A new report released by Karla Otto and Lefty identifies key trends from women’s fashion month AW23, from the influencer landscape to new media moves. Check out some of the highlights below, and see the full report here.
Asian influencers, primarily hailing from South Korea, dominated AW23 fashion weeks, securing top EMV rankings at $62M and leaving American, European, and South American influencers in their wake. With a staggering difference, US influencers accumulated $46M in EMV, while their European and South American counterparts trailed even further behind with figures of $17M and $7M, respectively.
Karla Otto
No. of Influencers by Generation
Gen Z - 37%
Millennials - 60%
Gen X - 3%
In the realm of fashion, Gen Z is certainly making waves. Yet, the Millennials continue to steer the ship, with 60% of the top influencers posting content related to Fashion Weeks AW23 belon- ging to this generation.
2009 & The Dawn of Influence
In 2009, an image from the FROW emerged picturing Bryanboy, Tommy Ton, Garance Doré, and Scott Schuman with laptops in hand to cover the brands’ shows live. The image sent ripples through the fashion ecosystem as editors were ousted from their front-row seats in favour of these new power players and their hyper-engaged online audiences. An excerpt from the New York Times circa ‘09 by Eric Wilson reads: “... After all, what is one to think — besides a publicity stunt — when Bryan Boy is seated at the Dolce & Gabbana show in Milan between Vogue and Vanity Fair, a mere two positions to the right of Anna Wintour?” he writes.
The Influencer Becomes The Editor
Fast forward over a decade, and that very Bryan Yambao (@bryanboy) is the Editor in Chief of The Perfect Magazine and was sat front and centre inside what was dubbed Gucci’s ‘Influencer Pit’ by the press, which seemed to re-fuel the decade-old discussion of influencer vs. editor. “As communicators, we are here to cheerlead the industry — communicate and interpret fashion in our own way. The sheer audacity to join the platforms that built “influencers” in the first place and create and post the same kind of content,” he proclaimed in a social media post in response to the backlash.
Karla Otto
Editorial in the Age of Social
In New York, there appeared to be a swing in the pendulum, as editors leaned into the impact of digitalisation: “Editors are remaking short-form video content their image,” shares Karla Otto’s Valerio Farris. “Look at Mel Ottenberg at Interview Magazine, who’s the master of quippy backstage clips, or Liana Satenstein, who’s updated the FROW fashion interview for theTikTok era, even interviewing Anna Wintour backstage at
Tory Burch.”
“The moment has to strike a chord with both the brand’s DNA and its audiences’ values to drive impact.” -Anna Ross, Karla Otto
With a bid to break through and become the ‘next Coperni’, the race for the biggest ‘moment’ is clearly on many desig- ners’ minds. “Striking the balance between gimmick and game-changing is delicate, but when executed correctly, ‘moment-marketing’ can drive brand awareness from ‘up- and-coming’ to international recognition while boosting re- venue,” comments Ross. Indeed, Coperni’s spray-on dress reportedly drove significant traffic to their website, resul- ting in sell-out success that forced the brand to remodel its direct-to-consumer model to cope with demand. It’s hard to compete with such a viral moment. Whereas Coperni still sat within the Top 15 brands of the AW23 season, their EMV dropped by -67% seasonally.
“The moment has to strike a chord with both the brand’s DNA and its audiences’ values to drive impact,” explains Ross; “Saul Nash was a brilliant example of linking performance back to purpose and poignant storytelling,” she adds.
Nash’s choreographed runway spoke to the designer’s back- ground and high-function activewear but to the more signifi- cant issue of diversity and inclusion across winter sports.. Meanwhile, Collina Strada’s collaboration with makeup icon Isamaya French saw the most prominent growth throughout NYFW.
Regions to Watch
Karla Otto
India is becoming a market to watch, with spending on luxury goods expected to boom from $8Bn to almost $30Bn by 2030. A rapid improvement in the country’s digital infrastructure has made India one of the most dominant global social media users, presen- ting an opportunity for brands to market across this region.
Brazil is one of the largest regions for luxury goods in Latin America and boasts rising levels of wealth. Knight Frank expects Brazillian millionaires to increase by 30% by 2026, making the region a key growth opportunity for the luxury sector.
Influencers: Emerging Trends
Comedians: Fashion shows its sense of humour with a welcoming of comedians to the FROWS, showcasing the extension of an industry akin with entertainment.
Dogfluencers: The pet market is a burgeoning industry for fashion, and we’ve seen an uptick in dogs making guest appearances at shows.
Sports: From footballers to ice dancers and karate champions, sports stars were key to AW23 guest lists. Aligning with sports stars not only taps into these profiles’ communities but creates an opportunity for collaboration.
