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This Spring/Summer 2024 womenswear season, fashion brands largely forewent viral stunts, instead banking on celebrities — both as attendees and as runway models — to drive social media buzz.
SS24 generated more than $763 million in earned media value (EMV) this season, up 82 per cent on AW23 and up 58 per cent compared with SS23 last September, according to influencer marketing platform Lefty and brand agency Karla Otto. Lefty analyses impressions and engagement on Instagram feed posts about every on-schedule show from influencers with over 10,000 followers. EMV is calculated as $1 per like.
“For this season, brands invested in the front row and celebrity casting to create a moment, instead of major sets or stunts,” says Lucien Pagès, founder of the eponymous PR agency. “It’s fun. People have had fun this season. It’s been exciting to see so many stars at shows and on the runway.”
Many media outlets now task their social media teams with capturing fashion week content in real-time for their channels, and having big-name celebrities on the front row is the best way to get priority coverage, adds Celenie Seidel, senior womenswear editor at Farfetch. “Harnessing the power of celebrity is an inarguably effective strategy.”
As with previous seasons, Paris Fashion Week drove the most buzz for SS24, reaching a total of $382 million, up 35 per cent on AW23 and 26 per cent on SS23, led by its large roster of major luxury labels. It was also the most popular fashion week on TikTok, according to the platform: the hashtag #Parisfashionweek has 5.5 billion views, versus 1.5 billion for Milan, 936 million For New York and 515 million views for London.
Dior reclaimed the top spot in the global ranking this season after losing to Saint Laurent for AW23. The brand opted for a more pared-back digital set this season, with screens rather than surrealist fabric sculptures or baroque grottos as in the past. Still, its EMV reached $44.5 million, up 67 per cent on AW23, driven by ambassador Jisoo of K-pop band Blackpink (who drove 26 per cent or $11.5 million of the brand’s total EMV). Thai actors Nattawin Wattanagitiphat and Mile Phakphum Romsaithong, who both signed as Dior ambassadors in June after co-starring in hit film KinnPorsche, weren’t far behind the Blackpink star, driving 24 per cent ($10.5 million) and 17 per cent ($7.6 million) of Dior’s EMV respectively. Louis Vuitton came in second in Paris, with $39.7 million EMV. Ambassador Zendaya drove 39 per cent of this ($15.4 million).
Milan’s EMV more than doubled this season, up 111 per cent on AW23 to $266 million and up 127 per cent on SS23. Prada drove a significant portion of the city’s EMV ($42 million), ranking top in Milan and climbing two places to second in the global list, compared with AW23. This growth was led by K-Pop group Enhypen, who drove 29 per cent of the brand’s EMV ($11.8 million), followed by Thai actor Metawin “Win” Opas-iamkajorn ($2.9 million) and Spanish pop star Rosalía ($2.9 million). Prada was also the most-viewed show on Vogue Runway for SS24.
Sabato De Sarno’s much-anticipated debut at Gucci was the second-biggest show in Milan and placed fifth in the global ranking, generating $32.5 million EMV. Unlike Dior, Louis Vuitton and Prada, Gucci’s EMV was less concentrated on one major talent. Its top influencer was British Bollywood actor Alia Bhatt, who generated 14 per cent ($4.48 million) of the total EMV. To get the most out of its A-list guestlist, Gucci enlisted comedian and presenter Amelia Dimoldenberg to man their own “red carpet” talent arrivals and to interview the likes of actor Paul Mescal, social media personality Emma Chamberlain and K-pop star Hanni of group New Jeans, leaning into the growing power of celebrity marketing in fashion, says Brooke McCord, digital director of culture and fashion magazine The Face and social media consultant for brands like Knwls.
“It’s particularly interesting to see this shift towards film premiere and awards ceremony style reportage at fashion shows in recent seasons, as it signals the change in the make-up of the audience and the uptick in celebrity and VIP appearances [at shows],” McCord says. “When you factor in wider industry shifts like Francois-Henri Pinault’s acquisition of a majority stake in a talent agency like Creative Artists Agency, it feels like a signifier of what’s to come.” DImoldenberg’s video with Hanni hit 2.1 million views on TikTok.
After a muted AW23, New York was close to $94 million in EMV this season — up 42 per cent on AW23 and 25 per cent on SS23 — thanks to the return of major labels like Ralph Lauren and Helmut Lang to the schedule. Michael Kors topped the New York ranking, driven by Vogue US’s Instagram, which generated $1.2 million EMV for the house, followed by Emily Ratajkowski ($903,000 EMV) and K-Pop star Dahyun ($774,000 EMV). On TikTok, Tory Burch (240k followers) posted a variety of content around its 11 September show. The brand posted over 70 times during New York Fashion Week, including day-in-the-life posts and behind-the-scenes videos from its show. Some of the videos amassed 500,000 views, according to TikTok.
