Brat, bodysuits and bag charms: The year in TikTok

If you were one of the 1.5 billion people that used TikTok this year, you may have seen the Four Seasons Orlando baby, been influenced to buy a bag charm, calculated your aura points, done the apple dance, looked for a man in finance and probably felt sufficiently brain rotted (if not, you might after reading this paragraph). In 2024, TikTok solidified its role as a hub of creativity, sparking micro-trends, inspiring purchases and defining digital-first strategies for brands. This year, 63 per cent of users reported discovering fashion products on TikTok, according to data provided by the platform, while one in three users shared recommendations for fashion items they had purchased, highlighting TikTok’s pivotal role in shaping consumer behaviour. More broadly, TikTok has upended the traditional seasonality of fashion, replacing it with a continuous cycle of discovery and conversation. The platform has become a dynamic ecosystem where creators, brands and communities collaborate in real time to create and refine trends, catering to audiences’ ever-growing demands for immediacy, transparency and authenticity. Today, success on TikTok means more than just visibility; it’s about engaging with the community in ways that feel genuine and culturally relevant. In 2024, brands leaned into authenticity by relinquishing traditional creative control and empowering creators to take the reins. Rather than co-opting viral trends or imposing rigid campaign structures, successful partnerships centred on showcasing creators’ unique voices and styles. Marc Jacobs, for example, collaborated with model and food content creator Nara Smith, who ‘cooked’ a tote bag from scratch (the video has been viewed over 16 million times), while Jacquemus tapped roller-skating creator Janis to skate in its clothes (viewed over two million times). Brands that thrive on TikTok have mastered the art of entering conversations naturally while adopting the platform’s unique language (with #Demure and #Aura having 21,300 and 1.3 million posts, respectively). Here, we look at what broke through on TikTok this year, using data from the Vogue Business TikTok Trend Tracker. Brat summer If Barbie pink was the colour of 2023, Brat green claimed 2024. The murky hue, central to Charli XCX’s album branding, became synonymous with the messy self-expression that defined the summer. Fashion searches for “slime green” surged 17 per cent across June and July, according to Lyst, with multiple brands such as Flannels, Kate Spade and ColourPop Cosmetics putting out Brat green shopping edits. Central to the Brat summer phenomenon was marketing masterstroke the Brat Wall. Painted in the aforementioned Brat green and located in Greenpoint, New York, the wall served as both an album announcement hub and a gathering space for fans. At its unveiling, Charli XCX lip-synced her single ‘360’ while perched on a car, causing a roadblock as crowds swarmed the area. Her TikTok video of the event garnered 12.2 million views, while the term “Brat Wall” has since appeared in over 5.7 million TikTok posts. Another track from the album, ‘Apple’, became an instant sensation on TikTok, sparking a viral dance trend with over a million users hopping on board. Between the album’s June release and July, Brat generated $22.5 million in media impact value (the monetary value of posts, article mentions and social media interactions), according to Launchmetrics, underscoring its cultural and commercial resonance. The album’s influence transcended music and fashion, even finding its way into political discourse. Ahead of the UK’s general election, the Green Party co-opted the album’s aesthetic, creating a Brat green graphic styled like the album cover but emblazoned with the words: “Vote Green”. Then, Charli XCX’s “Kamala is Brat” tweet (referring to US presidential candidate Kamala Harris) sparked a wave of online engagement. Fans and supporters of Harris embraced the moment, creating memes, parodies and viral remixes. The year of ‘internet speak’ From Brat to the viral phrase “very demure, very mindful”, popularised by Jools Lebron, TikTok has become a driving force behind countless trends that have embedded themselves into the cultural lexicon this year — leaving brands scrambling to navigate said internet speak. Lebron’s #Demure trend, which inspired millions — including Jennifer Lopez, Reese Witherspoon, Penn Badgley and Kim Kardashian — to create their own content using the “very demure, very mindful” catchphrase, resonated so widely that it was named 2024’s Word of the Year by Dictionary.com. Collins English Dictionary awarded its word of the year to “Brat”, while Oxford University Press opted for “brain rot”, in reference to the impact of consuming excessive low-quality online content, especially from social media — citing a 230 per cent increase in usage from 2023 to 2024. The term itself was quickly embraced online, including by the likes of language-learning app Duolingo (whose green owl mascot is an influencer in its own right) by engaging in a gibberish “brain rot-inspired” rendition of ‘Cotton Eye Joe’, which garnered over 68 million views and 6.6 million likes on TikTok. Another standout phenomenon is the concept of aura and awarding aura points. Originating from online football groups to describe a player’s presence on the pitch, the term soon popularised following an article from The New York Times that described Liverpool FC’s Virgil van Dijk’s missed goal as overlooked due to his “aura”. On TikTok, the trend revolves around evaluating a person’s ‘cool factor’ through hypothetical aura points, awarded or deducted based on their perceived skills or demeanor. The #Aura hashtag has since racked up over 1.3 million posts. South Korean pistol shooter Kim Yeji, for example, was hailed as having “maxed out” aura points by the TikTok community during the 2024 Olympic Games, cementing her status as a cultural icon. Crocs and Netflix both incorporated the concept into their marketing campaigns this year. Rizz — shorthand for “charisma” — also gained traction, with Marc Jacobs leaning into the “TikTok Rizz Party” by partnering with creators involved in the phenomenon such as