Hot Girl Fall: How the Latest TikTok Fashion Trends Revived Ralph Lauren
What can brands learn about all the TikTok-led “cores” and aesthetics?
Before TikTok took over the world, the word “core” had many meanings. Including the muscles of the mid-region of the torso, the inside part of many fruits, or even the earth. It was even a verb, or an adjective. Until more recently, the word “core” became a suffix used to describe a type of style. Some examples being ballerina core, coastal grandmother core, goth core, dark academia core, just to name a few.
The word “aesthetic” has also been used — even before TikTok was a thing — and more recently, it can be found ranging anywhere from “old money aesthetic” to “cherry girl aesthetic”.
However, what I find genuinely interesting about these micro-trends, is its ability to boost the performance of certain brands and even revive others.
One great example is Ralph Lauren.
This past Wednesday, an article published by Vogue Business described all the factors that have contributed to Ralph Lauren’s revival. The brand has experienced a 3% boost in sales in the second quarter of 2023, surpassing their own expectations.
Of course, highlights such as the brand’s New York Fashion Week, US Open and Wimbledon sponsorships have benefited the brand tremendously. As well as a very unusual, but successful collaboration with the video game Fortnite.
In that same order, according to the article, their direct-to-consumer sales have also risen during this time, with a 4% increase in digital commerce and their physical stores.
TikTok Trends and Ralph Lauren
However, although their North America sales have increased in one way or another — and even though the article does not necesarily point this part out. I believe that one thing that has really contributed to Ralph Lauren’s recent change in performance is TikTok.
The highly acclaimed “old money aesthetic” that thousands of fashion creators have talked about on the platform has led to an increase in brand awareness for Ralph Lauren. Especially as these creators, without any endorsement or sponsorship from the brand, have labeled Ralph Lauren as the “ultimate old money brand”.
#RalphLaurenAesthetic and #RalphLaurenCore
Talk about earned media.
Both of these hashtags have flooded TikTok’s “for you” page with product recommendations, outfit ideas, and even videos diving completely into the “old money” subculture. Videos sharing pictures of what a “Ralph Lauren boy” or girl looks like — what they wear, what they smell like, and what they look like. Currently, these hashtags have over 146.4 M views on this platform alone.
As TikTok’s “old money aesthetic” transitions into “hot girl fall”, the videos, recommendations, and overall content created on the platform surrounding the brand now showcase the quality of their sweaters, wool jackets, and boots.
Celebrity Endorsements
Now, what is a good luxury or fashion-forward brand without a few celebrity endorsments?
During this past New York Fashion Week, Ralph Lauren hosted a show with A-list celebrities sitting front row such as Jennifer Lopez, Gabrielle Union, Mindy Kaling, Laura Dern, Sofia Richie Grainge, Diane Keaton, and Amanda Seyfried, and more. Showcasing the brand’s relevancy and power. It was labeled as the most “start-studded” show in all of NYFW.
This celebrity endorsement has also been followed up by the custom look worn by Anne Hathaway to the CFDA awards taking place at the Natural History Museum in New York.
Given the revival of Ralph Lauren, partly due to TikTok, partly due to their own efforts and collaborations. What can other brands learn about these micro-trends?
And more importantly, as the question of how long will this success last persists. I have to ask, how can brands take action now and continue this path to achieve long-term profitability?
