F is for Fendi: How Luxury Brands Cater to Gen Z via Social Media

In the ever-changing and fast-paced fashion industry, in order to stay current, it is essential for brands to successfully navigate the developing landscape and the constant growth of new social platforms.

Fashion brands have to be ahead of the curve in order to stay connected with all possible consumers  – the new and the old. Italian fashion house Fendi has seen major success over the past few years launching innovative digital campaigns, all of which put the younger generation on center-stage.

The New York Post reported in early 2020 that just one year prior, Gen Z surpassed both millennials and Baby Boomers and took the title of the largest documented generation. Aside from being the largest generation, they are also the most hyper-connected. Born between 1996 and 2010, they have grown up immersed in technology. 

Social media has had a significant impact on Gen Z due to their constant content exposure. This not only influences them as individuals, but also as consumers. It was recently reported that 73% of Gen Z expect brands and retailers to communicate with them through social media about new products and promotions. With the rise of the new generation, comes a new wave of social media

Over the past decade, Instagram has been the go-to social media platform to launch and drive marketing campaigns. The app has been a top choice for many within the fashion industry as the platform provides brands with the opportunity to curate an entire profile that abides by, and sells their story. 

Business of Fashion notes, “Without the entry barriers of magazine advertising — where a one-page glossy ad can cost tens of thousands of dollars – sites like Instagram, a fashionista favourite, have allowed unknown labels to find an audience with canny or eye-catching campaigns.”

Unknown labels are not the only ones pushing their digital presence, it was also revealed that in recent years, Louis Vuitton has allocated half of their marketing costs solely to digital media. In today’s day and age it is imperative that brands are making the most of their online presence in order to reach the next wave of consumers, those who hold the digital world in high regard. 

Fendi is a luxury brand that is taking their online presence a step further that simply highlighting campaigns on their feed. The Italian fashion house utilizes all aspects of Instagram to market their brand and to ensure they are relatable to this younger ‘Insta-Generation’.

Whether it be through creating bespoke face filters to drive conversation around certain campaigns, highlighting runway shows on Instagram’s new ‘Reels’ feature or simply pushing collaborations with Instagram’s top fashion influencers, Fendi is at the forefront of it all. 

Fendi is no stranger to the digital age. In 2017, the fashion house launched a 360° communication platform in hopes of, again, connecting with a younger generation. F Is For… was a digital platform that was created by millennials for millennials.

The site fed consumers Fendi DNA, but through UI design, allowed them to take charge in how they engaged with the information. This digital innovation was quoted to be “one of the most authentic tools for the house to reach new audiences”. The content on the site was filtered and categorized through five different paths, giving users access to editorials, profiles, hidden city recommendations, curated playlists and more; all of which had been designed and tailored to excite younger consumers. Through contemporary technology the brand created a cutting-edge digital platform that touched on and celebrated all aspects of millennial lifestyle, that once again called upon an up and coming generation. 

Entering the 2020s brought substantial change to many aspects of society. The rise of the digital platform, TikTok was one of them. Once again attempting to stay ahead of the curve, Fendi launched their TikTok profile in July of 2020 in partnership with Disney star, and ‘gen-zer,’ Sabrina Carpenter. Looking back to prior success, the brand revisited their “#FisforFendi” campaign, revamping the concept by posting 6 TikTok videos featuring the 22 year old social media star.

The majority of these videos gained at least 800k views. Going off of their immense success on the video sharing app, the brand has gone on to highlight other campaigns with the help of TikTok influencers such as Brittany Xavier. The fashion house has even gone as far as inviting prominent content creators such as Wisdom Kaye to document backstage life of #MFW using the live video feature on the app, bringing their younger viewers closer to the world of fashion than ever before.

This younger generation holds more power than one may think, they have the power to cause a shift in the fashion industry. As luxury brands adapt to this new wave of consumers, will they follow in the footsteps of this generation? It is very possible that in the near future we will see brands learning from their younger followers and taking necessary steps towards a more optimistic future.