As we enter the new year, we look back at 2023, an eventful year that saw the fashion industry evolve like never before. With sustainability remaining central to conversations, we also saw a growing need for brands to stand out from the crowd in shocking and, surprising marketing ploys.
The use of artificial intelligence majorly ramped up as brands shifted from trialling to implementing. 2023 saw huge investment in this sector, bringing endless opportunities for brands to create viral fashion moments.
TikTok spread trends to the masses with #Barbiecore to #QuietLuxury surpassing viral records. More and more brands leant into incorporating trending TikTok's into marketing strategies and Gen-Z continued to lead the way in demanding what content they want to see. Join us as we revisit some of the viral fashion moments and key brand strategies from the last year:
Faux Taxidermy
To kick off 2023, Daniel Roseberry broke the internet with faux taxidermy in true Schiaparelli style. At Paris Couture Week, we saw showstoppers in the form of faux animal heads. worn by the likes of Kylie Jenner, Naomi Campbell and Irina Shayk.
The fashion moment centred around the animal heads caused uproar across the internet and the designs were slammed for promoting trophy hunting. But was this a clever marketing decision from Schiaparelli, as in 2023 any Publicity is good publicity, and Roseberry’s gowns certainly made their mark.
Miu Miu's Rein
After Miu Miu’s success of being named brand of the year in 2022, Balletcore continued to gain momentum into 2023. The luxury fashion brand was named brand of the year for the second year running.
This year the viral micro skirt became a super micro hotpant, with street style embracing the trend with their arms wide open. Miu Miu was also responsible for leading to the resurgence of ballet flats, headbands and, most noticeably bows. Bows have been embraced in all variations of style and we see a shift towards hyper-femininity and playfulness. With a continued period of popularity with the Gen-Z consumer, 2023 marked the brand’s 30th anniversary and MIU MIU showed no signs of slowing down.
Jacquemus AI
In 2023 various technologies went viral including the use of artificial intelligence and the metaverse on social media. Of course, Jacquemus were at the forefront of taking advantage of exactly that. The luxury brand used digital effects and had its bags virtually driven through Parisian streets , which caused a viral conversation about whether the bags were a real marketing stunt or AI. This also inspired other brands to experiment with a similar concept.
Quiet Luxury and Sofia Richie Grainge
Sofia Richie Grainge rose to style stardom in 2023 after her wedding ceremony that broke the internet. What followed was a year bursting with Richie Grainge which has cemented her title as “Influencer of the Year.”
In 2023, consumers gravitated toward products that were high in quality and well made, but from brands that were much more subtle in their design and visuals. Sofia Ritchie’s style resonates with the quiet luxury trend, of which the hashtag went viral in 2023.
The #OldMoney hashtag on TikTok, also reached 10.9 billion.
Quiet luxury emerged as the top trend at the start of 2023, sparking countless conversations about the presentation of wealth and class. Fueled also by the final season of Succession, a show on which Shiv Roy's power dressing has long embodied the qualities of quiet luxury. 2023 also displayed us with the highly publicised ski trial of Gwyneth Paltrow, where her understated designer outfits went viral on social media.
Barbiecore
In July 2023, the Barbie film featuring Margot Robbie was released and made waves globally. Barbiecore began gaining ground in 2022, following the announcement of the blockbuster film, the trend exploded this year in the run-up to the movie’s official release. Months of social media hype were responsible for the viral success and coverage.
In the year when pink became the new neutral, shades of pink infiltrated every industry including food, travel, and beauty. We even saw customers dressing up for the occasion, wearing the ‘Barbiecore’ aesthetic to the cinema. Fashion collaborations also capitalised on making themselves relevant via the booming Barbie market for example Skims, Zara, Crocs. The hashtag #barbiecore now has over 1.1 billion views on TikTok.
Even the world of AI wanted a slice of the frenzy. AI image generators went viral for generating what Barbie Dream Houses would look like from different countries.
The Harry Styles and Beyoncé Effect
2023 also saw concertgoers spend hundreds of pounds to see their favourite artist perform, and Harry Styles and Beyoncé reined supreme. Attending the concert was one thing, but dressing the part was a whole other ball game.
Beyoncé's Renaissance tour was a celebration of disco and club culture and fans decked themselves out in all-silver, glitter, sequin and metallic looks. Beyonce fans also took upcycling into their own hands, taking cues from Queen Bey by crafting their own bedazzled cowboy hats.
Harry Styles increased the demand for cowboy boots, feather boas, all things disco for Love on Tour 2023. 'Love On Tour' became the fourth highest-grossing tour of all time, and consequently having a profound effect on fashion in 2023. Fast-fashion brands created dedicated edits for both Harry Styles and Beyonce Tours.
What was your top fashion moment of 2023 and what do you predict to see in 2024?