Tik Tok and its impact on fashion and consumer trends

Until a few years ago, fashion was dictated by stylists. Fashion addicts, or even those who just wanted to show off a trendy look, could learn about the next season's trends by browsing fashion magazines or - for the luckiest ones - by attending fashion shows. There weren't many sources of inspiration for fashion: it was mostly a matter of re-proposing styles that were in vogue during a previous season.

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 of being temporary. The top model Heidi Klum, a few years ago, declared that in fashion “one day you are in and the next day you are out”. And this applies to the entire industry, including the much sought-after one of models.

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.

In contrast to Tik Tok influencers, large fashion companies do not have the flexibility to chase the trend of the last week, both in terms of production and marketing. Instead, it is the smaller companies that are able to quickly set up production or source models without too long and complex procedures, that follow the pace.

And here's the issue of sustainability: if speed must also rhyme with low costs, the brands that manage to ride the wave are the same names known for not being particularly attentive to the issue of sustainability. Brands like Shein manage to offer from 700 to 1.000 new styles a day, with an effect on production that lowers quality, sustainability and therefore also 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.