London remained the smallest city in terms of EMV, reaching $21.6 million this season, up just 6 per cent on AW23 and up 240 per cent on SS23 when shows were pared back following the death of Queen Elizabeth II. Much of the social media reach was driven by Daniel Lee’s second show for Burberry ($7.5 million EMV), followed by music artist Skepta’s brand Mains, which ranked second in the city with $3.3 million EMV. Emerging label Knwls climbed to third in the ranking this season, returning to the runway after a break for AW23, generating $2.6 million EMV by casting influencer Mia Khalifa in its show.
As the scores of screaming fans and Korean signs outside shows attested, Dahyun was one of many K-pop stars attending shows this season. Across the four cities, K-pop stars drove more than $46 million EMV, up 24 per cent on AW23, per Lefty, with brands tapping rising stars from new groups, as well as more familiar artists. K-pop stars represented half of the top 10 influencers at Milan Fashion Week. Prada ambassadors Enypen drove $11.8 million in EMV; DK of group Seventeen drove $5.8 million at Bally; girl group New Jeans drove $3.3 million at Gucci, NCT’s Jeno drove $3.1 million at Ferragamo, and Jaehyun drove $2.9 million at Prada.
The actor influx
As the SAG-Aftra strike continues, fashion month saw an influx of actors this season. Out of the 200 brands analysed by Lefty, 162 collaborated with actors on show attendance and content, generating a “remarkable” $255 million in EMV, says Lefty analyst Lea Mao. Actors dominated the EMV, accounting for 23.5 per cent of the total voice ahead of musicians (22.5 per cent) and influencers/KOLs (18.5 per cent). Lefty didn’t track actors’ share of voice for womenswear AW23, but for SS24, six actors featured in the top 30 influencers across cities, generating a combined $46.5 million in EMV. In comparison, during AW23, there were only three actors, amounting to $13.2 million in EMV, Mao says.
Because some actors aren’t technically working right now, “high-visibility events” such as fashion weeks are helping them continue to cultivate their personal brand, says Lefty founder Thomas Repelski.
While many Academy Award-winning or high-grossing actors were in attendance at the shows — from Robert Downey Jr (Stella McCartney) to Sigourney Weaver (Givenchy) and Ryan Gosling (Gucci) — it was younger, rising stars that generated the bulk of the social buzz this season. Alongside Zendaya and Descendants star Dove Cameron, three of the top actors across SS24 in terms of EMV were young actors Wattanagitiphat (Dior), Phakphum Romsaithong (Dior) and South Korean actor Mun Ka-Young (Dolce & Gabbana). In addition to Opas-iamkajorn at Prada; Indian actor Sonam Kapoor drove the highest proportion of EMV at Valentino ($1.8 million); and Thai actor and musician B Bright was the top influencer at Burberry ($2.3 million).
These young international talents often might have lower follower counts than more experienced actors, but what’s important is their extremely high engagement rates, says Lefty’s Mao, highlighting their growing influence and resonance within the industry. Dior attendees Wattanagitiphat and Phakphum Romsaithong both have around 3.6 million Instagram followers, compared with Jisoo’s 75 million. Yet, their engagement rates are much higher than the Blackpink star’s, at 33 per cent and 22 per cent, respectively (Jisoo’s is around 5 per cent). Karla Otto and Lefty have been tracking the rise of Thai stars for the past 12 months, and they’re seeing the same level of dedicated fandom and engagement as K-pop stars. So much so they’re often now rising above K-pop stars in the rankings, says Anna Ross, global head of trends and insights at Karla Otto.
Luxury labels also benefited from tapping the stars of Netflix and Amazon Prime’s teen shows this season, particularly at New York Fashion Week. The star of hit Amazon Prime show The Summer I Turned Pretty, Lola Tung, was one of New York’s top EMV drivers this season. Her one post about the Coach show generated 24 per cent ($1.86 million) of the brand’s total EMV. Tung’s engagement rate is almost 50 per cent, making her a powerful attendee to consider for future front rows.
To All the Boys I’ve Loved Before actor Anna Cathcart, now the star of show XO Kitty, was #4 in the ranking of top influencers for New York Fashion Week, driving $1.5 million in EMV from her posts about attending Altuzarra and Adeam. Black-Ish star and Little actor/producer Marsai Martin drove the highest proportion (13 per cent) of EMV for New York label Area, totalling $478,000 from one feed post. And in Paris, Netflix’s Outer Banks star Madelyn Cline was the top influencer for Givenchy, driving $1.6 million in EMV. The high engagement makes sense, as young TV stars have grown up as digital natives and, by osmosis, have likely learnt how to engage and interact authentically with their audience across platforms early in their career, which resonates and reflects in high levels of engagement, says Karla Otto’s Ross.
