Save this story Save Story Save this story As fashion month settles into a more familiar rhythm, after the blockbuster excitement of last year’s creative reset , brands are becoming more deliberate about the talent they invite to their shows. For Spring/ Summer 2027, established ambassadors and global fandoms continued to drive social engagement, with Thai drama stars eclipsing K-pop idols for the first time to dominate the overall ranking. But alongside the biggest names, brands also looked to more niche talent, from streamers to ceramicists, that better align with their ethos than an A-list name.
This season generated $1.24 billion in earned media value (EMV), a 64% increase compared to FW26’s $755 million, according to influencer marketing platform Lefty. (Lefty analyzes the impressions and engagement generated by influencers’ — with 10,000+ followers — Instagram posts that reference an on-schedule show. EMV is calculated as $1 per like.)
Paris remained the most powerful city by social media reach, generating $795.6 million in EMV, or 64% of the season’s total. Milan followed with $311.4 million (25%), while New York generated $107 million (9%), and London racked up $27.3 million (2%). London welcomed back Alexander McQueen to the schedule for the first time since 2022, generating $1.6 million in EMV, alongside Burberry ($10.8 million) and H&M ($7.6 million), leading to a 6.2% increase compared to last season.
On Chinese social media platform Weibo, Paris Fashion Week generated $328.6 million in EMV — more than threefold that of Milan. Most interestingly, its Hot Topics attracted over 128 million engagements, with brands rather than celebrities accounting for most of the platform’s top 10 topics, unlike in New York and London where celebrities led the conversation.
On TikTok, #FashionWeek generated over a billion views across 140,400 posts, while the SS27-specific hashtag generated hundreds of millions of views across 18,200 posts. There, Prada dominated the conversation, with #PradaSS27 generating over 147 million views from just 1,900 posts. On Snapchat, from August 1 to September 10, the top three luxury brands mentioned in public captions were Gucci, Dior, and Prada.
On Instagram, however, it was once again Dior that topped the global ranking, generating $360 million in EMV, up 309% year-on-year. As in previous seasons, Thai actress Kornnaphat Sethratanapong was a key performance driver for the house, generating $112 million in EMV across 20 posts. Schiaparelli saw the biggest year-on-year EMV growth, surging 974% to $5.9 million, led by Thai actors Napatsakorn Pingmuang and Harit Buayoi. While Chanel held relatively steady at $56 million EMV, up 2% on SS26, led by Thai actor Lorena Schuett, it did not enter the top 10. Matières Fécales grew its EMV by a standout 795% year-on-year, thanks to a surprise appearance by Rihanna.
In Milan, Prada topped the ranking, generating $61.2 million in EMV, up 34% year-on-year. Its performance was bolstered by a strong front row, featuring Thai talent Tipnaree Weerawatnodom who generated $17.4 million in EMV across 15 posts, followed by Japanese singer Sana of Twice ($6.8 million) and Thai actor Win Metawin ($6.1 million). Ferragamo followed closely with $56.3 million, driven largely by Thai actor Faye Peraya Malisorn, who generated $43.4 million in EMV across 26 posts. Gucci generated $47.9 million, up 51% year-on-year, thanks to Thai actor Krit Amnuaydechkorn’s $4.8 million EMV via 10 posts.
A tale of two strategies This season revealed a split in brands’ talent strategies; where some doubled down on global stars, others turned to niche talent.
“We saw Thai drama stars completely take over K-pop stars in our Instagram rankings for Paris, with all five top spots going to Thai talents,” says Anna Ross, VP of insights at Karla Otto, who produces a seasonal report of Lefty’s data (the two companies are owned by The Independents group). Together, they generated $412.2 million in EMV — more than the entire Paris FW26 season ($403.6 million) — and of the top 50 profiles tracked, took up 52% of the week’s overall EMV.
The dominance of Thai actors was partly a numbers game: according to Ross, the actors published upward of 20 to 30 posts around fashion week, driven by highly engaged fan bases that expect extensive coverage. Plus, their influence extends beyond the stars themselves — Sethratanapong’s makeup artist, Surapre Achirakul, ranked eighth by EMV in Paris at $12.4 million, as members of the actors’ wider entourage also posted content from the shows.
Some brands took a quieter approach. At Acne Studios, the front row included Japanese ceramic artist Takuro Kuwata, artist Jonathan Lyndon Chase and photographer Peter Schlesinger, alongside music artists Kim Gordon and Bladee. “There’s a broader cultural shift happening, with people posting less online and being offline becoming a kind of luxury. You can see that filtering into brand strategy, like Valentino asking guests to bring a book to exchange,” says Ross. “Brands are drilling down into these niche little pockets of community to be more specific about what their brand ethos and world actually mean.”
