Michael Kors and Tory Burch Lead Social Engagements During NYFW

Celebrities were a key boost to social engagements during New York Fashion Week, helping propel Michael Kors once again to the top spot in engagement, followed by Tory Burch, Fendi, Christian Siriano and Peter Do, respectively.

Rounding out the top 10 were, in order, Tommy Hilfiger, Coach, Tom Ford, Puma and Carolina Herrera, according to ListenFirst, a social media analytics platform that analyzed the social engagement results from Sept. 9 through Sept. 15.

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ListenFirst measures the click-based actions (likes, reaction, shares and comments), taken either in direct response to a brand’s owned social accounts or by way of organic conversation, including new fans and engagements across Facebook, Twitter, TikTok and Instagram, as well as conversation volume on Twitter and Reddit. The season’s movement was compared to the brand’s engagement score during NYFW spring/summer from Sept. 7, 2021 through Sept. 13, 2021.

Several of the brands didn’t show last year during NYFW, namely Fendi, Tommy Hilfiger and Puma, so their comparative numbers aren’t reported.

Also, it’s important to note that some brands have an advantage of showing earlier in the week and have more time to accumulate engagement.

“For the brands most successful on social media around New York Fashion Week this year, embracing Reels was a critical tactic,” said Xiaoman Chen, client strategist for fashion and luxury at ListenFirst. “During New York Fashion Week, participating brands averaged 3.1 times more engagements on their Instagram Reels than they did on their non-Reels Instagram posts. These same brands also had great success using in-person celebrities to amplify social engagement around their shows, including Michael Kors sharing front-row pictures of fashion influencers. Tory Burch leveraged content featuring front-row VIPs such as Sydney Sweeney, Lana Condor and Chloe Fineman, with Fendi bundling over a dozen celebrity guests into an Instagram Post. Glamour and star power have replaced COVID as the focal point of New York Fashion Week, and the spectacle is engaging the social media audience,” she said.

Kors, which had a social engagement score of 3,144,964, was up 202.43 percent from a year ago. Its top-performing post during NYFW was an Instagram collaboration post with South Korean singer Dahyun of her arriving at their runway show, which got 639,196 engagements. A Facebook post featuring an Empire hardware brown Parker handbag garnered 404,545 engagements with a Spanish version of that post getting another 111,011 engagements on Facebook. In addition, a Facebook image of actress Vanessa Hudgens wearing a cashmere catsuit to their runway show got 198,050 engagements while a Facebook post sharing an image of Bella Hadid holding a handbag and wearing a tiger print faux fur coat got 194,877 engagements, according to ListenFirst. The top-performing runway post from Kors was a Facebook post that got 125,648 engagements showing off the looks of models/influencers Leonie Hanne, Caroline Daur, Luna Maya and Tamara Kalinic in the front row.

In second place, Tory Burch had a social engagement score of 2,415,391, an increase of 1,223.68 percent from a year ago. The top-performing social media post by any participating brand during fashion week was a collaborative gallery between Tory Burch and Sydney Sweeney showing the “Euphoria” actress in a black minidress, which got 1,095,909 engagements. Their second-best performing post was an Instagram Reel that was a collaborative post with model and author Emily Ratjkowski that got 786,172, which showed her walking the runway in a sheer, black top and flowing orange skirt. Other top-performing content for Tory Burch included an Instagram Reels video of Vogue interviewing Burch about her love of ballet flats, video of their runway show, and behind-the-scenes footage both real and featuring “Saturday Night Live” performer Chloe Fineman impersonating Burch.

Fendi, which had an engagement score of 847,594, was the third-best performing participating brand during NYFW. Fendi’s top-performing post was an Instagram Reel that got 108,111 engagements showing plus-sized model Precious Lee walking the runway in a silk green dress with matching hat and green Baguette handbag.

Fendi’s resort 2023 collection was in celebration of the Baguette bag’s 25th anniversary. According to ListenFirst, Fendi’s second-best performing post was an Instagram gallery that got 90,292 engagements showing many of the celebrities who attended their show displaying their handbags including Amber Valletta, South Korean actress Song Hye-kyo and Naomi Watts.

Coming in fourth place was Christian Siriano, who showed Sept. 7 at Elizabeth Taylor’s former townhouse and had a social engagement score of 624,761, up 15.52 percent from a year ago. Siriano’s top-performing fashion week-related post was an Instagram Reel that got 59,144 engagements featuring model Ya Jagne going down the stairways in a pink mock-neck embroidered tulle mini-cape dress. An Instagram Reel featuring a montage of models going down that same staircase, many of them in oversized boater hats, got 40,924 engagements.

Scoring fifth place was Peter Do, which had an engagement score of 460,663 during NYFW, up 651.23 percent from a year ago. That’s primarily due to an Instagram Reels featuring South Korean rapper Lee Je-no wearing a suit with a leg slit and back cutout that garnered 132,304 engagements. An Instagram gallery of backstage moments from the show generated the brand 81,140 engagements.

Hilfiger, who showed at the Skyline Drive-in in Brooklyn, came in sixth place, with a social engagement score of 394,472 during NYFW. His best fashion week post was an Instagram gallery that got 30,528 engagements showing celebrities such as Travis Barker, Kourtney Kardashian and Kate Moss in the audience for the show. A TikTok video showing celebrities including Shawn Mendes, Anthony Ramos and Lisa Rinna entering the “Tommy Factory” got 27,191 engagements, according to ListenFirst.

Coach, which came in seventh place, had a social engagement score of 326,602, up 26.98 percent from a year ago. Its top post was an Instagram gallery that got 17,046 engagements and asked the audience what their favorite Jelly handbag was in the runway show. Another top-performing post was an Instagram gallery that got 15,090 engagements featuring Lil Nas X wearing a few different looks at the Coach after party including a baggy silvery pants and coat ensemble with mesh top. The brand also scored with an Instagram gallery that got 13,704 engagements and featured backstage pictures of Japanese model Koki and Korean actor Yoon Chan Young.

Coming in eighth place was Tom Ford, who closed NYFW at Skylight on Vesey on Sept. 14, and had an engagement score of 298,548, down 42.98 percent from a year ago. The brand’s top-performing post was an Instagram gallery that had 62,317 engagements showing behind the scenes of their runway show, with female models wearing earrings that looked like their dresses. An Instagram gallery showing off men’s suits from the collection, including some in different shades of pink, got 49,915 engagements.

In ninth place was Puma, which had an engagement of 280,569 for its Futrograde show. The brand’s top-performing post was an Instagram Reel that got 14,782 engagements and showed highlights of their show including model Winnie Harlow wearing an all-black dress/leisurewear hybrid outfit, said ListenFirst. An Instagram gallery post featuring many of the same looks got 13,519 engagements.

Finally, in 10th place was Carolina Herrera, which had an engagement score of 262,574, down 42.35 percent from a year ago. Herrera’s live stream of their runway show in its entirety was the brand’s top-performing social media post during fashion week and generated 26,147 engagements on Facebook. An Instagram post of actress Kate Hudson previewing from the new collection a red column gown featuring a rosette sleeve got 17,714 engagements. A throwback picture on Instagram showing Carolina Herrera at her first show in 1984 as a way to hype the audience for this year’s show got 10,997 engagements.

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