Known for his witty “rich life” videos, MEGA cover star Bryanboy shares how TikTok is welcoming a new era of luxury fashion. Read an excerpt of his cover story below
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Currently, the fashion industry is at a crossroad. With the power of social media, one comment, like, and follow later, you can find yourself hooked on the many faces and personalities of the rising Gen Z-ers who are infiltrating fashion houses because of their domination over the web. The likes of Emma Chamberlain as an ambassador of Louis Vuitton and Charlie D’Amelio for Prada, are being prioritized. “Now more than ever, it’s sadly a game of numbers. A lot of the Instagram girls are forgotten and moved on to TikToK royalty like Bella Poarch who have more than millions of followers,” Bryan admits.
“Fashion is still a business and brands need numbers to survive and to sell things. But then again, you also have to put that aside because it’s not all about numbers. It’s about creativity, what you can bring to the picture, and building a community.”
The difference of the staying power that the 39-year-old holds is that he represents both brand and consumer. “Influential people follow me because I provide an immersive take on fashion. Rather than just following the trends, I like to set the trends. More importantly, I just try to be myself and have fun with people,” he tells me when ask I ask about the balanced mix of personalities that can found in his contact list. “My audiences know that I love luxury, I love fashion, I love beauty, and I love transformations. Those are the narrative I create with my audience.”
Whether it’s him making a parody of his covet-worthy lifestyle as seen on his “Today Was The Worst™️” TikTok videos or his unabashed commentary with “Elevate Everyday,” Bryan also notes the importance of bringing value to storytelling. “You can’t just take a picture of you looking pretty, that’s not enough in social media anymore. It’s about what value you can bring to an audience,” he says.
“That’s what I try to do with my content, I add value to each of them. Either through entertainment or making it educational because let’s face it, a lot of people can’t afford what I’m presenting. So instead for example I’m promoting an expensive shoe, I tell it in a way maybe my viewers could get something more affordable, or just the visual aspect to have something to look forward to and aspire for.”
Bryanboy gets real about the changing landscape of luxury fashion from TikTok influencers to Asian domination in MEGA’s December 2021 issue now available on Readly, Magzter, Press Reader and Zinio.
Photography DOOKIE DUCAY
Creative direction NICOLE ALMERO
Fashion direction JEB FRONDA
Beauty Direction TRINA EPILEPSIA BOUTAIN
Makeup PONG NIU
Hair THANIE LEGASPI
Styling BANG PINEDA
Shoot coordination MJ ALMERO and KZ FRANCISCO
Special thanks to DRA. VICKI BELO, DR. HAYDEN KHO and DORIS JIEMENEZ
Testing by JUAN MEDICAL
