Tik Tok and its impact on fashion and consumer trends

Until a few years ago, fashion designers dictated the trends. Fashion addicts, or even those simply wanting to show off a trendy look, could learn about the next season's trends by browsing fashion magazines or—for the lucky ones—by attending fashion shows. Fashion inspiration wasn't extensive: it mostly involved reviving styles that were popular from previous seasons.

Today things have been turned upside down, because fashion trends run on the Internet. We used the term "run" because it is a real chase of styles, which come from the most disparate inspirations. From the world of casinos such as xonbet, from which the glamorous style of sequins and metallic fabrics was taken, to the typical college look, with its practical and oversized models.

This speed of turnover is the result of the way styles are chosen and spread: through social media, of which Tik Tok is the most relevant example.

Tik Tok Fashion Influencers and Micro-Trends

When we talk about Tik Tok and trends, we are referring above all to influencers. A phenomenon that, at its root, has always existed through testimonials that advertised products and/or services, but which today has reached enormous dimensions with social media. Also thanks to the ease with which anyone can dictate the trend of the moment, given that all you need is a social media account and an adequate number of followers, and it's done.

However, when the ease of entering a field is high, representing a true democratization of the sector, it is normal that there are many actors on stage. However enormous, even the Tik Tok stage has its limits: the consequence is a succession of fashions, trends and influencers. Those who were considered "hot" yesterday are today barely remembered by the most loyal and replaced by the new entries of the moment.

The ease with which new trends are dictated exacerbates what is a typical tendency of fashion: the fact that it is temporary.

Microtrends: A phenomenon inaugurated by Tik Tok

Since the Covid-19 pandemic, Tik Tok has seen a surge in popularity. At a time when the Internet was the only access to the barred world, fashion also began to flow on this channel. Even brands such as Gucci have entered Tik Tok, taking advantage of a characteristic aspect of its videos: brevity.

Unlike channels like YouTube, with generally longer videos and suitable for different types of content, and Instagram, more suitable for static content such as photos, posts and images, Tik Tok beats the clock. The maximum duration of a video is 3 minutes, during which the audience's attention remains alive and it is easier for the Tik Toker to give suggestions in a direct and particularly suggestive way.

The direct effect of this approach has been the creation of the so-called “microtrends” which, as the name suggests, refer to trends of particularly short duration. If fashion has a life cycle of at least one season, microtrends can also have a duration of 1-2 months. There are two direct consequences of microtrends:

1. The definition of companies that can keep up with rapid pace;
2. Sustainability issues.

Unlike TikTok influencers, large fashion companies lack the flexibility to catch up with the latest trends, both in terms of production and marketing. Instead, it's the smaller companies that can quickly set up production or source styles without lengthy and complex procedures that are keeping pace.

And here's the issue of sustainability: if speed must also go hand in hand with low costs, the brands that manage to ride the wave are the same brands known for not paying particular attention to sustainability. Brands like Shein can offer 700 to 1.000 new styles a day, impacting production and lowering quality, sustainability, and therefore costs.

There is also a back and forth from this point of view, however: given the ever-increasing sensitivity to the topic, several influencers have begun to propose a less hit-and-run and more long-term, and therefore sustainable, fashion.