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Influencers as a Social Environmental Factor in Fashion
Influencers as a Social Environmental Factor in Fashion
How NYC Influencers Shape What We Buy—and Why It Matters
In today’s fashion environment, the role of influencers cannot be overstated. Consumers are not just making decisions in isolation—they are heavily influenced by social, cultural, economic, and psychological factors. Among these, social media influencers have emerged as powerful drivers of trends, purchases, and even lifestyle behaviors.
This post examines how influencers—particularly those based in New York City—impact consumer purchasing, how their reach extends to shaping sustainable consumption practices, and why their presence reflects the evolving environment of fashion itself.
The Social Environment of Fashion
The sociological environment is a key driver of fashion trends. Trends don’t appear out of nowhere—they grow, evolve, and eventually fade based on social patterns and behaviors. Influencers are central to this process because they serve as social proof: when a consumer sees a trusted figure promoting or wearing an item, it validates that product and encourages followers to purchase it.
According to Kuzminov (2024), 74% of consumers have bought a product because an influencer they trusted recommended it, and 71% trust content from influencers they follow. Conte (2024) notes that e-commerce and social media have accelerated trend cycles, allowing “limited edition” items to sell out within hours and creating a sense of urgency around purchases.
This illustrates how the social environment intersects with psychological forces such as fear of missing out (FOMO), creating powerful triggers for consumer spending.
NYC Influencers: Who They Are
New York City has always been considered a global fashion capital, and it is now home to a particularly visible class of fashion influencers. Accounts like Acquired Style, run by Brigette Pheloung, showcase polished aesthetics that resonate with aspirational followers. These influencers embody a carefully curated vision of New York life—expensive coffee runs, chic streetwear, and front-row fashion show access.
Yet this homogeneity has drawn criticism. As McNeal (2025) reports, critics argue that many NYC influencers are “cookie-cutter”: young, white, conventionally attractive transplants who rarely showcase the diversity of the city. Creators have spoken out about how their communities are underrepresented in the influencer landscape, despite being central to New York’s cultural identity.
Still, NYC influencers maintain authority by building trust, posting consistently, and aligning with brands that reflect their audiences’ values. Their reach is not limited to aesthetics—it reflects broader sociological, cultural, and even economic dynamics shaping the fashion industry.
Influencer-Driven Consumer Behavior
Influencers impact the fashion environment in several ways:
Trust and Trendsetting: Followers perceive influencers as credible, often basing their purchases on recommendations. When influencers collaborate with brands, it creates an added layer of authenticity.
Impulse Buying: TikTok hauls and Instagram “shop the look” posts blend entertainment with shopping, creating a seamless path to purchase that encourages spur-of-the-moment buying.
Market Saturation: The influencer economy has created a crowded online environment. Consumers face decision fatigue and pressure to keep up with the latest micro-trends, often leading to overconsumption.
Revenue Generation: Influencers earn income through affiliate links, sponsorships, and partnerships. The result is a cycle where influence leads to sales, which in turn reinforces credibility and expands reach.
For example, when NYC influencer Emma Rogue, founder of Rogue NYC, promotes vintage pieces through TikTok, items often sell out instantly. This shows how influencers not only drive demand but also shape supply dynamics in the fashion economy.
Economics, Culture, and Psychology in Play
Influencers are not working in a vacuum—they are embedded within multiple forces that drive the environment of fashion.
Economics: Rising living costs in NYC mean influencers often portray an aspirational lifestyle, making luxury products seem attainable. At the same time, fast fashion brands leverage influencers to promote affordable “dupes,” creating two different consumer pathways.
Culture and Ethnicity: While mainstream influencers may perpetuate a narrow vision of NYC life, creators from diverse backgrounds are challenging these norms. POC influencers often highlight thrift culture, streetwear, and community-rooted styles, expanding fashion narratives.
Psychological Influences: Followers often form parasocial relationships with influencers, perceiving them as “friends” whose opinions matter. This creates a powerful emotional connection that drives loyalty.
