How Has TikTok Changed Fashion Storytelling?
If you’ve ever looked at your Weekly Screen Time report in disbelief, then chances are you’re a serial TikTok scroller too. As of 2025, the short-form video platform has 1.59 billion users worldwide, spending an average of seven hours a day glued to their feeds.
For fashion brands, it’s become an essential marketing channel and, for many, a valuable direct-to-consumer sales channel. Yes, that long-heralded pivot to video is finally here.
But how has TikTok changed the way the fashion industry tells its stories? And how can you apply those lessons to your own business?
Accelerated Trend Cycles
Mob Wife. Indie Sleaze. Stealth Wealth. TikTok has cut through the traditional fashion trend cycle with niche micro trends. Some have the power to permeate the mainstream, while others – think Barbiecore – spark to coincide with a short-lived cultural moment before burning out completely.
For brands, trying to keep up with every aesthetic by launching a new product or capsule collection is a formula for failure. But that doesn’t mean you should ignore them completely. Instead, they present an opportunity to reignite interest and refresh the storytelling around your existing pieces.
Pick and choose the trends that resonate with your existing brand narrative and target audience rather than chasing every hashtag. Then it’s all about the execution. Create a targeted landing page, share styling inspiration on social, or send a curated product selection via email.
Unfiltered Personalities
If Instagram is all about perfect posing and that camera-ready sheen, TikTok shows the reality behind-the-scenes. Many of most popular influencers have grown their loyal following by showing up unfiltered and letting their personalities take centre stage. It’s not unusual to see makeup free faces, pimple patches worn proudly, fluffy dressing gowns and gym gear, and videos shot on the go.
There’s a place for polish on the platform, of course, but it’s not a prerequisite.
That doesn’t mean TikTok audiences expect their favourite fashion brands to act unprofessionally. Instead, take it as your invitation to put your brand’s personality at the forefront of your content. Don’t be afraid to stand out with your tone of voice. Be offbeat. Share opinions. Show off your sense of humour.
A Focus on Fashion History
I’m a lifelong fashion nerd, but how much does the typical customer care about fashion history?
Well, it’s all relative; someone who has been navigating the Hermes leather appointment labyrinth to buy their dream quota bag is likely to have dived deeper into its heritage than someone popping into Zara to pick up a Flapper-inspired fringe dress on their lunchbreak. But that’s changing.
Thanks to TikTok, fashion history is more accessible than ever. Creators like @asta.darling and @bernadettebanner share their love for historical dress in captivating videos that often reference pop culture.
That means you get to geek out too! Whether your brand was founded three or 103 years ago, start sharing your origin story, explore your references and inspiration, and highlight key milestones. The here and now might feel more relevant, but there is a growing customer base who are equally intrigued by where you’ve already been.
Peeks Behind-the-Scenes
The Access All Areas ethos of TikTok has inspired even the most elusive heritage luxury brands to start drawing back the curtain. From Saint Laurent and Louis Vuitton live streaming their shows to JW Anderson posting a tutorial on how to crochet its Harry Styles-approved patchwork cardigan at home, fashion brands are finding that exclusivity isn’t everything.
Giving viewers insights into the workings of your brand not only boosts customer loyalty and sentiment but also allows you to showcase your savoir-faire. Take your audience into your design studio to see your sketches, collaborating with manufacturers on your buying trips, styling talent on your shoots. Highlight your materials, your craftsmanship, and your people. And never forget that authenticity lies at the heart of the compelling brand stories.
Founder-Led Content
Grace Beverley, Aimee Smale, Mitchell Halliday, and Ben Francis are all founders who have shared their brand building journey on TikTok. Their success showcases the importance of bringing the human touch to your storytelling. With AI and fake news increasingly infiltrating our feeds, the trust and authenticity that comes from going beyond the brand guidelines is invaluable.
Including the people behind your brand in your copy and social content helps forge an emotional connection, capturing the passion and vulnerability that can only come from those who truly care about what you’re creating. That’s also why it’s essential that you weave the values and missions that define your brand into your cross-channel storytelling. It’s not enough to only have a beautifully designed About page; your essence should shine through every touchpoint.
Product Showcases
Fashion TikTok is known for its hauls but as sustainability and overconsumption conversations continue to gather momentum, expect to see creators presenting products in a more conscious way.
Luxury collectors will transition into tastemakers, giving their verdict on heritage products and new launches alike; stylists will highlight the versatility of buy once, wear forever wardrobe staples; and shoppers will keep sharing their purchasing experiences, both good and bad.
Embedding your brand storytelling into every channel is more important than ever before. A video detailing an in-store experience will draw from insights shared by your employees and your aftersales service; an influencer curating a wish list will use your product descriptions as a reference point; and a collector will use your About page and landing pages dedicated to signature pieces as a research tool.
Niche Audience Exposure
The TikTok algorithm works so well (and is so frustratingly addictive) because it understands niche audiences. And it’s not just tapping into its users existing interests, it has the unique ability to predict videos that might appeal from completely unrelated categories. My own For You page has led to me becoming an avid watcher of a freelance HR consultant in the US (shout out @aunt_bri) despite most of the accounts I follow being fashion, beauty, TV, and book related.
What does this mean for fashion brand storytelling? Don’t fall into the trap of trying to appeal to everyone. An undefined voice won’t help you stand out in a competitive market.
If the TikTok approach can teach us anything, it’s that your audience is out there – and they won’t only be watching the influencers with rate cards that would blow your annual budget in one post. Take the steps you need to be discoverable but be imaginative with your marketing collabs. If you need inspiration, check out Gucci x Francis Bourgeois, Beis x Chipotle, and Saucony x Dunkin’ Donuts.