How a New Breed of Fashion Influencer Found Their Home on TikTok
It was the year 2012. Several industry experts were perplexed as to why a 13-year-old had been asked to cover a fashion show when then-teenage blogger Tavi Gevinson sat in the first row at the Dior show in Paris wearing a big bow on top of her head (let alone block views of the runway). Fashion bloggers were the ones that wore outlandish outfits to fashion shows in the past, before there were influencers, and who commented on current events and trends in the business with the assurance of a career critic. Little chance was given to the blogging moment.
The hot fashion commentary from amateur journalists was rapidly overtaken by influencers. A wave of tiny marketers who were receptive to sponsored relationships replaced a group of tastemakers who intended to democratize fashion. At the decade's conclusion, Gevinson closed Rookie. Man Repeller by Leandra Medine evolved into Repeller before closing down months later. And Bryanboy, one of the first fashion influencers, abandoned his humorous writing in favor of Instagram's glitzier climes.
Over ten years later, TikTok is becoming a place where creators may travel back in time to the days of independent commenters. The platform's spirit is more traditional than one might imagine, despite the fact that some may dismiss it as a melting pot of memes and dance-off videos.
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It overflows with discussions on topics like sustainability, ethics, trends, fashion history, and design that are frequently left out of the traditional influencer landscape, which mostly focuses on carefully selected photographs. In order to encourage their fans to interact with their material in ways other than like, they have swapped #ootd with #trendcycle and #personalstyle.
Of course, TikTok is also crowded with fashion influencers who promote trends, show off hauls, and share their most recent press trips. On the platform, personality moves the algorithm more than a gorgeous filter or sponsorships ever can, a fresh sort of influencer is also developing who acts as a critic rather than a conduit. According to Alexandra Hildreth, a TikTok fashion pundit who goes by the handle @guyfieri.superfan.
It reminds her of the time before influencers when the prominent people were those who had other professions but had something to say. Living in Brooklyn, Hildreth is a full-time project manager for the fashion consultancy and design company Beyond The Mag. It was "embarrassing to have TikTok" when she initially downloaded the app in January 2020, and she didn't decide to start commenting on fashion until a year later.
Since then, she has gained 1.4 million likes and approximately 44,000 followers for her videos, which are full of unvarnished comments on designer collections, trends, sustainability, and style. Since every single one of her TikToks is like her in her pajamas at seven in the morning, Hildreth, whose nom de TikTok is based on a Halloween costume of the platinum-haired chef she once donned, says she can't believe anyone follows her.
TikTok's raw vitality contrasts sharply with Instagram's hyper-examined still life. The majority of the films have the intimate sense of private discussions with a fashion-obsessed bestie. The app's fashion content is less aspirational and polished than that on other platforms, allowing creators to concentrate on content rather than carefully curated fluff. This has also helped niche communities like #Cottagecore, which has received over 6.6 billion views, and #Altgirl, which has received over 1.5 billion views, grow.
The emergence of subcultures is something that excites Agustina Panzoni, an Argentinean TikTok maker who goes by the handle @thealgorythm on the site. There are little trends developing in many subcultures rather than any major ones. Panzoni would be aware. She switched from working at the US trend forecasting company WGSN to creating TikTok videos last year after losing her work permit. Panzoni majored in finance in college before deciding to pursue forecasting after learning about it while visiting Australia Fashion Week.
She has, however, discovered a platform to discuss fashion trends that suits her needs after losing her job. She promised herself, "I'll do it someplace else if I can't do it professionally."The secret ingredient has been bringing her insider expertise in trend forecasting to the app via video series that guide users through fashion trends and their cultural meaning.
TikTok's tagline is "I find stuff you enjoy" here. The reward is significant for Panzoni, who in seven months had amassed over 190,000 followers and over 1 million likes, and who saw her follower count increase to 100,000 in her first week. Despite having such a large following, Panzoni does not want to rely on it for a living.
"Influencer marketing is so saturated that at this moment we are utilizing this as a platform to push us professionally," she says. Instead, the TikTokerati's thirst for unfiltered, strongly held opinions, and frequently humorous content inspires her to keep producing videos.
The independence from brands or affiliate marketing networks that these producers uphold now sets them apart from the majority of other fashion designers out there. Hildreth adds, "Hey, if a company I truly admired, like Marc Jacobs or Prada, reached out to me, clearly you're not going to say no." But in terms of working as an influencer full-time. A. J. Krakovsky concurs.
Each video begins with this remark from Krakovsky before moving onto his unfiltered comments about anything from the Kardashians to why Selena Gomez is "underrated" and why Anna Wintour and American Vogue "get on my nerves." Krakovsky began using TikTok in November 2020 after posting recordings of his unpleasant modeling experiences. Since then, he's gained more than 5.2 million likes and over 120,000 new followers on the network.
But even before he joined TikTok, he was a fan of fashion critics, especially those who were upending the conventional critic model, like Luke Meagher from the YouTube channel Haute LeMode. He claims, "I'm drawn to those that 100% keep it authentic." "Those who do something even though they know they could be in trouble for it."
Krakovsky claims he is not interested in limiting his thoughts in order to cooperate with businesses, despite the fact that he could easily make money from his followers. He has really approached a few fashion brands, but they have turned him down because "they believe my stuff to be provocative."
TikTok gives creators the skill and shameless confidence to express anything they want in a field where access and connections govern.