The biggest event in the world of fashion is Fashion Week. Shows bring the excitement and glamour many associate with the industry. Until very recently, less than 10 years ago, the hype around fashion shows was different. Fashion weeks were considered exclusive events reserved for the fashion insiders, and the unveiling of trends during a show was only seen by the public through media coverage much after the actual show took place.

Like everything else, this has changed completely thanks to technology. In 2009, Alexander McQueen streamed the SS10 show live from Paris. Before this Louis Vuitton streamed its fall show to Facebook during the prior season. The following year, Alexander Wang, Marc Jacobs, and Burberry began Live streaming. IMG, which owns NYFW, began streaming shows in 2011. The company had said that Live Streaming helps brands reach a wider audience and build brand trust. Making fashion accessible has been the goal for most brands for a decade.

Initially the idea received push-back from key decision makers. But then brands started using Live Streaming as a means of understanding their customers. For example, originally buyers made the decision if a product had the potential to sell, but through social media, brands could understand the audience reception of products immediately after the show, even before the collection went into production. How customers engage with the brand directly, gives brands key insights about the demand, without having to go through the long process of designer to buyer to customer.

Chronology of Live Streaming on Social Media

The main channels of Live Streaming originally were fashion websites, but soon after, Social Media platforms integrated Live Streaming capability.

Meerkat and Periscope led to the popularity of live video streaming which only started to peak in 2015. The latest platform to add the live streaming feature was LinkedIn, which is largely used to share business news by brands.

Top Channels for Live Streaming

Fashionbi analysed the top brands showcasing during fashion week for FW23. Instagram is the top channel used for livestreaming with 93% of the brands choosing to go live on it during their fashion show. Youtube is a close second with 90% of the brands using the platform. Although only 34% of the brands chose to live stream on Twitter, the average number of users who logged into the platform was the highest. 29K Twitter users were seen on average viewing the fashion show live streams. Instagram came in second, with an average of 6.6K live viewers.

Most Asian channels report the number of total viewers for each live stream, which gives us an understanding of the number of users who log onto them to watch the shows. In terms of the number of users, Chinese platform Weibo leads. The channel had an average of almost 16M users logging in to watch the fashion shows. Other Asian platforms such as Douyin (Chinese TikTok) and KakaoTalk (popular in South Korea) also had a number of users logging in on an average. In fact, Douyin had almost 10x the number of average livestream viewers as compared to TikTok.

Top Shows for FW23

Saint Laurent Women's FW 2023 attracted the highest number of viewers with 277K on Twitter, indicating its strong presence and popularity on the platform. Louis Vuitton Women's FW 2023 had a substantial viewership of 21K on TikTok, suggesting its appeal to a younger and more trend-focused audience. Surprisingly, LinkedIn garnered over 800 live viewers for the same Louis Vuitton show, implying a growing interest in professional networking platforms for fashion-related content.

Bottega Veneta Men's and Women's Winter 2023 show had a decent viewership of 20K on YouTube, a platform known for its wide accessibility. Gucci Women's FW 2023 captured 17.7K live viewers on Instagram, showcasing the brand's strong presence on the visual-centric platform. Dior's Women's FW 2023 - 24 show had close to 800 live viewers on Facebook, suggesting a relatively smaller but engaged audience on the platform.

Overall, the data indicates that different social media channels attract diverse user bases for live fashion show viewings, and brands must consider their target audience and platform preferences when planning their digital strategies.

Live Streaming for APAC regions

While the previous analysis focused on Western social media channels, it's important to highlight the popularity and performance of Asian platforms for live fashion show viewings. WeChat emerges as the most popular channel in China, with an average viewership of 41K users and Loewe leading the pack with an impressive 158K live stream viewers on WeChat. Weibo, on the other hand, boasts the largest user base, attracting an average of 15.8 million viewers for fashion shows. The Prada Group achieved remarkable success in China, amassing a staggering 28 million live stream viewers on Weibo.

KakaoTalk is a widely popular messaging app in South Korea, known for its extensive features and strong user base. Chanel FW 2023-24 show had 304K live viewers logging in to watch the show.

These numbers indicate the significant influence and reach of Asian social media channels in the fashion industry. As of now only the top brands live streamed on APAC channels. Brands looking to target the Asian market should leverage these platforms to engage with a large and enthusiastic audience.

Cover Image: Dior FW23 Women’s Show, courtesy Dior Facebook page