Generational Shifts: Gen Z, in particular, values authenticity and inclusivity. They are more likely to follow micro-influencers who reflect niche subcultures rather than only mainstream fashion icons.
This interplay between economics, culture, and psychology shows why influencers remain central to the social environment of fashion.
Influencers and Sustainable Fashion
Recent research highlights an important new dimension: sustainability. Social media influencers are now shaping consumer attitudes toward environmentally friendly and sustainable fashion choices.
A systematic literature review of 52 studies shows that influencers can significantly impact followers’ sustainable behaviors, including purchase intentions, product attitudes, and pro-environmental practices (Essiz & Mandrik, 2022).
Key factors include:
Credibility and Expertise: Influencers perceived as knowledgeable about sustainability encourage followers to adopt eco-friendly habits.
Green Messaging: “Green influencers” incorporate sustainability into their content, promoting second-hand shopping, capsule wardrobes, and eco-conscious brands.
Content Characteristics: Sponsored vs. non-sponsored posts differ in impact, but both can influence behavior (Buvár et al., 2023).
Platform Effects: Instagram and TikTok dominate as spaces for eco-fashion education, while YouTube allows for deeper dives into sustainable practices (Mohammadi et al., 2016; Kapoor et al., 2023).
One example is NYC-based influencer Kristen Leo, who focuses on thrifting and sustainable styling. By showcasing how second-hand fashion can be trendy, she helps normalize eco-friendly choices for her audience.
For brands, this represents both a challenge and an opportunity: fast fashion partnerships risk backlash, while collaborations with sustainable influencers can enhance credibility and consumer loyalty.
Storytelling: A Day in the Life of the Consumer
Consider the average fashion-conscious New Yorker scrolling Instagram on the subway. They might watch an Acquired Style post featuring the latest Revolve collection, sparking curiosity. Minutes later, TikTok serves them a haul video where the same pieces are styled multiple ways. Within an hour, that consumer has clicked through affiliate links, added items to a cart, and—thanks to limited-stock messaging—hit “buy now.”
This sequence illustrates the psychological power of influencer marketing. It transforms idle scrolling into direct action, blending entertainment, aspiration, and commerce into a single experience.
The Big Picture: Social, Cultural, and Psychological Forces
Influencers are just one part of the broader fashion environment. As Chapter 3 emphasizes, the sociological context—including lifestyle changes, evolving family structures, gender dynamics, and generational preferences—interacts with economic and cultural factors to shape consumer behavior.
Influencers amplify these forces, creating both opportunities and challenges:
Opportunities:
Brands can leverage influencer credibility to reach engaged audiences.
Partnerships with sustainability-focused influencers can enhance brand image.
Limited edition collaborations can generate buzz and loyalty.
Challenges:
Oversaturation and homogenization risk consumer fatigue.
Impulse-driven consumption may fuel unsustainable buying habits.
The influencer economy can amplify inequality, privileging certain body types, races, and lifestyles.
Ultimately, influencers are not just marketing tools—they are cultural agents. Their posts, aesthetic choices, and social messaging both reflect and shape the broader environment of fashion.
Final Thoughts
In the era of social media, NYC influencers are more than just “faces on a feed.” They are powerful social environmental factors in fashion, influencing everything from trend adoption to sustainable behavior.
As consumers, recognizing the power of influencer culture—and approaching it critically—helps us make smarter, more conscious fashion choices. For brands, cultivating authentic partnerships with influencers who align with company values is no longer optional; it’s a necessity for credibility, relevance, and long-term growth.
Fashion has always been a mirror of society, and today, influencers are the ones holding that mirror. Whether they’re pushing us toward the latest trend or encouraging us to rethink our consumption habits, their impact is undeniable. And as the industry continues to evolve, so too will the role of influencers in shaping the fashion environment.
References
Buvár, A., et al. (2023). The impact of influencers on sustainable consumption: A systematic literature review. Journal of Cleaner Production.