Brandon Conner and Noah Glenn Carter. As did Skibidi Toilet, a slang word originating from a viral YouTube series, which was adopted by Gen Alpha to describe something cool and later adopted by Gen Z and millennials for humorous and ironic use. Highlighting the trend’s reach, Kardashian’s 11-year-old daughter North West gifted the Skims mogul a diamond necklace engraved with “Skibidi Toilet” for her 44th birthday. Summer of sports In 2024, TikTok revolutionised the way we experience sports, reshaping how fans interact with athletes, teams and leagues while amplifying underrepresented voices. There was a 350 per cent increase in #SportsOnTikTok posts compared to the previous year, underscoring the platform’s growing influence on the sports industry as a whole. The excitement reached new heights during the Paris Olympics, held from 26 July to 11 August. Olympics-related hashtags generated 1.9 million posts and nearly 50 billion views, while the official Olympics TikTok accounts amassed almost two billion views. TikTok also provided a platform for inclusivity and impact, with over 1.5 million users tuning into @Paralympics’s live broadcasts. The Olympic Village itself became a focal point for TikTok creators, with rugby athlete Ilona Maher likening it to the “Love Island villa”. With 4,700 posts about the village, viewers were captivated by athlete-style GRWM videos, food diaries and behind-the-scenes camaraderie among competitors. Even trends like the “Unfortunately I was not selected” meme captured the spirit of the event, sparking over 415,100 posts. This year’s games were also full of unexpected viral moments that turned niche athletes into social media stars. From Yeji’s viral debut, which has since earned her Dazed and GQ covers, as well as a Balenciaga campaign, to Italian swimmer and gold medallist Thomas Ceccon (mentioned in 50.7 million TikTok videos this year), TikTok helped birth a new generation of sports ambassadors for luxury houses. TikTok Shop meets luxury In the US, the number of TikTok Shop live sessions hosted each month nearly tripled this year. However, the app’s boldest step was expanding into secondhand luxury, raising its price cap to £4,000 to accommodate verified sellers of pre-loved designer goods in April. The move taps into the growing appetite for sustainable and accessible luxury among Gen Z consumers, with the #PreLovedFashion hashtag generating over 62,000 videos on the app. Five UK-based resale companies — Luxe Collective, Sellier Knightsbridge, Sign of the Times, Hardly Ever Worn It and Break Archive — led the charge, leveraging TikTok’s unique blend of short-form videos and shoppable live streams to connect with new audiences. Luxe Collective has adopted a QVC-esque approach, going live daily to showcase its offerings and build trust with potential buyers; it has so far sold Louis Vuitton, Dior and Birkin bags. Break Archive, on the other hand, has trialled the format six times since launch, shifting Balenciaga, Fendi and Louis Vuitton denim. It also tapped into the trending format’s aesthetic with a viral QVC-style Black Friday campaign that generated millions of impressions across social. Backstage took centre stage Fashion shows have evolved into more than just showcases of new collections — they’ve become powerful content engines, driving visibility and engagement for brands. This year, brands shifted their approach from traditional influencer partnerships to tapping creators who bring unique perspectives and niche audiences. For Spring/Summer 2025, Tory Burch redefined backstage engagement by enlisting creators like Maria Georgas, Mandy Lee and Liana Satenstein to conduct red carpet-style interviews with notable guests such as Alexa Chung and Love Island USA’s Serena Page. The resulting TikTok videos garnered a collective 13.7 million views. They weren’t alone. Carolina Herrera worked with Luke Meagher of @HauteLeMode to review and introduce the collection, while Moda Operandi tapped Benton McClintock to conduct backstage interviews with designers like LaQuan Smith and Jonathan Simkhai. Saks Fifth Avenue partnered with freshly viral creator Marty Miller, known for his robotic tone, to provide humorous coverage of Area’s 10th-anniversary collection. In London, creator Lyas filmed himself supposedly sneaking into the Knwls show and ending up on the front row, with the resulting video generating over 200,000 views. Meanwhile, in Paris, aristocrat-turned-influencer Lara Cosima’s parody TikToks about being last-minute cast to walk the runway have earned over 2.9 million views on the app. Top-trending products Bag charms As the chaotic customisation trend gains momentum heading into 2025, Gen Z became fixated on bag charms to personalise their accessories. From coin purses and teddy bears to beads and jewellery, these maximalist adornments have become a creative outlet for self-expression. The trend began in January thanks to the “Jane Birkin-ification” effect — and the #BagCharms hashtag has amassed 21,700 posts since. Bodysuits Bodysuits continued to reign supreme in 2024, with their popularity extending from everyday fashion to the runway. Among the rising stars in shapewear, FeelinGirl has emerged as a standout, carving out a cult following that rivals more established brands. The hashtag #FeelinGirlBodysuit has amassed an impressive 39 million posts, with users showcasing its signature hourglass-enhancing design and going viral for their styling tips. The #ViralShapewear trend more generally has seen 4,304 users posting try-on hauls and sharing brand recommendations. Loungewear Call it the Skims effect. #Loungewear generated over 541,000 posts this year thanks to the shapewear brand’s foray into loungewear, with the capsule PJ collection generating over 200,000 posts throughout the year. Other popular brands include Lululemon, with their comfortable athleisure being a continued hit among TikTok’s Gen Z user base. Comments, questions or feedback? Email us at feedback@voguebusiness.com. More from this author: How to make an It-girl Haul culture is fuelling returns. What can brands do? Gen Z is using ChatGPT as a dermatologist. What does it mean for brands?

Make better business decisions

Make better business decisions