Trends, fashion and Gen Z. The common denominator? TikTok. Landing in 2016, the Chinese platform has since revolutionized the way we chronicle our days, and especially fashion.

Several trends have depopulated on social reaching millions of users and causing real micro-revolutions. And fashion, thus, has been influenced by them.

But have high fashion brands followed this trend?
Some have, riding the phenomenon and attracting millions of followers. Indeed, in this way, luxury can reach a young and dynamic target audience, gaining huge resonance on Gen Z. First among them is Louis Vuitton with 3.4 million followers accompanied by Balenciaga with 2.5. Italy remains on the podium with Gucci, which along with Dior, has 2.2 million followers. Other big names, however, are missing from the roll call such as Chanel and Bottega Veneta.

So, what is the impact TikTok has had on the way fashion is told today?
The power on the Chinese platform shifts to the consumer. The phenomena that take hold on social arise from trends and hashtags featured in videos that climb the views and spread like wildfire. And brands, then, agree to take part in this social challenge and land on the platform to make consumers share their know-how.  

And how do they communicate? There are multiple strategies used by fashion bigwigs on TikTok. If product presentations remain the protagonists of almost all profiles, the approaches taken by brands can vary: as in the case of Louis Vuitton, with almost 3D videos with a futuristic approach, or that of Gucci, with passages of working on a garment. Balenciaga follows its own inherent philosophy and essence on the platform, offering dystopian videos with avant-garde characters that glue the user to the screen in order to provoke them. Designers such as Simon Porte and Olivier Rousteing describe creative processes, while other brands parade on TikTok to intercept prospective buyers. In short, luxury brands get off the pedestal and embrace trends by accessing a potentially infinite audience.

To be able to understand how the TikTok algorithm and social media communication works at the dawn of 2022, we have created a real workshop for you. The second edition of “A Touch of Social” in collaboration with Ida Galati, will take place on October 15 and 16 at Bar Studios in Milan with industry professionals ready to reveal to you the secrets of today’s digital channels. Are you among us?

Read the program here and write to us to get more information!
Ah! … And follow us on TikTok!

by Giorgia Dallasio
16th Settembre, 2022