ChatGPT. (2025, September 23). Influencers as a social environmental factor in fashion. OpenAI. https://chat.openai.com
Conte, A. (2024, April 21). E-commerce and the influencer economy: How internet shopping became choked with junk. The New York Times. https://www.nytimes.com/2024/04/21/briefing/e-commerce-influencers-wirecutter.html
Essiz, E., & Mandrik, C. (2022). Social media influencers and sustainable consumer behavior: Theory and practice. Sustainability Journal.
Kuzminov, M. (2024, August 14). How influencers can drive consumer purchasing behavior. Forbes. https://www.forbes.com/councils/forbesagencycouncil/2024/08/14/how-influencers-can-drive-consumer-purchasing-behavior/
McNeal, S. (2025, March 14). What’s this whole ‘NYC influencers are boring’ drama really about? Glamour. https://www.glamour.com/story/nyc-influencers-are-boring
Mohammadi, R., et al. (2016). Social influence of online communicators on sustainable practices. Journal of Cleaner Production.
Tariffs in Fashion: What Global Trade Means for Your Closet
Tariffs in Fashion: What Global Trade Means for Your Closet
Fashion has been greatly affected by tariffs, not just the price tag the consumer sees but within the overall process of the manufacturing, overseas relations, and shipping products to the United States.
American Apparel & Footwear Association. (n.d.). Fashion’s share of U.S. imports and tariffs [Infographic]. Retrieved September 28, 2025, from https://www.aafaglobal.org/tariffs
What Are Fashion Tariffs?
What Are Fashion Tariffs?
Fashion tariffs are import taxes placed on clothing, footwear, accessories, and other consumer goods that come into the United States. Since most fashion products are made abroad, nearly every pair of sneakers, handbag, or dress you see in stores is affected.
Why They Exist:
Why They Exist:
Tariffs were originally designed as trade tools—protecting domestic industries, generating revenue, or pressuring trade partners like China. But in fashion, they’re often outdated. Many of the current tariff rules were written decades ago, even dating back to policies from the Great Depression, and don’t reflect today’s globalized supply chains.
How Big Is the Impact?
How Big Is the Impact?
The average tariff on apparel and footwear is over five times higher than the average rate for all other U.S. imports (AAFA, 2025).
Fashion makes up only 5% of total U.S. imports, but accounts for more than 25% of total duties.
A “pink tariff” still exists U.S. tariff rates on women’s clothing and shoes are about 3% higher than men’s. In 2018, this meant women paid over $2 billion extra just for buying apparel and footwear.
Why It Matters:
These tariffs disproportionately affect:
Why It Matters:
These tariffs disproportionately affect:
Consumers, especially lower-income households, who spend a greater portion of their income on clothing and shoes.
Brands and retailers, who are forced to raise prices or absorb costs, making fashion less accessible.
Women, who literally pay more due to tariff disparities.
As the American Apparel & Footwear Association (AAFA, 2025) notes, “American brands and their consumers are footing a tariff burden that is outdated, regressive, and even misogynistic.”
Will This Slowly End Fast Fashion Sites Like Temu and Shein?
Will This Slowly End Fast Fashion Sites Like Temu and Shein?
Shein and Temu are some of the largest Chinese clothing websites for people to find some of the latest trending clothes at a fraction of the price. I have purchased on Shein in the past and I have not been impressed with the quality that is why I did not continue shopping from them. Millions of people everyday shop on these sites because it is affordable, and people can get trending styles for a fraction of the cost.
For years, American shoppers have been spoiled by ultra-cheap fashion — $2 tops, $5 bikinis, $10 jeans — shipped straight from Chinese retailers like Shein and Temu. The secret wasn’t just mass production. It was a trade loophole.
Known as the de minimis exemption, the rule allowed shipments worth under $800 to enter the U.S. duty-free. Shein built an empire around this: millions of small packages arriving every day without tariffs, undercutting U.S. competitors, and fueling viral TikTok “hauls.”
