Celebrities still driving demand for key pieces and looks say StockX and Boohoo

By

Sandra Halliday

Published
Sep 17, 2021

Celebrity endorsement is continuing to drive demand for both individual items and overall looks with several reports this week about just how important the celebrity effect is.

Resale and deadstock platform StockX said that “new data shows celebrities driving demand for one-off items and influencing buyers across collectibles and sneakers. Celebs are still dictating the range of sought-after items fans are desperate to own.”

StockX’s new Big Facts report said that a number of key items have proved to be fast sellers after big names were spotted wearing them.

After Beyoncé was spotted with a white Telfar bag, trades of Telfar on StockX increased 500%, and searches for the label increased 560%. Meanwhile, the average price premium for Travis Scott x Fragment apparel on StockX is nearly 100% higher than all other Fragment apparel.

Cardi B’s Club C releases now account for more than 50% of all Club C trades on StockX. Importantly too, the artist has fuelled an overall increase in Club C demand. Trades of the classic silhouette increased 510% in the first half of 2021 compared to the previous year.

And Bad Bunny’s Adidas Forum collabs have completely revived the silhouette. Since his first sneaker dropped in March 2021, trades of all Forum releases on StockX have increased by 550% compared to the previous six months.

At the other end of the price scale, UK online retailer Boohoo said that demand for lace-up styles has soared over 308% since Megan Fox’s appearance at the Met Gala.

In fact, overall Google searches for Megan Fox have soared by 400% in the last week.

That’s particularly significant given that such dressy styles would have been less in demand in the past 18 months due to the pandemic.

Overall, the absence of red carpets (and the impact of celebrities not wishing to be seen to focus on fashion in the middle of a global pandemic) have reduced the opportunities for brands to benefit from celebrity links. That’s clearly changing now, so it will be interesting to see how it develops in the months ahead.