How Brittany Xavier Cultivated a Gen Z Audience
Brittany Xavier, one of the original fashion influencers and founder of “Thrifts and Threads,” may have started as a Millennial fashion blogger, but today, many of her followers are Gen Z.
Xavier came to fame during the early fashion influencer days, alongside Aimee Song, Chriselle Lim, Chiara Ferragni and Julie Sariñana. She has been well known for “Thrifts and Threads,” but repackaged that influence for Gen Z through video-based content.
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Xavier has nearly 5 million followers on TikTok, where she creates more lighthearted content with her family, which includes her husband Anthony and two daughters Jadyn and Poppy, and quick vlogs, hauls and videos for trending TikTok sounds.
“When I started, it was only my blog and my Instagram, but my Instagram was only to promote my blog posts,” Xavier said. “It wasn’t really in the sense of bringing people into my daily life. It was more fashion-forward, but I kind of miss that personality aspect.”
@brittany.xavier the tiny pigtails I can’t 🥺 @jadynxavier #sisters #momanddaughter #outfits #grwm
Over the years, Xavier has transitioned to create content beyond her blog and Instagram. Xavier currently only posts on her Instagram, YouTube and TikTok. She made the conscious decision to stop posting on her official blog two years ago to concentrate on growing her presence on other platforms.
With the short life-span of trends on TikTok and Instagram Reels, Xavier realized she had to adapt quicker to not only execute the trends, but to do so in a way that still stayed true to her brand.
“These days, you have to be quick. You have to think about things on the go and how to tell the story of what I was doing on my blog, but bringing it to life in video,” she said.
Though Xavier’s Thrifts and Threads website, which she launched in 2013, initially covered more unique fashion and vintage store finds, she has now transitioned into more lifestyle, travel and family topics on top of style.
With each platform comes a different content strategy. Xavier’s TikTok involves more lighthearted videos, while her Instagram is more fashion-forward with premium photos, and her YouTube is more for storytelling videos.
The content creator’s close relationship with her family is one of the many aspects that sets her apart from other fashion influencers.
“I would say I still have my followers that are my age,” she said. “So I have my followers who have been with me for almost 10 years and have grown up with me in a way and now have families, too. So I feel like I’m still able to reach all audiences because I have the audience for [Jadyn] that follows me, too. So kind of a little bit of everything.”
Throughout Xavier’s nearly decade-long career in fashion, she has cultivated a community of followers, providing a place for people to stay on top of trends while also sharing her own personal stories which she hopes some can take away from.
“Being a resource to my followers is really important to me,” she said. “So when they come to my page, whether it’s video, photos and they’re finding something useful or they’re relating to me somehow on YouTube, there’s so much in my life that I’m hoping people can grow from.”
@brittany.xavier we’re really fun I swear
Since starting her career in fashion, Xavier has collaborated with some of the biggest luxury brands such as Cartier, Saint Laurent and Tiffany & Co., and launched a clothing line with INSPR in 2018.
However, the social media star hopes to be more involved in her philanthropic endeavors as she continues her work with the nonprofit Saving Innocence, which provides care, advocacy and intensive case management for children recovering from sex trafficking.
Looking to the future, Xavier hopes to keep being a resource for her followers while also staying close to her family.
“I really am passionate about what I do. I love doing this. I remember when I first started doing my blog, I was in my corporate job,” Xavier said. “Now I just feel thankful every day that I can do this full-time and also be there for my daughters and work with my husband. I really love and am grateful for the work-life balance I have.”
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