Lebourgeois, E. [@estellelebourgeois]. (2024, December 16)
Autry, L. [@cowgirlgoldfish]. (2024, November 5)
Bailey. [@bailey2swaggy]. (2025, July 25)
That era is now ending. In May, President Trump closed the loophole, even as he eased other aspects of his trade war with China. Under his new policy, those cheap shipments face 54% tariffs or $100 flat fees. The result? Prices are climbing fast. A $9 dress can suddenly cost $18. For teens and young adults accustomed to stuffing carts with disposable fashion, “Shein hauls” may shrink into “mini hauls.”
The impact is global. In Guangzhou, the Chinese city at the heart of garment manufacturing, factory owners already report fewer orders and smaller payrolls. Some are eyeing new markets in Europe or South America, while others consider moving production to cheaper countries like Vietnam. But the U.S. remains China’s biggest fashion customer — and losing that market would hurt.
The shift also raises bigger cultural and economic questions:
· For American businesses: Chains like Forever 21 complained that Shein’s tax-free advantage drove them into bankruptcy. Closing the loophole could level the playing field.
· For consumers: Clothing will get more expensive. Few economists believe tariffs will restore large-scale U.S. garment manufacturing, so shoppers are likely to pay more for less.
· For the environment: Ultra-fast fashion has long been criticized for its labor practices and its contribution to textile waste. Higher prices may slow the pace of overconsumption, nudging shoppers toward thrifting, re-wearing, or investing in higher-quality pieces.
Trump has framed the change as breaking America’s “addiction to cheap stuff.” His administration argues the American dream is about stability, not closets full of disposable clothes. And interestingly, some sustainability advocates — often critical of Trump — agree that curbing ultra-fast fashion could be a good thing.
So, are we really witnessing the end of fast fashion? Not exactly. Shein, Temu, and China’s vast garment industry won’t disappear overnight. But the closing of this loophole marks a turning point. The days of $2 tanks and $3 accessories delivered tax-free may be gone — replaced by higher prices, smaller hauls, and perhaps a cultural reset in how we value what we wear.
From Fast Fashion to High Fashion
From Fast Fashion to High Fashion
Shein and Temu have exploded in popularity by shipping cheap, trendy clothing directly from China, bypassing tariffs through loopholes. Their strategy is clear: speed + affordability. A $10 dress or $5 top keeps consumers hooked.
Luxury brands, however, are facing a very different reality. Instead of benefiting from loopholes, they’re caught in the crossfire of new U.S. tariffs on European imports. This means that the most iconic pieces in fashion — handbags from Chanel, Hermès, and Louis Vuitton — could soon cost even more.
Fast fashion vs. luxury comparison:
Fast fashion vs. luxury comparison:
· Shein & Temu: Built on affordability and mass-market access.
· Luxury houses: Built on heritage, exclusivity, and craftsmanship.
· Impact of trade policy: While Shein prices may rise slightly, luxury shoppers could see price hikes of hundreds — even thousands — of dollars.
Handbags in the Crossfire of Tariffs
American shoppers made up 24% of global luxury spending in 2024 (Friedman & Bernstein, 2025). That’s why tariffs on European goods have hit a nerve. Iconic handbags aren’t just accessories — they’re investments. Now, new policies threaten to reshape the luxury market.
Key impacts of handbag tariffs:
· Steep price hikes: Chanel bags doubled in price between 2016–2023, and tariffs may accelerate that trend.
· Resale market surge: Vintage handbag sales at Christie’s and Sotheby’s could skyrocket as shoppers look for deals.
· Silent luxury comeback: Just like during the 2008 recession, logo-free, understated handbags may replace flashy, branded pieces.
· Consumer “luxury shame”: Rising inequality means some buyers may hide their wealth with subtler purchases.
· No quick fix: Luxury brands aren’t moving factories to the U.S. anytime soon — “Made in Italy” remains non-negotiable.
