Cult fashion brand Isabel Marant is set to see a spike in Gen Z customers thanks to soaring interest in the label’s aesthetic and a resurgence of the “boho” trend ahead of summer 2025.
Hundreds of influencers have posted about the brand on TikTok this year and it is now tagged in 25.6K videos which have had millions of views. These range from creators sharing how to achieve the Marant look through dupes, to “POV: You’re an Isabel Marant girl”. A TikTok that is currently gaining fast traction is a summer look featuring the brand by New York creator Allina Ai. This is soundtracked to a clip from ASAP Rocky which mentions the label, with the caption “Isabel Marant Girls”.
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This organic wave of TikTok coverage for the brand signals its growing cult status with Gen Z, who enjoy congregating around a specific look and lifestyle and defining it as a “girl” trend. This behaviour has converted into soaring sales for other apparel brands, most prominently Adanola whose earnings are up 105% YOY.
There is evidence the brand has an inkling it is the next big thing (again). Its advert with Olivia Neill on Instagram was one of last week’s top performing commercial posts and the influencer has since worn its Oskan Hobo bag in several TikToks (most prominently this video lip-syncing to Gracie Abrams’ That’s So True, which has had two million views).
However, there is evidence beyond TikTok that Marant is set for a comfortable resurgence. Unlike many challenger brands entering the fashion market, the label has been a sartorial favourite for decades and has a continued organic presence in Gen X and Millennial influencers’ Instagram content. Creators consistently wearing Marant are tastemakers with known commercial power. In the past six months, high-performing posts featuring the brand have come from Nimi Blackwell, Amanda Cutter Brooks, Debbie Le Grainger and Erica Davies.
@allina_ai Boho forever #bohochic #isabelmarant
This gives the brand a distinct advantage. It is gaining desirability with the influential youth customer, while maintaining relevance with its core, long-term consumer base. This should inform its marketing strategy for 2025. A campaign featuring Gen X mothers who are Instagram influencers with their Gen Z children would reflect the way the brand is being positioned organically by creators. In addition, this would lean into trends of “duo content” and multi-generational narratives. Other brands that could capitalise on this are fellow designer “boho” power labels from the 2010s such as Miu Miu.
Away from social presence, search volume for the brand in the UK over the past 12 months has doubled with consumers looking for its wedge shoes and dresses.
@olivianeill inject this song into my veins
Interestingly, this soaring interest online is not reflected in the brand’s earnings. The company reported a 31% drop in wholesale and retailer sales in November. Its overall sales are down 17% YOY. This follows a trend in the luxury sector where multiple brands are reporting declining revenue, most prominently Gucci and Yves Saint Laurent.
Although the numbers might look bleak, all of this could work in Marant’s favour. Less availability from retailers could lead to scarcity power, making owning new pieces by the brand a status symbol, further propelling its desirability. This would also offer it the opportunity to drive its DTC revenue, giving customers what they want while relying less on other businesses to deliver its success.
By Sara McCorquodale, CEO and founder of CORQ.