Kardashian power continues
Of course, some houses did benefit from working with the more familiar talents over fresh names. Acne stripped back its show set this season, compared with the enchanted garden or pink silk bed sets of previous seasons. Instead, guests were staring at pop star Rosalía and Kylie Jenner sat front row, says McCord, and a photo posted by Rosalía to Instagram of her and Jenner gained close to 3 million likes. “And that’s without taking into account the hundreds of TikTok videos of them living elsewhere online,” adds McCord.
“There was a Kardashian moment this season, which we haven’t had for a little while,” says Pagès, “Kylie, Kendall, Kim and Kris were at shows like Victoria Beckham and Schiaparelli.”
Kylie Jenner drove a significant chunk of EMV for Schiaparelli, attending the show in a sparkly dress with a keyhole cutout. While typically, talents might produce one or two posts about a single show, Jenner posted five times about her Schiaparelli look to her 399 million Instagram followers, including two videos and three photo posts, representing over half (55 per cent) of the brand’s total EMV. Between Schiaparelli and one post about the Acne Studios show, which she also attended, the influencer and reality star generated $23 million EMV, making her the top talent of SS24 as a whole. On TikTok, Jenner posted two videos from the Acne show, generating a combined 59.7 million views, plus four videos about the Schiaparelli show, garnering a combined 27.6 million views.
Kim Kardashian and Kris Jenner attended the Victoria Beckham show, where Kendall Jenner walked the runway. Victoria Beckham entered the Paris ranking this season at #9. The designer’s husband, David Beckham, drove the bulk of the EMV ($5.9 million), followed by Kendall Jenner, who drove $1.5 million EMV from one post about walking the show. While Kardashian didn’t drive the highest proportion of EMV from an Instagram post, videos of her arriving late at the show and sitting beside David Beckham and Anna Wintour went viral on Reels and TikTok, generating hundreds of thousands of views.
Tapping into the social media zeitgeist
Brands leaned into social media culture, trends and personalities this season to capture online attention. Mugler’s casting of Black Panther actor Angela Bassett was a fun nod to Ariana DeBose’s “Angela Bassett did the thing” line in her now-viral BAFTAs rap performance from February. And Prada's slime set played into TikTok’s obsession with ASMR-slime adjacent videos, says The Face’s McCord. “[Prada’s slime] was a self-fulfilling prophecy; the content machine fed itself.”
“While we’re all there to see the clothes, the way that phones fly into the air to capture Paris Hilton or Angela Bassett walking Mugler or Troye Sivan casually sauntering down the Miu Miu catwalk, perfectly illustrates the effect [of celebrity casting],” says Farfetch’s Seidel.
Casting internet personalities and unexpected models or celebrities also drove buzz this season, experts agree. Pagès noted the return of 1990s supermodels to the runway following the release of documentary The Super Models on Apple TV. Naomi Campbell walked Coperni and Torisheju, Eva Herzigová walked Saint Laurent, Helena Christensen and Amber Valletta walked Mugler. And at Versace, Claudia Schiffer closed the show this season. “Claudia wasn’t in the documentary, but she’s a supermodel. Everyone is bringing them back this season,” Pagès says.
Tapping TikTok-native celebrities has also become a surefire way to drive reach on the TikTok For You page. Comedic TikTok creator Madeline Argy was the top influencer for Proenza Schouler at NYFW, driving $975,000 EMV (35 per cent of the total).
Mac Cosmetics, via the talent team at Karla Otto, cast viral sensation Sabrina Bahsoon or Tube Girl in its London Fashion Week show. It brought Mac a new kind of kudos on TikTok and got a younger audience to start talking about the brand, says Zoe Patoff, Karla Otto’s senior vice president of digital. Tube Girl then drove millions of TikTok views while attending Boss (10.6 million views across two videos) and Valentino (3.1 million views). Boss created 17 pieces of TikTok content from the runway to feature on TikTok, which has amassed over 341.6 million views so far, according to the platform.
“[TikTok’s] unique power of engagement — built on a sense of unfiltered intimacy and access — has created a new level of hype and fandom,” Seidel says. “Audiences who are invited quite literally into TikTok stars’ homes and most unfiltered moments through the platform feel a sense of deep personal connection, which is creating a very specific new level of fame in a way we haven't seen before. Brands are becoming increasingly reactive in order to capitalise on this marketing power.”
What will be interesting to see is how TikTok personalities’ audiences react to the brands they’ve collaborated with, as it’s the first time talents like Tube Girl have worked with luxury fashion or beauty, Patoff adds. “Next season, we will see who is invited or cast again and know if these talents are converting for brands.”
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