a new level. At a time when third spaces have almost all disappeared, and youth services have been stripped threadbare, this is the kind of infrastructure that people are desperate for. Rather than a generic marketing insight, that’s a genuine human need. Choosing to address these needs is a bold step beyond brand building into truly building community.  

In the short term, the economic reality has got to be a scary number on their balance sheet. Returning a Grade II listed building with heritage protection back into a recreational community centre after 50+ years of neglect, might be poignant, but it was never going to be cheap. In the long run, however, this might just be the only thing that works.  

Palace's co-founder and creative director Lev Tanju calls it "something positive for London – a city that has given us so much", framing Manor Place almost like a CSR initiative. Yet, the teenager who learns to drop in at Manor Place will build memories that last a lifetime. The emerging artist who is offered their first proper studio space might owe their career to Palace x Nike. These aren't digital impressions that you can buy with media spend. You can't generate that kind of value with AI. You have to build it in the real world, brick by brick. 

Building brands that matter 

Palace x Nike’s model suggests a different way to think about brand building. Playing the long game, creating unique experiences that can’t be replicated, and genuinely serving communities. Building an institution and weaving social fabric. Not as a tactic, but as a principle. And from where I'm standing (literally, as a neighbour, looking at the enthusiastic queue outside their building), I can see it working. 

The brands that thrive through the AI era could well be those that invest in the physical world. So while we’re mastering emerging technology and scrambling to drive up our clients’ GEO, we can’t lose sight of real, meaningful and unforgettable human experience.  

I have a feeling that Manor Place will still be serving young Londoners long after every Instagram post and TikTok video has been forgotten. Returning the building to its active social role isn’t nostalgia for a bygone era, it’s simply understanding what works: what endures. That's what AI can't touch. That's worth investing in. 

And yes, that's also worth unmuting the neighbourhood WhatsApp chat for. 

Paul Dazeley is the group head of planning for TMW, part of Accenture Song