The Gen Z-ers saving their parents’ fashion shops on TikTok

{"text":[[{"start":null,"text":"

"}],[{"start":7.08,"text":"It’s a sticky Tuesday evening in Shoreditch, east London, as shoppers squeeze past tightly packed shelves of leather bags and shoes at The Rich Collection Bella Italia. Someone exclaims “Y2K-esque like heck!” as women wearing vintage Gucci bags and denim miniskirts pick up rainbow kitten heels and their matching clutches, with their phones still in hand."}],[{"start":29,"text":"The footfall is impressive for a shop that was set to close at the end of summer. That is, until TikToker Caroline Rivier posted a video about The Rich Collection’s trove of “hidden treasure” shoes in late June, and caught the attention of the store owner’s daughter Zineb Lazraq. In the process, they unwittingly kicked off one of the most wholesome fashion trends of the season — the next generation posting their parents’ stores on social media to compel peers to show up and shop."}],[{"start":55.96,"text":"Lazraq (25), who previously had not spent much time in the store, was inspired to post her own “day-in-the-life” video of it in early July, which went viral. “It blew up overnight,” she says. “And then when the queue started forming, I thought, I need to be there to help my dad out.” With no retail experience, she was kept on her toes serving a two-hour-long queue."}],[{"start":null,"text":""}],[{"start":76.6,"text":"Dad Rachid (59) has run The Rich Collection for three decades and seen the colourful row of leather stores on Hackney Road slowly become coffee roasters and craft breweries as the effects of Covid, rising rent and the cost-of-living crisis have taken their toll."}],[{"start":91.68,"text":"Thanks to a social media miracle, The Rich Collection is now serving thousands of new customers (many of whom also share their own shopping experience online) and the “Closing Down” sign was removed in mid-July — to cheers from those forming a queue. While there is now typically only a line on Saturdays, Lazraq and her sister Maryam (19) still help out in store, and they’ve hired a part-time shop assistant. Demand is still growing online, and Lazraq is working on a website and Vinted profile to reach shoppers worldwide."}],[{"start":121.4,"text":"Lazraq continues to post dispatches, often playing up the store’s “Y2K” aesthetic (a popular keyword and hashtag on TikTok), and her father also makes cameo appearances, talking through his smile."}],[{"start":134.92,"text":"For the first time in six years, The Rich Collection has introduced three new styles — heeled summer sandals — which it developed with its manufacturer in Naples, Italy. “When I see customers happy, it really makes me happy, and that motivates me,” says Rachid. “I think in the future, they’re going to see a lot more style, a lot more designs.”"}],[{"start":156.2,"text":"Inspired by The Rich Collection, comedian and actress Savannah Gracey changed up the usual sketches on her Instagram and TikTok for an earnest post about her mother Janet Dervan’s vintage store, The Arc, in mid-July. Gracey was moved to tears while showing her 243,000 followers (combined across Gracey’s social media platforms) the store in London’s Camden Market as it was preparing to close down."}],[{"start":181.6,"text":"“I wanted to help my mum out,” says Gracey (26), standing next to a row of silk and satin scarves still for sale on closing weekend. “She went to cry, and I was like, for goodness’ sake, get yourself together. And that’s what kicked it all off really,” adds Dervan (63). “And [since] then it’s been an absolutely joyous two weeks.”"}],[{"start":202.88,"text":"During the interview, shoppers stop between the racks of Laura Ashley floral dresses to say hello to Gracey. Others subtly take photos of the 1960s tweed sets hanging up high. “Everyone is loving the story,” she says. “Everyone wants to be a part of it.”"}],[{"start":218.72,"text":"Like Rachid Lazraq, Dervan also opened her first store three decades ago — in London’s Camden Market. She remembers working the till when Gracey was six weeks old, and selling clothes to Helena Bonham Carter, Debbie Harry and Boy George. She relocated The Arc a few times and opened her last shop in the Stables, 11 years ago. After experiencing low trade, high rent and additional service charges, Dervan decided not to renew her lease this year."}],[{"start":246.16,"text":"While the store did close in early August, Gracey’s videos have given her mum new hope. The Arc’s Vinted account has just over 2,000 followers and its new TikTok has 12,000 followers, to whom Dervan will post about future market appearances. “She’s set me up to be able to trade in the future,” says Dervan. “I didn’t realise how transferable her skills are, that she can just come in and just save the company.”"}],[{"start":273.54,"text":"While they are two different stories, the success behind these viral video campaigns shows not only the social media engagement skills of Gen Z but also how emotional shopping can be. “What makes it a unique selling point is when there’s a very, very human angle behind it,” says Erifili Gounari (26), the founder and chief executive of Gen Z-led marketing agency The Z Link, over a video call. “It hits our empathetic nerves, and then we feel a lot more inclined to go and support.”"}],[{"start":303.68,"text":"In a similar vein, Chaewon Kim (31), who goes by Chaey, is helping her mother, Mijeong Jung (59), with her Kool Kitten label — earnestly sharing social media videos about helping her mother reach a new audience online, while building a community around its concept store in New York."}],[{"start":320.04,"text":"Jung has worked in the fashion industry for more than 30 years; she founded her newest fashion label in South Korea in 2023. With girlish styles, it’s an ode to her two daughters, who lived out her dream by attending Parsons School of Design in New York. The Kool Kitten store in SoHo stocks 20 different labels, including Kim’s own Popsiz, and has already met its initial revenue goals."}],[{"start":345.2,"text":"“I started helping my mom because I could see how much the industry had changed,” says Kim, typing on her laptop in Seoul where she is preparing next season’s collection. “I wanted to help preserve what she’s spent her whole life building while bringing it into a new generation.”"}],[{"start":360.3,"text":"It’s the younger generation’s belief in their parents that will see this through. “There’s something about the way that they see their parents that makes them able to communicate that same view of them to us, and that tends to feel a lot more precious,” says marketing expert Gounari."}],[{"start":374.84,"text":"“It’s not something I feel obligated to do,” adds Kim. “It’s something I genuinely feel lucky to do.”"}],[{"start":382.12,"text":"Back at The Rich Collection, Zineb is musing on the success of her videos for her now family-run business. “If I could start any trend, then [this] sounds like a great one to start,” she says. “It’s actually having a real-world impact.”"}],[{"start":395.6,"text":"Follow us on Instagram and sign up for Fashion Matters, your weekly newsletter about the fashion industry"}],[{"start":405.9,"text":""}]],"url":"https://audio.ftcn.net.cn/album/a_1787648744_4493.mp3"}