{"id":4398,"date":"2018-02-02T21:26:11","date_gmt":"2018-02-02T21:26:11","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/genhq.com\/?p=4398"},"modified":"2022-07-23T09:30:41","modified_gmt":"2022-07-23T09:30:41","slug":"gen-z-influencers-changing-fashion-industry","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/genhq.com\/gen-z-influencers-changing-fashion-industry\/","title":{"rendered":"How Are Gen Z Influencers Changing the Fashion Industry?"},"content":{"rendered":"

It\u2019s no surprise that YouTube has profoundly affected two generations. Millennials who came of age during its rise, and Gen Z<\/a><\/span> who have now figured out how to use the platform to its fullest potential\u2014while make a living doing it.<\/p>\n

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This is especially true for Gen Zers in the fashion industry<\/a><\/span>.For them, YouTube is their version of Vogue<\/em> magazine. They watch videos to see what they should buy.<\/p>\n

The big difference is that they\u2019re not watching videos from the fashion brands. The people wearing the clothes aren\u2019t models, and the videos aren\u2019t commercials. Instead, they\u2019re videos from influencers\u2014real people who genuinely like and wear the products they recommend.<\/p>\n

Gen Z distrusts marketing<\/strong><\/p>\n

Gen Z has an inherent distrust <\/span>for advertising<\/span><\/a> and marketing. With their smartphones<\/a> in their pockets, they\u2019re the most marketed to generation — most apps even have sponsored content.<\/p>\n

This is also a boon for the Gen Zers who are<\/em> the influencers<\/a>.<\/span> Take Erica Louie, a YouTuber who goes by Miss Louie. Her full-time job is making fashion recommendations via YouTube videos\u2026and she has a six-figure salary from it!<\/p>\n

In her words<\/a><\/span>: “So I’ll literally turn on both cameras, stand in front of the white backdrop, and then model clothes, and then change out, and then just do it over and over again for hours.”<\/p>\n

A new way for Gen Z to make money<\/strong><\/p>\n

So how does she make money? NPR investigated<\/a>.<\/span> Let\u2019s say you like the jacket she’s wearing in a video. You can click on a link in the video description, which directs you to the retailer’s site, and for every jacket that’s sold, Louie gets a percentage from the cart total.<\/p>\n

This might seem simple, but Louie reportedly works 50-60 hours per week<\/a><\/span>, and uses her own money to buy the clothes she wears in her video. Her revenue is completely dependent on whether people buy the clothes she suggests!<\/p>\n

What\u2019s the takeaway for fashion brands?<\/strong><\/p>\n

The most important thing for Gen Z is that Louie is not beholden to any one company; she recommends items that she genuinely likes. Rhea Park, a Gen Z journalist for NPR, writes: \u201cThat freedom and customization is refreshing to Gen Zers like me. We are more interested in connecting with real people than with companies.\u201d<\/p>\n

For fashion brands that means:<\/p>\n