SS25 on social media: Is less really more?

Amidst the economic turbulence of the luxury sector, it was not the seemingly endless creative director changes or Alessandro Michele’s Valentino debut that drove SS25. Instead, brands and their marketing departments were faced with the challenge of either becoming creative with fewer resources or questioning established rules.

Alongside these internal restructuring efforts, many designers reflected in the SS25 season on the role of culture in an increasingly digital world. The internet accelerates the fashion industry, creating tension between global connectivity and cultural unification. However, this transformation is not entirely negative; today, fashion is once again firmly embedded in pop culture, and fashion weeks have become stages – marked by high-profile appearances and marketing teams seeking the next viral moment.

But how do such short-lived hypes influence the long-term image of fashion brands on social media? The PR and image agency Karla Otto has taken on this question for the SS25 season.

Less is more

Brands invested in a “less is more” approach to talent, selecting 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, reaching a record value of 840 million dollars in Earned Media Value (EMV).

It is the “less is more” approach that explains why, despite a reduction in influencers (-75 percent) and posts (-21 percent), total EMV skyrocketed this season. The focus for brands was on personalities with particularly engaged audiences and massive reach.

Notably, stars from Korean and Thai music and film phenomena like K-Pop, K-Drama, and Thai Drama achieve high EMV due to their loyal fanbases and highly networked online communities. Tommy Hilfiger demonstrated the successful implementation of this strategy, with his collaboration with stars from these genres accounting for 45 percent of his social media activity and generating 54.82 million dollars in EMV – 97 percent of the brand’s total EMV.

These celebrities not only create immediate media value by attending events but also generate a “ripple effect” that goes beyond direct reporting. Their influence extends to media coverage, street style photography, and fan gatherings outside shows, significantly enhancing a brand’s digital presence value.

An impressive example of this effect is the appearance of Jennie, member of K-Pop group Blackpink, at Chanel, highlighting the substantial media potential of a single high-profile presence for a brand. While the singer’s three posts on her social media generated 3.1 million dollars in EMV, her cumulative effect for Chanel was estimated at around 10.35 million dollars in EMV. How? Though she only posted three photos, her fans, street style photographers, online accounts, fashion media, music media, and regional news outlets shared her posts, spreading the word – and images – across the internet.

However, the fashion industry is not only better able to harness the cumulative EMV of some of the biggest and trendiest online stars but also recognises the potential of rapid cultural shifts by including current stars and personalities in their shows, emphasising their relevance in cultural discourse. An example of this is the appearances of Oasis singer Liam Gallagher’s children: Lennon Gallagher walked for COS in New York, while Anaïs Gallagher was seen at the shows of Chloé and Stella McCartney in Paris, coinciding with renewed interest in her father’s band.

The TikTok couple Nara Smith and her husband, model Lucky Blue Smith, also attended all four fashion weeks, generating media value of 3.5 million dollars. Gucci seized the opportunity to share the couple’s story in an interview on the way to the show, while Smith was filmed at Bottega Veneta exchanging parenting tips with A$AP Rocky.

The buzzword “Brat” also made its rounds, with the presence of Brat singer Charli XCX at several shows palpable. The musician headlined for H&M in London at an event widely considered one of the season’s highlights. Additionally, both GCDS and Dior played tracks from her successful album. A video showing Rosalía, Anya Taylor-Joy, and Yseult nodding along to the song “Guess” spread quickly online, contributing to the broad digital visibility.

Fashion weeks are now also used not only by fashion brands but by companies outside the industry to strengthen their cultural relevance. Coperni increased its EMV by 320 percent through a collaboration with Disney, reaching a value of 14.44 million dollars. Disney benefited from this collaboration to solidify its position in the luxury segment.

In the beauty sector, L’Oréal achieved an EMV of 58.84 million dollars with its “Walk Your Worth” runway show, second only to Dior. These developments show how brands use cultural events like fashion weeks to reach new audiences and strengthen bonds with existing customers. According to a 2023 Kantar study, the cultural relevance of a brand influences about a quarter of all purchasing decisions, further underscoring the importance of this strategy.

Fashion-tainment

Fashion, however, is known for its duality: While many looked to the small screens of their social media accounts to find talent worthy of content, others turned their gaze to the big screen towards cinema and entertainment.

Tommy Hilfiger propelled himself to second place in terms of EMV earnings with a show that exuded grandeur and extraordinary production. His SS25 show took place aboard the MV John F. Kennedy, previously the Staten Island Ferry, featuring a performance by the rap group Wu-Tang Clan and a star-studded guest list that included K-Pop and Thai Drama stars, resulting in a 302 percent seasonal growth in EMV.

One thing Hilfiger did not rely heavily on, which proved equally effective this season, was an Oscar-worthy front row. Over the season, actors made up 20 percent of media share, with their EMV rising by 43.15 percent to a total of 173.2 million dollars, despite a lower overall number of guests and celebrities.

This “fashion-tainment” trend of using celebrities and stars, particularly those from music, films, and social media, demonstrates how fashion has been able to evolve in a digital age where culture and trends have come to intersect at fashion weeks. At the same time, the numbers reveal that simply relying on stars is not enough – it takes the right personalities with an already established fanbase.