TikTok has made it easier than ever to bypass traditional NYFW invites. But for industry insiders, it’s become a major headache.
For Baira, the ability to share this kind of intel—alongside tips for aspiring models to make the most out of casting calls—is part of her general mission to democratize insider information, partially stemming from her own experience working as a Fashion Week intern while attending college in New York and then as a model after graduating. “I don’t believe in gatekeeping,” she says.
There is a case to be made that the TikTokification of Fashion Week is reminiscent of the days when many a pearl was clutched over the swift coup of power thatbrought to the high fashion world in the 2000s; the worth of a press pass handed over to an influencer capable of nabbing millions of views for a single video over a more institutional content creator makes itself more obvious with each passing day.
“It’s a big learning curve for sure,” one of the fashion publicists, who described themselves as a personal fan of TikTok, acknowledged. “It becomes a man power issue. At regular shows, you would have four or five checking in, and that’s okay, but what happens if 20% of them are not even on the list? You still have to check them one by one…. Runway shows are 15, 20 minutes. It’s a very high-stress situation.
Whatever the answer is, it looks like the fashion industry will have to figure something out fast: The TikTok inundation is a matter of crowd control, sure, but it’s also raising high-stakes questions about the nature of modern fashion’s supposed commitment to accessibility, inclusivity, and relevance.