If 2022 was the year of designer collaborations and fashion cores, 2023 may be the year of TikTok influencers with elevated style, and independent designers breaking through.
In a new report, trend intelligence platform Trendalytics named its top ten TikTok influencers and ready-to-wear brands to watch.
Leading the influencer pack is 25-year-old Swede Matilda Djerf who got her start on YouTube, has 1.3 million TikTok followers and launched her women’s wear label Djerf Avenue in 2019. Known best for her youthful take on the classics (i.e. straight fit jeans, blazers and button-down shirts), Djerf’s personal style is a breath of fresh air in comparison to her Y2K, trend-obsessed cohorts.
She is followed by Kenneth Pabon, a New Yorker whose 538,700 TikTok followers enjoy his comedic videos with a LGBTQ+ spin, and Mary Leest, a 25-year-old Russian model and blogger with 1 million followers on Instagram.
Fashion Institute of Technology (FIT) student Kate Bartlett, who boasts 1.3 million TikTok followers, is No. 4 while model and DJ Chantel Jeffries is fifth.
Rounding out the list, in descending order, are young trend forecaster Coco Mocoe, luxury handbag expert Charles Gross, Cosmopolitan magazine’s digital director Abby Silverman, 25-year-old corporate humorist Corporate Natalie and radio host Davis Burleson.
Regarding the most important fashion brands to watch, Trendalytics chose Monot, a New York-based brand designed by Eli Mizrahi and an “It” girl favorite known for its cutout styles, as its top ready-to-wear choice. Monot has had more than 41.3 million views on TikTok.
U.K. brand 16 Arlington, which offers everything from ripped trouser jeans to sequin mini dresses, nabbed the No. 2 spot. Black-owned and woman-owned Hanifa, which offers knit dresses and corset tops “for women without limits,” “naked dress” designer Nensi Dojaka and Australian brand With Jéan rounded out the top five RTW brands to watch respectively.
Sustainable label Mirror Palais, Naomi Campbell-approved Sukeina, quirky brand Puppets & Puppets and Aknvas, a men’s and women’s wear brand founded by Danish designer Christian Juul Nielsen, are gaining momentum.
Meanwhile, Source Unknown, a two-year-old brand from Asia, is one to watch for its clean, minimalistic aesthetic at a contemporary price-point. The brand currently sells elastic waistband jeans and fleece-lined jeans.
The Trendalytics report also included six accessories and beauty brands to watch, topped by trend-driven jewelry line 8 Other Reasons and shoe label Giaborghini and Korean cosmetics line CLE and clean makeup brand Tower 28.