Why Does Gen-Z Have a Place in Louis Vuitton?

YouTube, Instagram, TikTok, or whichever platforms give rise to social media influencers are an undeniably successful and innovative forms of advertising for brands. In fact, 57% of brands use influencers as part of their marketing plans. However, as the average age of social media users continues to fall, society’s favorite influencers are becoming younger and younger—some of the most powerful people on Instagram are under the age of 21!

It is an honor bestowed upon actors, singers, and supermodels alike to become the face of a luxury brand.  Penelope Cruz and Margot Robbie currently represent the French fashion house Chanel. Kendall Jenner is the face of Estée Lauder cosmetics. These three women are widely-known, high-paid, women in the entertainment industry. However, in the last year, some brands have starting dipping their toes into another pool of talent to represent their brands.

Last year, Emma Chamberlain was invited to Paris Fashion Week, sponsored by Louis Vuitton. At the time, Chamberlain was 17 years old. She grew to fame at an alarmingly fast rate on YouTube, where her channel now has over 8.5 million subscribers. She’s known for her comedic commentary on anything from DIY’s to coffee tasting and baking tutorials.

When she attended fashion week last spring, the Internet had a few things to say about her presence at one of the most important events in fashion. Her typical “brand” is an unkept, makeup-less, messy-bun-wearing, coffee-drinking 17-year-old. So, when she stepped out of a car at the esteemed event, some Internet users questioned Louis Vuitton’s choice of representative.

Most recently, Prada also jumped on the influencer train, pulling from newest social media platform craze, TikTok. One of the biggest names on the app, Charlie D’Amelio, sat front row at Prada’s show during Milan Fashion Week. D’Amelio is just 15 years old but has over 28 million followers on TikTok. 

But what exactly qualifies her, and Chamberlain, to sit front row, representing some of the largest and most luxurious names in fashion?

This is an answer we do not have.  Influencer marketing is undoubtedly a massively popular and successful revenue generator.  A sponsored makeup tutorial or an Instagram post featuring a pair of designer shoes is absolutely an acceptable and nonchalant form of marketing that is most certainly taken advantage of.

Additionally, influencers who are seasoned professionals in the luxury purchasing market, or whose “brand” revolves around beauty and fashion, fit the mold to be sitting front row at fashion week. But teenagers who test vegan fast food and dance in their bathroom to rap songs doesn’t seem like the right type of person to take the seats of other big names in fashion.

Editors, bloggers, models, celebrities, and photographers used to be the only people making front row. But who knows who will be taking those seats in the future.