For decades, Fashion Month has been the cornerstone of the fashion industry – a time for designers to showcase their work to the world. But designers aren’t the only ones who dictate fashion rules. Today, the streets influence the runways, and individuality and self expression are what’s most on trend.

We were tasked with creating a premium, tech-forward runway experience that showcases TikTok's power as a major destination for style, while democratizing the fashion show experience for a global audience.

In 2020, TikTok took over. A force in fashion expression and creativity, the platform is where today’s true tastemakers are shining. So who better than TikTok to turn Fashion Month on its head?

In September, we announced our virtual event like any real fashion show would, urging guests to save the date for an out-of-this-world experience. And on October 8th, we created a live Fashion Month event– entitled the TikTok Runway Odyssey– that democratized the fashion show experience and celebrated our own stylish users on a global scale.

Our strategy for the TikTok Runway Odyssey was multi-tiered:

First, we sought to capture the attention of the real fashion community. With fashion shows canceled due to Covid, this was the ideal time to bring standout fashion brands on to the platform to showcase their latest collections.

To capture the attention of the fashion community, we also knew our catwalk had to be as creatively expressive as the TikTok community itself. The fashion looks would not be modeled by inaccessible runway models but by TikTok creators who are pioneers in everyday street style themselves.

Our live event also sought to evoke excitement and wonder by transporting guests to new environments that felt entirely different from the monotony brought on by the pandemic.

Our virtual event was hosted by TikTok favorite Nick Tangorra who opened up the show and prepared guests to be guided through an otherworldly fashion experience. Our viewers were guided through galactic lands—named Land & Sea and Ascending City— which set the stage for fashion brands Alice + Olivia and Puma to showcase their spring designs.

Each world excited our viewers with notable TikTok creators modeling the designs themselves. It was the ultimate mixed reality digital fashion showcase, where viewers could also purchase garments in real time through our ecommerce integration.

Following every good party is an afterparty. Post-fashion show, viewers were transported to the final stop of our experience, a live interstellar afterparty in a third galactic environment: the ‘Nebula.’ Surrounded by an environment of space and stars, hosts Jaden Smith, Avenue Beat and Chloe X Halle put on an incredible show as viewers partied from their homes.

The best part of the TikTok Runway Odyssey was that no one was turned away at the door. We broke the rules and format of how consumers typically experience Fashion Month and proved that exclusivity is a thing of the past. With over 815,000 views and 92,000 new viewers to TikTok LIVE, we brought the latest looks to our fashion community and celebrated their own unique styles– safely– across phone screens everywhere.