With the launch of TikTok Shop last year paving the way to sales growth for many brands, the platform’s click-to-buy feature isn’t for every brand. Instead, many of the top-performing, or “most popular,” fashion brands are looking to engage a new audience, including the coveted Gen Z, with this new era of marketing.
Here, WWD looks at the top 10 fashion brands on TikTok using data insights from Trendalytics. The list is ranked by audience size, account growth, user-generated content and mentions organically or from influencers.
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Louis Vuitton topped the list with 14 million followers and an increase of 17 percent in TikTok mentions year-over-year. According to Trendalytics’ historical data, the brand has long held its rank as the most successful fashion brand on the platform and has “exemplified the paradigm shift in luxury fashion toward marketing, talent and social media spectacle, opposed to the design excellence, which used to characterize success within the industry.”
Louis Vuitton has seen growth, especially from talent partnerships with K-pop stars, including Blackpink’s Lisa who was named Louis Vuitton’s brand ambassador in July. In March, the brand’s TikTok post featuring K-pop star Felix drove a more than 1,700 percent increase in engagement on Louis Vuitton’s TikTok compared to engagement the previous year. Other stars that have created buzz for Louis Vuitton in the last year include actor Gong Yoo, J-Hope from BTS and BamBam and Jackson Wang of Got7.
Following Louis Vuitton, Dior touts 8.1 million followers on TikTok with an increase of 31 percent in likes year-over-year. Notably, the brand’s success on TikTok is driven by both its fashion and beauty business.
Similarly to Louis Vuitton, Dior has fueled its content on the platform with talent partnerships that have included K-pop stars and celebrities. In early summer 2024, Dior’s post featuring its ambassador Rosalía was responsible for a 1,070 percent increase in engagement on the brand’s TikTok, compared to engagement seen in the previous year.
Taking third and fourth ranking on Trendalytics’ list of most popular fashion brands on TikTok are Nike (6.6 million followers and a 66 percent increase in engagement year-over-year) and Adidas (8.2 million followers and 22 percent increase in engagement year-over-year). Both athletic brands have seen tremendous success on the platform through partnerships and the year’s notable global athletic events.
Trendalytics’ said that like Louis Vuitton, Nike has continued to perform well on TikTok, with participation in the Olympics in recent months having given the brand major attention. Athletes from the U.S. and around the world were seen on TikTok showing off Nike products and their sponsorships with the brand. The brand also saw increased engagement on its TikTok following an IP partnership with Power Puff Girls, which was aimed largely at Gen Z consumers who are known for loving the social media platform.
Similarly, Adidas’ success on TikTok is driven by athletic partnerships (particularly soccer) and saw increased attention during the UEFA European Football Championship when Adidas featured Spanish footballer Lamine Yamal on a viral TikTok post that led to a 6,786 percent increase in engagement to the brand’s page, compared to the brand’s yearly engagement average.
Gucci’s place as the fifth most popular fashion brand on TikTok with 5.1 million followers and a 32 percent increase in engagement year-over-year, follows a similar pattern as other luxury brands on the list with high-powered partnerships and a focus on marketing content which shows intent for the TikTok platform. Gucci’s partnerships seen on the site has included K-pop talent and a reach for its worldwide fandom.
A standout moment for the brand was seen in May when Gucci saw a 634 percent year-over-year increase in engagement for its TikTok post of behind-the-scenes footage of its denim campaign with K-pop star Hanni.
In sixth place, Burberry counts 4.7 million followers on TikTok with a 46 percent increase in TikTok mentions year-over-year. As an early adopter of the platform, Trendanalytics’ insights team noted that Burberry “took time to understand what made the platform tick and pursued Gen Z-forward, guerilla-like advertising strategies that worked.”
One example of its strategy can be seen in Burberry’s embracing of the @ducks_in_space account with its video of a duckling sleeping on a branded blanket. The post went viral and drove a 1,729 percent increase in engagement to Burberry’s TikTok.
With 2 million followers and a 32 percent increase in year-over-year engagement, PacSun follows in seventh place. As a “mall brand,” PacSun has managed to remain relevant to the younger consumer in a way that many brands have not, which Trendanalytics’ team said is likely due to the viral nature of PacSun’s baggy jeans, which have grown to represent 80 percent of the brand’s denim sales. PacSun’s timing in the denim cycle has also meant unique success with the TikTok Shop which has led to sold-out baggy denim for the retailer.
Also thriving in a surged popularity for denim is Levi’s at number eight counts 1.3 million TikTok followers and an 11 percent increase in TikTok mentions, year-over-year. Trendanalytics’ team told WWD that its research saw that “no denim brand has embraced Gen Z and social marketing like Levi’s” and that the brand “dominates its competitors on TikTok.”
Driving Levi’s success on TikTok is its approach to creating organic viral content with themes including fit and tailoring without influencers or talent. Notably, some of these videos have “gone viral for the wrong reasons.” In July the brand’s video about jean tailoring caught the attention of users who felt that the technique was “over-complicated.” The post led to an increase of 2,100 percent in engagement.
With 1.2 million followers and a 5 percent increase in year-over-year engagement, Versace is the ninth most popular fashion brand on TikTok and follows many of the same guidelines set by some of the higher-ranking luxury brands, including major partnerships with APAC stars. Some of the brand’s highlights of the year on TikTok include posts with K-pop star Hyunjin and its campaign with Chinese actress and singer Rosy Zhao.
In 10th place, Ralph Lauren earns its spot with 816,000 TikTok followers and a 404 percent increase in year-over-year engagement. The Olympics served to provide the brand with key moments that drove TikTok users to the brand’s content, however, it was Ralph Lauren’s collaboration with Naiomi Glasses, the Native American designer, that really increased attention on the platform (a 2,331 percent increase in engagement was seen for the post celebrating the collaboration).
Other fashion brands to watch on TikTok, according to Trendanalytics’ data include Zara, Shein, Asos, Lululemon, Prada and Coach. While some of these brands claim higher follower counts on TikTok, the company said they have fallen off the list of top 10 due to decreases in engagement, noting that power and success on TikTok is about more than audience size.
Launch Gallery: The Top Ten Fashion Brands on TikTok
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