What This Means for Your Closet
For fashion lovers, this moment brings tough choices. Should you buy a new Chanel bag now before prices rise, or wait for the resale market to expand? Either way, tariffs make clear that global politics now shape what hangs in your closet.
The Future of Fashion Under Tariffs
As tariffs reshape global supply chains, the future of fashion is tied to how brands balance cost pressures with sustainability goals. Many companies are now reconsidering their sourcing strategies, exploring nearshoring, or shifting production to Southeast Asia to offset rising U.S. import duties. Tariffs create short-term chaos but also push brands to rethink long-term resilience. Those who continue to invest in sustainable practices — from circular fashion to transparent sourcing — are likely to stand out in a market where consumers increasingly expect both affordability and responsibility.
Some of the biggest ways tariffs are shaping the fashion industry’s future include:
Shifting supply chains – Brands are diversifying away from single-country dependence, moving production to Vietnam, Mexico, or even closer to home.
Price pressures – Higher tariffs mean higher retail prices, which could push consumers to buy fewer but better-quality pieces.
Sustainability trade-offs – Some companies may delay eco-friendly initiatives due to costs, while others will double down to differentiate themselves.
Digital growth – Online resale platforms like The RealReal, Depop, and Vestiaire Collective may benefit as shoppers turn to secondhand luxury and mid-market goods to avoid higher retail costs.
Consumer demand for transparency – Shoppers increasingly want to know not only what an item costs, but also why it costs more — from tariffs to sustainable sourcing.
In other words, while tariffs may drive short-term instability, they could accelerate long-term changes that redefine how and where our clothes are made — and how consumers choose to shop.
Fashion at a Crossroads
Tariffs are no longer just abstract trade policies; they are shaping the clothes we wear, the prices we pay, and even the way we view fashion itself. From Shein and Temu’s shrinking “mega hauls” to Chanel’s rising handbag prices, consumers are experiencing the direct impact of global politics in their closets. What was once an invisible force of international trade has now become a daily reality at checkout counters and online carts.
The fashion industry is being pushed in two directions at once. On one end, tariffs are slowing down the frenzy of ultra-cheap fast fashion. On the other, they’re making luxury goods even more exclusive, amplifying the gap between disposable style and timeless investment pieces. In between lies a new consumer mindset — one that questions whether endless consumption is sustainable or even desirable.
Looking ahead, fashion’s future will depend on how brands and shoppers respond:
Will consumers embrace thrifting, resale, and quality over quantity?
Can brands balance rising costs with sustainability goals without losing trust?
Will tariffs create a lasting shift in how we define value in fashion?
What is clear is that tariffs are rewriting the rules. Whether you’re scrolling through a Shein haul on TikTok or eyeing a Chanel flap bag in a boutique, global trade decisions are woven into the fabric of your choices. And as this new era of fashion unfolds, our closets will continue to tell the story of how politics, culture, and commerce intersect.
References
American Apparel & Footwear Association. (n.d.). Fashion Tariffs 101. Retrieved [September 28,2025], from https://www.aafaglobal.org/tariffs
Bennhold, K., & Tobin, M. (2025, May 15). Will this slowly end fast fashion sites like Temu and Shein? [Audio podcast]. The New York Times. https://www.nytimes.com/2025/05/15/podcasts/the-daily/tariff-shein-temu-china-fast-fashion.html
OpenAI. (2025). ChatGPT (September 28 version) [Large language model]. https://chat.openai.com/
Friedman, V., & Bernstein, J. (2025, April 9). What will happen to the handbags? The New York Times.https://www.nytimes.com/2025/04/09/style/tariffs-eu-luxury-fashion.html
Vogue Business. (2025, January 22). As tariffs cause chaos across fashion’s supply chain, what happens to sustainability?Vogue Business. https://www.voguebusiness.com/story/sustainability/as-tariffs-cause-chaos-across-fashions-supply-chain-what-happens-to-sustainability
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