TikTok, the social network most loved by Gen Z is democratizing fashion. Here because

There are those who sign up and discover a boomersthere are those who experiment and find themselves a valid creator. The streets of TikTok they are infiniteyes, also relatively and exclusively to the fashion system. And while millennials and Gen Z demonstrate that they increasingly have the right mindset to be successful, we can only feel intrigued by the fresh and authentic language of a social platform that is rewriting the codes and rules of today’s communication.

It just proves it fashion, which in TikTok has seen an ally to dialogue with the new generations, in a completely different and innovative way. Informing, entertaining and promoting the excellence of Made in Italy.

Proof of all this is the collaboration between TikTok and the National Chamber of Italian Fashion which, for the second season, have renewed the partnership that will guide users to discover #ItalianFashion (which has 731.3 million views) not so much from the front row of the fashion shows as directly from the very exclusive #DietroLeQuinte (3.1 million million views). We have already revealed the hashtags to follow the fashion week shows, it remains now to discover all the rest (which is no small thing).

Starting with how much TikTok has proven to be a fertile ground for fashion, for those who work in it and for those who see it only as a game. Of this phenomenon – which embraces storytelling, virality, trends and aesthetics – we talked about it with Laura Milani, responsible for luxury and Made in Italy in TikTok.

How do you recognize a fashion trend on TikTok?
«Fashion has now hyperpenetrated on TikTok, it registers enormous volumes. A fashion trend is therefore recognized when one realizes that it has a strong representation on the social platform, and that perhaps it is also indexed with the hashtag #fashion. Even Italian fashion, which responds to the hashtag #ItalianFashion, is a trend that has grown a lot, specifically by seven times in the space of a semester. We can find it on content indexed by anyone who wants to be found: brands, public figures, users. The Ambassador of Made in Italy is the Camera Nazionale della Moda Italiana, which has renewed its partnership with TikTok in view of the next Milan Fashion Week: the challenge is to tell the #BehindTheBackground through the voice of the brands».

TikTok deserves credit for having created the #core aesthetics, viral individually and as a general phenomenon: what is responsible for so much success?
«All keywords allow you to personalize, or rather “TikTokize” fashion trends. Aesthetics ending in -core are further subsets of information that allow us to view fashion through an even more special lens. The same niche to which it refers thus becomes a trend, it is addressed with a fresh, authentic language that makes that content likeable. With in-core aesthetics, it is the way the story is told that makes the content new, but the content itself is not».

Speaking of virality: what does it have to be a fashion trend to truly attract TikTokers?
«Spontaneous, genuine: these are the most relevant words. Fashion is sophisticated, but to work on TikTok it needs to be made genuine, only so TikTok can rewrite its codes. There are people who use other means to stay informed but, when it comes to TikTok, the reason is another: they want to entertain themselves, see fashion weeks from a different perspective, discover street style looks, be and feel involved. So the role of creators is also very important: they are called to adopt a fresh language that can dialogue with users. I feel compelled to cite as a successful case study that of fashion journalist Letizia Schätzinger, on TikTok as @letizianews: she is not an exponent of Gen Z, but she reveals the role of those who work behind the scenes of the system fashion, informing spontaneously. A successful way to talk about fashion without filters».

The TikTok profile of a fashion house versus that of a TikToker: which storytelling is more appreciated by users?
«It is a very difficult question because in reality there is no real distinction. When even a fashion house opens its doors and speaks sincerely, revealing the behind the scenes, the unseen, and telling itself in a language similar to our mood… then there is no longer any difference. TikToker or fashion house, a creator is a creator. A valid example is the Valentino fashion house, which has codes on the platform that are very close to those of TikTok: this allows the brand to be perceived as a creator. And its success is built around this perception».

To bring fashion closer to users, what values ​​should storytelling focus on?
«It is the experimentation that helps to understand it. We need to understand for each brand or professional what the winning formula is. Signals on the platform, however, are the hashtag #DietroLeQuinte with billions of views, volumes are always positive signals. Then there is also the know-how of the maisons, in turn told in simple language that brings the public closer. #LearnWithTikTok is another hashtag that has an educational tinge, for example, and is very popular with the public.”

The #shopping hashtag surpassed nearly 390 million. But in the end does TikTok really have an impact on our purchasing choices?
«It is a very delicate terrain, it would be presumptuous to say that thanks to TikTok we sell more. However, we must not forget that TikTok reaches one billion people (they are active users per month, ed), the public is large and within it there are also those who have purchasing power. Then there is the desire to discover projects and products, for example the hashtag #TikTokMadeMeBuyIt. TikTok accompanies the consumer’s purchase journey in his daily life, regardless of whether one day or in the future it can be translated into a purchase or not”.