2023-10-26 16:51:39
Impossible to escape it. Since the Chinese network has been at the forefront of influence, stars with thousands of subscribers have infiltrated runways and other fashion podiums. Decryption.
This season, New York Fashion Week was certainly one of the most unsuccessful we have ever seen. Although rarely glorious, it was marked by a number of embarrassing missteps. On Saturday, a Tiktoker known only for being an Ariana Grande lookalike struggled to make it back and forth on the runway, on Monday a guy wearing a plastic shower curtain hit the inlay before being expelled by security , while on Wednesday, a comedian wearing angel wings faked a fall in the middle of a parade. In a TikTok video that went viral a few days after the end of the festivities, a certain Danny (nearly 280,000 subscribers) explains that the problems started when we had the idea of replacing the models with influencers… the height of it!
For several years, content creators on social networks have gradually conquered the upper echelons of the fashion industry. Sitting in the front row of the biggest fashion shows, invited on maxi-budget trips for the release of each new product or gifted throughout the year – although forced to mention it since law no. 2023-451 of June –, we have also found them on the catwalks in recent fashion weeks.
CHEAP SPOKESPERSON
Last year in Paris, Wisdom Kaye (“the best dressed man on TikTok” according to Vogue) walked for the house of Balmain. In London this season, it was Sabrina Bahsoon, aka TubeGirl, TikTok sensation since her video where she dances in a subway train (photo opposite, editor’s note), who walked the runway of the Canadian cosmetics brand MAC. Formerly considered as cheap spokespersons for products with a mainly commercial scope, influencers today seem to be valued in the same way as the most influential professionals in the sector.
Want to democratize a sector considered elitist or need to revive creativity that is running out of steam? In the space that the platform dedicates to professionals, the latter headlines a press release: TikTok creators are taking Fashion Weeks by storm and revealing future fashion trends… it’s difficult to make things clearer. Thus, every day, “more than 1 billion users […] are inspired by the trends discovered on the platform”, which therefore represents 1/8 of the world’s population in terms of potential customers for companies. TikTok also offers brands the opportunity to connect “to a wider audience”, which above all means younger, because in France, 72% of users are under 24 years old.
Going further, we come across a study conducted by the consulting company Material in 2021 which states that “TikTok users looking for “fashion” content are more likely (compared to users of other platforms, editor’s note) to discover new brands and new products on the platform. It is therefore the well-established algorithm which is highlighted here. Same algorithm against which the EU this summer established the Digital Service Act allowing Internet users to deactivate hyper-targeted content.
In addition, this year TikTok is directly joining forces with the Fédération de la Haute Couture et de la Mode – coordinator of Fashion Week in Paris –, but also with that of Milan, Copenhagen or London for an operation entitled #TikTokFashionCollective, during which of the influencers will use the platform to share videos about the different fashion weeks. Today models, trendsetters and quasi-journalists, what will be the next step? A collection designed by a Tiktoker?
By Anna Prudhomme
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#TikTokers #monopolize #parades