Amid the economic turbulence in the luxury sector, it wasn’t the endless changes of creative directors or Alessandro Michele’s debut at Valentino that defined SS25. Instead, brands and their marketing departments were faced with the challenge of getting creative with fewer resources or rethinking established rules.
In addition to these internal restructurings, many designers during the SS25 season reflected on the role of culture in an increasingly digital world. The Internet is accelerating the fashion industry and creating a tension between global connectivity and cultural unification. Yet this transformation is not exclusively negative; Today, fashion is once again firmly entrenched in pop culture and fashion weeks have become stages – highlighted by celebrity guests and marketing teams looking for the next viral moment.
But how do such short-lived hypes influence the long-term image of fashion brands on social media? PR and image agency Karla Otto went looking for the answer to this question during the SS25 season.
Less is more
Brands invested in a “less is more” approach to talent by inviting fewer guests and celebrities, but choosing those with higher engagement and broader reach. The result? The SS25 season grew by 16 percent compared to the previous year, leading to a record $840 million in Earned Media Value (EMV).
- To identify this season’s standout shows, influencer marketing platform Lefty and Karla Otto analyzed Instagram posts and TikTok videos from influencers with more than 10,000 followers. The platform specifically assessed the impressions and engagement of influencers’ fashion week posts. Lefty then calculated the so-called EMV of each message or brand. Earned Media Value is an important indicator for brands and influencers to understand the impact of their publications. In the report, Lefty defines EMV as the equivalent advertising spend that a brand would need to achieve the impressions obtained. For Instagram and TikTok, this was calculated at a rate of $100 per Cost-per-Mille (CPM), also known as cost-per-thousand impressions (CPT).
It’s the “less is more” approach that explains why, despite a decline in influencers (-75 percent) and posts (-21 percent), overall EMV rose sharply this season. The focus of brands has been on personalities with a particularly engaged audience and a large reach.
EMV overview of fashion weeks:
- New York Fashion Week: $132 million; 208 percent growth compared to last year (SS24)
- London Fashion Week: $20.9 million; 0 percent growth compared to last year (SS24)
- Milan Fashion Week: $250 million; 68 percent growth compared to last year (SS24)
- Paris Fashion Week: $437 million; 39 percent growth compared to last year (SS24)
In particular, stars from the Korean and Thai music and film industries such as K-Pop, K-Drama and Thai dramas generate high EMV thanks to their loyal fan bases and highly connected online communities. Tommy Hilfiger demonstrated a successful application of this strategy; its collaborations with stars from these genres contributed 45 percent of its social media activity and generated $54.82 million in EMV – accounting for 97 percent of the brand’s total EMV.
These celebrities not only create immediate media value through their presence at events, but also cause a “ripple effect” that extends beyond direct reporting. Their influence extends to media reports, street style photography and fans gathering outside shows, significantly strengthening a brand’s digital presence.
An impressive example of this effect is the appearance of Jennie, member of the K-Pop group Blackpink, at Chanel. This highlights the enormous media potential of a single, well-known presence for a brand. While the singer generated $3.1 million in EMV with three posts on her social media, her cumulative effect for Chanel was estimated at approximately $10.35 million in EMV. How? Although she only posted three photos, her fans, street style photographers, online accounts, fashion and music magazines, and regional news media shared her posts, causing the photos to appear all over the Internet.
A geographical perspective on influencers and EMV for the SS25 season:
- Asia Pacific region: 40 percent of the participants; generated 66 percent of EMV at $257.87 million
- North America: 28 percent of participants; 21 percent of EMV with $82.17 million
- Europe: 24 percent of participants; 8 percent of EMV with $31.38 million
- Latin America: 7 percent of participants; 4 percent of EMV with $17.04 million
- Africa: 1 percent of participants; 1 percent of EMV with $3.54 million
The fashion industry is not only harnessing the cumulative EMF of some of the biggest and most popular online stars, but also recognizing the potential of rapid cultural shifts by involving current stars and personalities in their shows, highlighting their relevance in the cultural discourse. For example, the children of Oasis singer Liam Gallagher: Lennon Gallagher for COS in New York and Anaïs Gallagher at the Chloé and Stella McCartney shows in Paris, while interest in her father’s band was renewed.
TikTok couple Nara Smith and her husband, model Lucky Blue Smith, also attended all four fashion weeks and generated $3.5 million in media reach. Gucci took the opportunity to share the couple’s story in an interview en route to the show, while Smith was filmed at Bottega Veneta exchanging parenting tips with A$AP Rocky.
The buzzword “Brat” was also everywhere, with the presence of Brat singer Charli XCX at several shows. The musician headlined for H&M in London at an event widely considered one of the highlights of the season. In addition, both GCDS and Dior played songs from her successful album. A video of Rosalía, Anya Taylor-Joy and Yseult moving along to the song “Guess” quickly spread online and contributed to broad digital visibility.
Top brands for SS25 measured by EMF
- Dior: $61.9 million; 35 percent growth compared to last year (SS24)
- Tommy Hilfiger: $56.5 million; 302 percent growth compared to last year (SS24)
- Prada: $47.9 million; 276 percent growth compared to last year (SS24)
- Saint Laurent: $35.5 million; 23 percent growth compared to last year (SS24)
- Gucci: $33.8 million; 196 percent growth compared to last year (SS24)
Fashion weeks are now used not only by fashion brands, but also by companies outside the sector to strengthen their cultural relevance. Coperni increased its EMV by 320 percent through a partnership with Disney, reaching a value of $14.44 million. Disney took advantage of this partnership to strengthen its position in the luxury segment.
In the beauty sector, L’Oréal achieved an EMV of $58.84 million with its “Walk Your Worth” runway show, second only to Dior. These developments demonstrate how brands are using cultural events such as fashion weeks to reach new audiences and strengthen ties with existing customers. According to a 2023 study by Kantar, a brand’s cultural relevance influences approximately a quarter of all purchasing decisions, further underscoring the importance of this strategy.
Fashion entertainment
However, fashion is known for its duality: while many looked for talent worth sharing on the small screens of their social media, others turned their gaze to the big screen towards cinema and entertainment.
Tommy Hilfiger catapulted himself to second place in EMV revenue with a show that oozed grandeur and extraordinary production. His SS25 show took place aboard the MV John F. Kennedy, formerly the Staten Island Ferry, featuring a performance by rap group Wu-Tang Clan and an all-star cast including K-Pop and Thai drama stars, resulting in a seasonal growth of 302 percent in EMF.
A striking feature that Hilfiger did not use strongly this season, but which nevertheless proved effective, was an Oscar-worthy front row. During the season, actors made up 20 percent of media coverage, with a 43.15 percent increase in EMV to a total of $173.2 million, despite a lower total number of guests and celebrities.
This trend of “fashion entertainment” through the use of celebrities and stars, especially from music, film and social media, shows how fashion has evolved in a digital age where culture and trends intersect at fashion weeks. At the same time, the figures show that simply using stars is not enough – it requires the right personalities with an already existing fan base.
This article previously appeared on FashionUnited DE. Translation and editing into Dutch by Caitlyn Terra.
