FASHION | INDUSTRY|INSIGHT
Lefty x Karla Otto release A Year in Data 2025 report and 2026 trend predictions
Date posted on DIARY directory: Tuesday 20th January 2026
Influencer marketing platform Lefty and full-service brand-building agency Karla Otto released their annual ‘A Year in Data’ report for 2025. The report unpacks the brands, talent and marketing strategies that defined the past year across luxury categories.
Combining Karla Otto’s creative insights and communication expertise with Lefty’s proprietary influencer marketing data, this report highlights 2025’s pivotal moments and informs where brands should invest in 2026.
Talent Insights:
- Girlband KATSEYE, Talent of the Year
- Fandoms shape the fashion week conversation. Fandoms were the #1 EMV driver for brands in 2025.
Fastest-Growing Profiles:
Top 5 Talent Trends:
- Film Industry Professionals - The fashion and jewellery industries are courting the world of film and enlisting film directors, producers and music composers to walk their show and direct their campaigns.
- The Personality Hire - Humour, unique tone of voice and meme-able mannerisms are traits to look out for in talent partnerships.
- The Multi-Hyphenates - Influencers are vying for traditional fame as audiences want to follow people with genuine talent.
- The Curators - In a world saturated by content, the ability to spot what’s special has become increasingly influential. From stylists and art directors to substackers and mood board accounts, a new era of style curators offers audiences a unique lens on culture.
- Commentators Become Critics - The social commentators are now stepping into the role of trusted critics recognised by the industry.
Social Media:
- Chinese networks and TikTok grow.
- Talent activations increased across all major social platforms.
- Instagram remained the leading platform, taking 73.5% Share of Voice (SoV), TikTok demonstrated a significant surge in the number of profiles activated, growing over 50% YoY.
- Meanwhile, amid China’s spending slowdown, brands leaned on talent to reignite consumer interest, with influencer initiatives increasing across Weibo and Red.
- As audiences increasingly seek inspiration from more niche creators and aspirational profiles, influencer strategies tailored to specific platforms and audiences will be essential for navigating the expanding landscape into 2026.
Category Breakdown:
Fragrance
- TikTok is fragrance’s new playing field.
- The fragrance industry boasts near equal visibility on Instagram and TikTok.
- Fragrance is projected to lead the beauty sector into 2026, in part thanks to the rising popularity of ‘high-end niche’ product offerings.
Top 3 Fragrance Brands:
- Jo Malone $99m (-19%)
- Kilian Paris $59m (-19%)
- P. de Marly $58m (-20%)
Fashion
- Audiences in 2025 craved newness and began seeking inspiration beyond fashion, which decreased the industry’s overall online visibility
- Brands should take note of TikTok’s growing importance, which contributed 13% more visibility to the fashion category.
- While Instagram has historically been the dominant platform for fashion conversations, a significant shift is happening, spurred by a new generation of creators whose humour, speed, and rawness are redefining the landscape.
Top 3 Fashion Brands:
- Dior $1.6Bn (-13%)
- Chanel $1.4Bn (+18%)
- Louis Vuitton $1.4Bn (-9%)
Fashion’s Top Moments:
- Key Designer Debut: Chanel $42.8m EMV Generated at Womenswear SS26.
- Most Impactful Brand: Dior $98.1m EMV generated by Dior Menswear SS26.
- Fastest Growing Menswear Brand: Doublet +1,338% YoY EMV Growth at SS26 Menswear.
- Fastest Growing Womenswear Brand: Sergio Hudson +813% SoS EMV Growth at SS26 Womenswear.
- Standout Entertainment Strategy: Gucci $31.7m EMV Generated at Womenswear SS26.
- Fastest Growing Brand on TikTok: Gap +87.6% Follower growth over 180 days.
Fine Watches & Jewellery
- While overall demand for luxury goods has softened, fine jewellery and watches continue to see steady market growth as consumers seek investment pieces.
- Despite a larger number of influencers producing 30% more posts, there was a 22% drop in average EMV per post, meaning content resonated less.
- Relevance is built less through momentary visibility and more through sustained cultural investment to establish long-term legitimacy.
Top 3 Watch & Jewellery Brands:
- Rolex $773m (+16%)
- Cartier WJ $759m (+7%)
- Tiffany & Co. $501m (-9%)
Cultural Moments 2025:
Super Bowl
- $38.3m total EMV
- 70% of the total EMV comes from the half-time performance
- 52% of all advertisers were food & beverage brands
UEFA
- $31.7m total EMV of PSG’s Players
- 23% total ER
Met Gala
- $258m attendees’ EMV
- $292m media accounts’ EMV
- 8.5% average engagement rate.
Cannes Film Festival
- $206m total EMV
- +72% EMV growth YoY
- +334% EMV growth YoY of L’Oréal who reinforced their Cannes presence in 2025
Wimbledon
- 4.7Bn total impressions
- 200+ brand partnerships from 20 different industries
- $15.8m generated by F&B, Top 1 vertical among sponsors
For the full report, visit lefty.io.