One (of many) revelation about humanity that have arose from this global pandemic is that we're willing to do just about anything to keep being social. We've substituted face-to-face interactions for face-to-screen interactions—Zoom meetings, FaceTime dinner dates and Houseparty game nights. And we've downloaded TikTok to create some levity and mindless content while healthcare frontline workers battle COVID-19.
If you're still stuck on Instagram as your number one social media of choice, TikTok may be foreign to you. The Chinese video-sharing social networking app has actually been around since 2016 and expanded beyond China a year later. The platform allows users to create short videos of a maximum duration of one minute, with editing features such as adding background music and filters. It has since become a platform where teens and Generation Zers lip-sync to music, create video memes and generally borderline funny content.
TikTok has become one of the fastest growing social media apps in the past couple of years; it was the top free non-gaming iOS app in the US for the month of September 2019. With staying home becoming the new normal under circuit breaker (or lockdown, let's be honest) measures, TikTok has seen a spike in downloads with 115 million downloads worldwide for the month of March 2020 alone.
But apart from the sometimes mindless content, TikTok has grown to be quite the avenue for creators of diverse interests and passions. The fashion industry for example, has taken to the platform's short-form videos as a new way of communicating branding, especially to a younger audience. As much as TikTok is dominated by it's spade of e-boys and e-girls (a youth subculture of which TikTok is credited as being the home ground), there is a growing number of fashionable individuals sharing outfits and making creative content with fashion as the key focus.
Perhaps these five fashion TikTok accounts may make you want to take a stab at joining the community.
Drew Baker — @_drewbaker
@_drewbakerWhich cities should I do next? Creds:@jessmclements ##MMMDrop ##promplaylist ##snackbreak ##goingpro ##SpaDeOlay♬ Tadow – Masego & FKJ
Look out for: Baker plays around with fashion stereotypes quite a bit. He styles himself in outfits based on themes that range from fictional cartoon characters to relatable real-life geographical style tropes. Yet, they never seem costume-y and are quite easy to replicate.
Tim Dessaint — @timdessaint
@timdessaintWhich pair is your favorite? ? ##shoechange ##shoes ##foryou ##fyp♬ Run free – Deep Chills feat. IVIE
Look out for: If you're looking for outfit inspirations that are clean, simple and timeless, this account is it. In fact, we'd compare Dessaint's style to that of a Mr Porter fan. Also watch out for special appearances by famed Instagram style stars such as Marcel Floruss.
Everett Williams — @iameverettwilliams
@iameverettwilliamsHow to style high waisted blue jeans! ##mensstyle ##highwaistedjeans ##howtostyle ##styletips ##5waystowear ##bluejeans♬ Supalonely (feat. Gus Dapperton) – BENEE
Look out for: Pretty smooth transitions. One trick that most #TikTokFashion accounts use pretty heavily in their videos is quick transitions, and Williams is a master. Being stuck at home has also made him share some tips and tricks to creating new pieces out of your existing clothes.
Kawa — @boykawa
@boykawaok but do we like this fit doe?♬ MY SOUNDDD – txshy_bxbesss
Look out for: Straightforward style tips that revolve around one fashion item—be it corduroy trousers or thrift store finds. Kawa is also pretty handy with a sewing machine and even created a long-sleeved top out of towels.
Young Emperors — @young_emperors
@young_emperorsStopping time for a minute ©️ ##matchingcouple ##연인 ##カップル ##一對 ##love ##사랑 ##愛 ##洛夫##matchingoutfits ##커플룩 ##ペアルック ##配套服裝 ##couplegoals ##几个目标 ##performance♬ Young emperors street noises – young_emperors
Look out for: Just really random couple videos, doing really random things—there's one where the girl plays around with the fringes of the guy's jacket like a harp, right on the street—but always in impeccable fashion.
