Whether you love or loather TikTok, the app has become inevitable this year.
It felt like it was just yesterday when influencers and fashion bloggers dominated the fashion industry, influencing their viewers with the most prominent trends and informing us of the latest industry happenings. But now, it seems like the bloggers hardly have a chance.
The renowned platform has become a space where creators are skyrocketing their careers and becoming well-known from the app. Despite the fact that there was a possibility that the application was going to be banned in the U.S. earlier this year, TikTok now has over 100 million users in the U.S. alone.
@babybella777 I did this is in one take did I do it right xx @lilmami_lani @erinparsonsmakeup I love you guys out there this app rocks I love watching U all👋🏼❤️
While some might write off the platform as meme-worthy and for entertainment purposes only, it has trendsetters like Bella Hadid joining the platform and posting videos. Along with luxury fashion houses, including Louis Vuitton and Saint Laurent, hosting live-stream runway shows viewed more than 3 million times by more than 800,000 viewers. In addition, models, designers and emerging creatives have been discovered through their videos. It has brimmed the conversation on sustainability, trends and fashion history, inviting its audience to engage with its content beyond the likes.
TikTok became a source of self-expression during lockdown. Even though it floods our feed with dance challenges and personal style videos, the platform has skyrocketed the careers of many. Take Addison Rae or Noah Beck, for example, the two have millions of followers and began their journey posting videos as a form of self-expression, and now we see them at the forefront of fashion week. We’ve spotted Noah Beck sitting front and centre during New York Fashion Week at Coach, Moschino and many more, along with Addison Rae dressed in head-to-toe Versace while attending its spring-summer 2022 runway collection in Milan. Now, if that doesn’t sound like an impactful platform, I don’t know what will.
@addisonre @versace 💗💗💖💘💓💓💖💘
The rise of this social network has given birth to a new generation of influencers in which designers are finding a certain appeal to their authentic content compared to many other social networks. TikTok has proven to bring the fashion industry closer to the millennials and Gen Z’s of our time, which surprisingly has grown a number of high fashion brands sales – leading labels to understand that the fasted way to reach their potential consumer is through TikTok stars (I know, it’s wild.)
One of TikTok’s youngest stars, Charli D’Amelio, who currently has 125.2 million followers, has collaborated with brands like Dunkin Donuts, Prada, Morphie 2 and many more. The fashion industry has become intrigued with unfiltered content rather than perfectly composted content. It goes beyond the outfits and into the creatives expression. Surprisingly, it has become a place of joy (aside from the fact that it can feel like a black hole at times), giving its consumers, hi – us, loads of inspiration.
@charlidamelio behind the scenes with my 🧡@dunkin. grab the charlidunkinremix! #ad
TikTok has changed the fashion game not only with it’s stars attending fashion week and being dressed by renowned designers, but models are now being scouted through the app. We’ve seen some of the most prominent modelling agencies, scouting new faces from TikTok. Even fashion brands are being born through the app, especially sustainability-driven labels, where they share their behind the scenes and upcycle process. And last but not least, whether they know it or not, many creators on the platform have set global fashion trends from the shocking Y2K fashion to creators living in the 2000s era, which has created a ripple effect in the fashion industry. We have seen an increasing appetite for trends and unique styling, but if there’s anything we’ve learned, the fashion industry is watching closely and taking note of what’s trending on TikTok. While no one can say for certain how far the app can take the fashion industry, it’s clear that the two make a good match… for now.
