What Can TikTok Tell Us About The Fashion Industry?

Dubbed the fastest growing app on the planet, TikTok has changed the game of online discovery. From boomers to Gen Z, we all, at one point, found ourselves infinitely scrolling on the video-sharing app; I mean, how else are we supposed to spend our free time? However, while the world has been taken by storm, with millions of us tuning in to try the latest dance trends or revolutionary hacks, fashion makers have seen another side of the app.

Like Instagram once was, TikTok is now the all-purpose arbiter of what is in and what isn’t. Driving trends in food, music and even weighty subjects like politics, TikTok has become a cultural powerhouse, one that fashion brands and retailers are betting on to drive sales, and it’s easy to see why.

With over a billion users (a possible billion eyeballs to put your product in front of), TikTok is basically the biggest shopping mall in the world. It has undoubtedly changed the way we approach fashion and how we shop it too.

Whether you’re on the app or not, we have all been influenced to buy something via TikTok somehow (#TikTokMadeMeBuyIt is a real thing). In fact, more people are now influenced by TikTok than they are by Instagram, according to research, and for a fashion industry that is still battling uncertainties and a wave of digital transformations in response to the global pandemic, TikTok and its authenticity, unfiltered self-expression and homemade infomercials has become a profitable business. TikTokers move products in a way that Instagram and its ultra-edited and polished take on the fashion industry can’t seem to tap into.

TikTok’s veneer of realness sets it apart from its competitors and makes it the desired platform for fashion upstarts and historied luxury houses. As fashion lovers are taking to the app to discover new trends, get honest reviews of brands and products, and show off their latest purchases, TikTok has fast become the place where brands can live or die. Okay, that’s a little extreme – but do you remember the Chanel scandal that started after an influencer reviewed their advent calendar on TikTok? Yeah, exactly. TikTok has an uncanny ability to create consumer mania, sending fashion products skyrocketing in sales. According to TikTok, over half of its users have been led to purchase via its app, and 33% of Gen Z say they watch less traditional TV since joining the platform.

Fashion TikTok is legit, and luxury fashion houses like Balenciaga, Gucci and Louis Vuitton are taking to the app in a major way. Swapping out glossy magazine photoshoots, fashion-makers are taking to TikTok to give us new collections, runway shows, and take us behind the scenes. For example, The North Face and Gucci’s collaboration. Working with TikTok, the Kering Group-owned house tapped 21-year-old Francis Bourgeois, who took the app by storm with his wholesome trainspotting videos. While not the first of its kind, this collaboration does call out the future of digital activations. As brands seek out younger audiences, TikTok and its fashion-for-all attitude is the key social app to stay relevant.

What makes TikTok a hit is its unpredictability. Unlike its competitors, on TikTok, there’s something for everyone. Even an account with a low follower count can get thousands of views on a video. Size truly doesn’t matter on TikTok.

TikTok has brought a whole new level of inclusivity to the fashion world. With styling tips for disabled people, shining a light on Black fashion, business owners, and models that better reflect society – a move that some brands within the fashion industry are adopting – #FashionTikTok has made it so everyone can take part in fashion. As our favourite brands try to stay ahead of the curve, we’re only going to see more from this space.

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