{"version":"1.0","type":"rich","provider_name":"Acast","provider_url":"https://acast.com","height":250,"width":700,"html":"<iframe src=\"https://embed.acast.com/$/6355d904dd5e0e0012da88d1/6af496190d8e2af0b2621e56?\" frameBorder=\"0\" width=\"700\" height=\"250\"></iframe>","title":"Is Fashion Sleeping on Twitch and Discord?","thumbnail_width":200,"thumbnail_height":200,"thumbnail_url":"https://open-images.acast.com/shows/6355d904dd5e0e0012da88d1/1794414145310-50906ff4-247f-423b-bc7d-ce1ce6e95244.jpeg?height=200","description":"<p>Before Jarod John Leonard became a menswear label stocked at Harvey Nichols, its founders brought together fans of Japanese label Number (N)ine on messaging platform Discord. The group grew from 20 people to several thousand, giving the emerging brand an audience that had been there from the start, weighing in on everything from its first boots to fabric choices. On live-streaming platform Twitch, creators like Kai Cenat are bringing viewers along on shopping trips, sharing how their tastes are evolving and even launching fashion labels of their own.</p><p><br></p><p>This week on The Debrief, senior correspondent Sheena Butler-Young speaks with BoF correspondent Lei Takanashi about how these platforms build trust and turn attention into fashion influence. They discuss how candid conversations and spontaneous moments help make these spaces so influential, and why brands risk losing that appeal when they try to commercialise it.</p><p><br></p><p><strong>Key Insights:</strong></p><ul><li>Unlike more public-facing social platforms, communities like Discord can give fashion enthusiasts a space to connect over shared interests without the pressure to perform for an audience. That sense of authenticity can help foster the relationships and shared tastes that eventually form the foundation of a brand. “You could just come as your true self,” says Takanashi.</li></ul><p><br></p><ul><li>Watching a creator discover clothes, question prices and decide what to buy gives viewers a sense of how their taste develops. Those spontaneous reactions can also drive purchases. Takanashi points to a Walmart stream where a creator’s enthusiasm for a $25 sneaker encouraged fans to buy it. “Just him saying that this shoe was dope led to tonnes of people picking up this $25 sneaker,” he says. The unpredictability helps distinguish these moments from a planned celebrity endorsement: “You can never tell what’s gonna happen next, Takanashi says.” </li></ul><p><br></p><ul><li>The candid conversations that make Discord valuable can be difficult to reconcile with a brand’s desire to manage its messaging. Takanashi argues that companies should recognise the value of communities that develop independently, even when they cannot dictate the conversation. “I don’t necessarily think brands have to control those spaces, but I do think they should just pay attention to them,” he says. Listening gives brands access to feedback that a polished social media presence might miss: “That is where you’ll probably find the most honest opinions about your brand.”</li></ul><p><br></p><ul><li>Takanashi sees parallels between streamer Kai Cenat and the late designer Virgil Abloh in their ability to connect with a generation through its preferred platforms and build communities around their taste. “They’re both cultural tastemakers, just in different spaces,” he says. He expects creators to retain influence over the young fans who grow up watching them, while recognising that other customers will continue to take their cues from craftsmanship and independent designers. </li></ul><p><br></p><p><strong>Additional Resources:</strong></p><ul><li><u><a href=\"https://www.businessoffashion.com/articles/retail/streaming-culture-twitch-discord-menswear/\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\" target=\"_blank\">How Twitch and Discord Are Shaping Menswear’s Next Generation | BoF</a></u> </li><li><u><a href=\"https://www.businessoffashion.com/articles/sports/can-culture-still-move-the-needle-in-sportswear/\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\" target=\"_blank\">Can Culture Still Move the Needle in Sportswear? | BoF</a></u> </li><li><u><a href=\"https://www.businessoffashion.com/reviews/fashion-week/kai-cenat-vivet-designer-debut-new-york/\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\" target=\"_blank\">‘Anything Is Possible’: Kai Cenat Collides Worlds of Fashion and Streaming | BoF</a></u> </li></ul>","author_name":"The Business of Fashion"}