And for Chabbi, it opens up an important dialogue, rather than top-down reporting. “I have so many people who are like that, I don’t agree with what you’re saying. That’s fine, but at least it’s human to human. It’s an open conversation, and not a one-way magazine-to-person conversation, for example.”
Working with the next generation of fashion commentators
Content-rich social media reviews can have benefits for brands. “While styling can be easy to see and jump through quickly, journalistic content requires more engagement from the audience – – leading to longer video watch times,” says Rob Jewell, head of growth at Power Digital, a growing technology marketing firm. “Story-centric content ultimately helps generate more brand recall,” he adds.
TikTokers like Lee are keen to move beyond the way brands traditionally work with fashion commentators – the “here’s a product go buy it” model. For this SS23 season, she is turning her content into a more editorial video series, rather than her more typical green-screen videos, to differentiate herself from the growing community of critics on social media and potentially attract partners brand new.
“The success of influencers like Lee is a clear indication that brands need to offer influencers/creators more than just product –– bringing them into the behind-the-scenes moments, how the products are made, the story and how people experience it their brand –– to make them a pleasure to work with,” says Jewell.
Brands can also harness the power of fashion critics as consultants, using their depth of knowledge to educate and inform strategy, says Karassoulis. Phin, for example, now consults for companies such as fashion tech app Idoru.
Critic and commentator coverage often refers to talents like Hildreth and Lee as “fashion outsiders”. However, most critics have industry experience and connections. “I never want it to be insider versus outsider, because what does that mean?” says Lee. “I think using the terms and thinking of TikTokers as outsiders is elitist. The platforms are powerful, and even if I’m not working at Hearst or Condé Nast, I know they’re listening.” (Business Vogue is owned by Condé Nast.)
Hildreth has now started working for paper magazine on a freelance basis during NYFW as a writer, which she will do in addition to posting her commentary. For her, it was always her ambition to use TikTok content as a springboard to traditional media. “I definitely don’t want to be controlled by sponsorships and stuff like that and not be able to say what I want to say,” she says. “But on the other hand, there’s a power that comes with having a journal stored behind you.”
Chabbi, on the other hand, believes in the power of the individual. “There have been fashion commentators before us. And there have been platforms that talk to people about fashion, like Diet Prada. But I feel like today, we’re held to a level of responsibility where people want to see your name, your face, and your thoughts. People want to be able to determine who is behind these thoughts and contextualize them.”
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