In recent seasons, fashion week conversation has often been dominated by stunts like Duran Lantink’s viral boob plate, alongside rage bait cameos by the likes of Clavicular or Bryan Johnson. Aside from Miu Miu, which always invites unexpected runway cameos (this time, there was Olivia Colman, Jamie Bell and Emma Corrin), this season, there seemed to be fewer genuinely surprising casting moments, with brands leaning instead into established relationships with their ambassadors.
“I thought the front rows were a lot quieter this season. There was much less unexpectedness. No detriment to anyone, but whether it was Jennifer Lopez at Dolce & Gabbana or Uma Thurman at Zimmermann, it felt like the usual suspects,” says Andrew Lister, executive vice president at Purple PR. “In previous seasons, there’s been a lot of excitement around new talent coming through, whether that was Taiwanese actors or the Heated Rivalry guys. It was great to have people like Dan Levy at Celine, but I think brands largely stuck to their ambassadors this time.”
In New York, Tommy Hilfiger returned to the runway for the first time since 2024, generating $36 million in EMV and topping the ranking. Much of its front row consisted of familiar faces with existing ties to the brand, including campaign stars Gigi Hadid, who opened the show, and Kate Moss, alongside global ambassador Jisoo, who generated $4 million in EMV (she typically only attends Dior, where she drives a large share of EMV), Camila Cabello and Patrick Schwarzenegger.
“We look for genuine connection. We’re not chasing whoever is trending. We’re investing in talent who share our spirit, bring something unexpected to the brand, and open the door to new communities,” says Virginia Ritchie, chief marketing officer at Tommy Hilfiger. That’s not to say that this emphasis on continuity doesn’t rule out newness, with burgeoning star Slayyyter making a surprise appearance at the show’s finale, performing hits “Unknown Loverz” and “Dance” for the crowd. “The magic is in that mix: icons who have defined our story and new voices who will shape its future.”
Unexpected attention was on NYFW, but for the discomfort and discourse, talent — both established and emerging — shone through.
“Brands want to hone their messaging,” adds Lister. “If they’ve worked with someone for years and see them as a muse or an ambassador, they want that relationship to feel coherent and consistent, so their messaging comes across clearly.”
One notable exception to the season’s more familiar casting was Chanel’s decision to put Nigerian model and creator Rachel Ojuromi on the runway. Ojuromi has grown a recent social media following for videos recreating Matthieu Blazy’s Chanel looks , alongside her friend and stylist Debby Fasingha, on the streets of Lagos. In this instance, though, rather than simply tapping into a viral internet personality, Chanel brought a story that had emerged organically from its own cultural footprint into the real world. Blazy has long been fluent in internet speak: the creative director made headlines during SS25 after inviting creator Jools Lebron to the Bottega Veneta show, shortly after her “very demure, very mindful” video went viral.
Streamers made their mark on fashion month this season. Kai Cenat, the hugely popular Twitch streamer, brought his own label Vivet to New York Fashion Week. The brand ranked eighth among those by earned media value (EMV), generating $2.3 million; posts featuring the #KaiCenat hashtag on TikTok were also up 265%. Meanwhile, Swedish streamer and content creator Marlon Lundgren Garcia was London Fashion Week’s top-performing talent, accumulating $1 million in EMV for Burberry and H&M combined. The live-stream format also made its way onto the runway. Also in London, Ebay hosted a shoppable live stream that allowed viewers to purchase pieces as they appeared on the runway.
“I don’t think brands have fully fathomed how enormous streaming and gaming is. We recently read a study that surveyed Gen Alpha, and 100% said they played games in some capacity,” says Karla Otto’s Ross. “Brands are reaching the broad audiences watching these streamers, but they’re also starting to speak to younger generations for whom gaming is such commonplace behavior that it makes sense for brands to show up there.” She adds that over the next five to 10 years, we’ll see even more brands immersing themselves in these worlds, whether through streamer talent or placing themselves directly into games.
Sports stars are also here to stay. At Balenciaga in Paris, French striker Hugo Ekitiké sat alongside Vogue ’s Anna Wintour, while tennis stars Jannik Sinner and Aryna Sabalenka attended Gucci in Milan. Tennis star Naomi Osaka was among the guests at Moschino, while in London, sprinter Dina Asher-Smith attended Burberry. “We published a report on the intersection of sport and fashion two or three years ago, and it remains one of our most-downloaded pieces,” says Ross. “I think that reflects how brands are increasingly tapping into broader cultural sectors, whether that’s sport, cinema or music. From a consumer perspective, sport is one of the last great unifying forces, bringing people together across different communities.”
However, what Ross found most interesting this season was the rise of niche sports. “At Burberry, we saw Chinese snooker champion Wu Yize, while darts star Luke Littler is another example of how fashion is looking beyond traditional sports such as football to connect with new audiences.” Ultimately, the opportunity lies in reaching communities that might not otherwise engage with fashion, but could form meaningful connection with it in the future, rather than generating more attention for attention’s sake.
Source: Lifestyle
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