Who Sets the Fashion Trends in 2025?

A pigeon-shaped bag. Distressed sneakers for €1,000. A dress created live.
Fashion in 2025 has learned from TikTok: provoking, surprising, and generating conversation is part of the game.
But are we talking about creativity or strategy?

From runways to algorithms

For decades, fashion operated vertically: a designer created, a magazine editorialized, and the public accepted. Today, the journey is radically different. And faster. Decisions are no longer made solely on the runways of Paris or Milan, but on TikTok timelines, Instagram carousels, and in the comments of a viral video.

The algorithm is the new editor-in-chief. And consumers are the new creatives.

Gen Z and Alpha don't wait for a trend to come down from the sky (or the runway). They invent it, remix it, and make it viral. Fashion brands in 2025 that want to keep up must move with agility, adapting their communication and content strategy to the frantic pulse of what's viral.

What is changing?

#1 Content is the product

Today, a garment must not only be worn; it must be told. Brands like Coperni understand that a live action (like a dress spray-painted onto Bella Hadid) can have more impact than an entire campaign. The lesson? Content is not an accessory; it is an essential part of the design. Visual and emotional storytelling is now part of the product creation process.

#2 TikTok sets the pace (and the tone)

The reigning platform among Gen Z has redefined what it means to be "fashionable." Trend cycles have accelerated so much that what was "it" yesterday is cheugy tomorrow. This forces brands to think of campaigns that are not just creative, but modular and reactive.

🎯 If you are in fashion ecommerce, this translates to:

• Product pages optimized not just for SEO, but to capture emotions and clicks.

• Descriptions that read well… and sound even better in a 15-second video.

• Multichannel content that adapts to each format without losing consistency.

#3 The community also designs

Beyond the hype, there is an undeniable reality: the consumer wants to participate. Not just to give an opinion, but to influence. From comments that make a garment go viral to duets where a look is reinterpreted, user-generated content (UGC) becomes a brand asset. Companies that get it don't just listen: they co-create.

And ecommerce? It’s changing too

Fashion brands in 2025 that succeed in this environment no longer focus solely on selling, but on creating content experiences tailored to each culture and platform. This is where agencies like iTrend come in, helping to translate not just the language, but the intent, aesthetics, and emotion of every word.

📈 An effective content strategy today includes:

• Cultural and linguistic adaptation so that each message resonates locally.

• AI integration to respond quickly to new micro-trends.

• Process automation without losing the human touch in the brand voice.

So, who sets the fashion trends in 2025?

The answer is no longer a "who," but a "how."

Viral, visual, and fast. Today's fashion doesn't follow a calendar; it follows an algorithm.

And that algorithm listens to Gen Z.

Power has changed hands: from designers to platforms, from editors to creators, from the showroom to the scroll. In this new paradigm, brands that want to stand out must be fast, authentic, and locally relevant.

And above all, they must know how to transform every garment into a story ready to break the internet.

iTrend