Gen Z and Millennial consumers spend over four hours daily on social platforms, increasingly turning away from traditional advertising channels. They crave genuine connection and entertainment alongside commerce. The brands that can deliver this – whether through educational content, behind-the-scenes access, or community-driven selling – will be able to grow their audiences (and revenue) fast.

The opportunity is pretty clear: live streaming can create a blend of entertainment, education, and shopping able to drive substantial engagement online. The TikTok algorithm is widely rumoured to favour live streamed content meaning that brands and creators who regularly go live on the platform are more likely to see their content recommended to wider audiences.

When it comes to commerce, Whatnot, the US live streaming platform now valued at over $5bn, reports that customers make tenfold more transactions and spend 4.5x more during live streams compared to traditional e-commerce.

Live shopping is projected to be a $500 billion industry globally, yet most fashion brands remain hesitant—dabbling without committing. The challenge is that many fashion brands are rightly protective of their carefully managed image and find it hard to adapt to an unpredictable medium in a way that drives engagement.

Instead, it’s beauty brands, Youtubers, and niche players who have cracked the formula: frictionless entertainment combined with commerce, driven by real personality and participation.

The New Media Power Players: Creators and Retailers, Not Brands

‎
The most successful live-streaming case studies aren’t coming from traditional fashion houses. They’re coming from individuals and industries that thrive on community, interaction, and storytelling.

1. In China, live commerce isn’t an experiment—it’s the backbone of e-commerce. Taobao Live and Douyin drive billions in sales, fuelled by charismatic hosts who blend hard selling with cultural conversation.

2. Luxury watches and jewellery brands have cracked the code. They treat live streaming as a digital showroom, offering real-time Q&As, scarcity-driven sales, and deep brand storytelling.

3. Beauty eating fashion’s lunch. From Charlotte Tilbury to NYX, brands in the beauty sector have embraced interactive video, realizing that engagement, not polish, is what sells.

4. Online creators are scaling audiences fast. Kai Cenat has redefined live engagement, drawing millions to his chaotic, high-energy Twitch streams that feel more like cultural events than broadcasts.

Fashion brands, on the other hand, often default to sterile product presentations or highly produced runway streams syndicated to magazine’s instagram pages. The result being glossy but detached, offering little reason to tune in beyond passive viewing.

Overcoming Perfectionism

‎
Fashion’s resistance to live streaming is partly cultural. The industry has spent decades perfecting an image of exclusivity and control. Live streaming is the opposite—it’s unpredictable, participatory, and extremely human.

But the hesitation is costing brands relevance and revenue. The most successful live shopping events feel like a fusion of reality TV, social commerce, and brand immersion. They don’t just present a product; they create an experience. And audiences are proving they prefer authenticity over airbrushed perfection.

Even Gen Z— fast becoming fashion’s most valuable demographic—is more likely to engage with a live shopping event hosted by a creator than a brand’s own in-house attempt.

How Fashion Can Win

‎
Fashion brands that want to make live streaming work need to rethink their approach to the medium. The old playbook—runway shows, passive presentations, and celebrity endorsements—don’t translate.

Instead, the brands that get it right will:

Partner with creators who already know how to drive engagement. Think Twitch streamers, TikTok fashion critics, and resale power players—not just the usual influencers.

Inject interactivity at every level. Let viewers vote on styling choices, unlock limited drops, or interact with designers in real time.
Stream from cultural events. The most effective streams aren’t forced—they feel organic. Ralph Lauren at Wimbledon. Prada at the America’s Cup. The brands that embed live into culturally relevant moments will win.

Embrace imperfection. Loosen the grip on brand polish. The raw, unfiltered energy of a live moment is exactly what makes it work.

The biggest shift in media consumption over the last five years has been the move from passive to participatory. People don’t just want to watch; they want to be part of the moment. Brands that recognise this will be the ones that own the future of live streaming—not as a novelty, but as an essential part of their marketing mix.

However, right now, the opportunity is wide open.