Runway to Real Life: The PR Implications of Celebrity Style
Published on Nov. 11, 2024 at 4:17 p.m.
By Jane Blissett.
The state of pop culture today includes a strong infatuation with celebrities. Fans want to know celebrities’ every move, who they’re dating and especially what clothes they’re sporting. Celebrities just have to exist in their clothing of choice, and the brands they’ve chosen will spark conversation on social media.
Whether these icons are being paid to wear a certain outfit or just love a clothing item, the effects of wearing specific outfits are great public relations opportunities for brands.
A branding tool
The core values and beliefs of a celebrity can humanize a brand’s personality. Celebrities show significant influence through their fashion choices, often using clothing as a tool to shape and reinforce their public images.
Unlike traditional branding, where products and media are carefully curated, a celebrity’s choice of clothing feels organic and authentic, creating a powerful form of personal branding. These fashion choices can mirror a brand’s aesthetic and give it leverage.
Ilyssa Wexler, CEO of Fashion for Futures, believes that consumers nowadays are more aware of paid partnerships between a celebrity and brand.
“Authenticity is key; when a celebrity would naturally wear the brand’s products or advocate its values, audiences can sense that connection, which strengthens the partnership’s impact,” said Wexler.
The way celebrities continue to influence their audiences is ever changing, and brands need to take this into consideration. “I think it [celebrity influence] will lean more toward purpose-driven partnerships as consumers prioritize transparency and ethics,” said Wexler.
However, brands need to truly look into who they want representing their products. “They [brands] need to focus on finding partners who already align with their message and mission,” said Wexler. “It’s about building a narrative where the celebrity’s connection to the brand feels organic, whether through personal anecdotes, shared values or real-life uses of the product.”
Closet accounts
Admiring celebrity style is fan behavior, but some followers want to find, purchase and copy the same clothing pieces, as well.
Celebrity closets are pined over by fans, but sometimes clothing can get lost in the depths of the internet. Fans have brought matters into their own hands, by finding clothing that celebrities are wearing, posting and dissecting said outfits on social media.
Accounts such as @kyliejennercloset for Kylie Jenner and @closetofemmachambie for Emma Chamberlain track these celebrities’ moves and link items directly from brands’ websites on Instagram. Clothing brands aren’t creating closet accounts, but the accounts allow fans to generate buzz about upcoming trends. Posts can be sent and shared with the click of a button, and the electronic word of mouth spreads.
These closet accounts help loyal followers build their wardrobes to match their favorite celebrities, but also assist brands in building new audiences while promoting their products for free. With hundreds of thousands of followers accumulated on celebrity closet accounts, sales are bound to increase with free promotion.
Generating sales
In this digital age, buying new clothes is quick and easy by clicking a direct link. The simplicity of finding clothes and being directed to the brand’s website makes consumers more likely to purchase items. An increase in sales is a direct result of this.
The organic PR that brands are gaining from celebrities is bringing in a huge influx of sales. Lauren Gray, Assistant Account Executive at Amanda Uprichard, believes that celebrities’ and influencers’ audiences are extremely loyal and are heavily influenced by their clothing.
“I think celebrities have a huge impact on our sales,” said Gray. “When people see their favorite celebrity wearing a piece from Amanda Uprichard, they go to our website to purchase it.”
Gray has seen direct results from celebrities. “Hannah Godwin from ‘The Bachelor’ wore one of our sets, and that specific style was a bestseller the next week,” Gray explained.
Part of the strategy
The style of celebrities can seamlessly be woven into a brand’s overall PR strategy.
Martina Topić, an associate professor of public relations at The University of Alabama, heavily focuses on the cross section of PR and fashion. She believes that social media ties the two subjects together to create the greatest impact on consumers.
“This form of communication is crucial as celebrities communicate with their followers via social media,” said Topić. “Fans often
follow events not just on TV, but also on social media and outfits create an impact.”
The celebrity sporting a brand’s clothing can make or break a PR plan. “Brands need authenticity and prefer celebrities who use their products because it can create scandals and reputation damage if a celebrity endorses a product they do not use,” explained Topić. “Authenticity has generally been a hot issue in PR and corporate reputations lately due to numerous scandals and crises that resulted from association with endorsers whose values are not always aligned with the brand’s values or because their endorsement is not genuine.”
Attracting a different audience
When a celebrity chooses to wear a clothing brand without any formal endorsement, it can generate an authentic appeal that resonates with fans and followers.
Additionally, this association of brand to celebrity can help brands reach audiences that might not have been previously targeted — especially celebrities with an aesthetic that differs from the brand’s personality.
“It’s cool to get someone with a different image rather than ours because it can bring in a new audience,” said Gray.
Without even trying, celebrities are giving brands simple yet effective PR opportunities. These small insights into celebrities’ lives enhance the experience of the consumer by feeling as if they are a part of a parasocial relationship by wearing the same clothing as someone they look up to.
