How method dressing became the ultimate form of promotion
From Margot Robbie’s 2023 Barbie-inspired looks to Anya-Taylor Joy’s most recent vintage Paco Rabanne look at the Furiosa: A Mad Max Saga premiere, method dressing has become a key movie-hitmaking power play. Maximalist outfits in the theme of the corresponding film are heightening the performative aspects of promotion – and fans are loving them. But why?
Alison Lowe MBE, a fashion consultant and course leader at the University of East London, explains, “Celebrities are using method dressing as a strategic tool to enhance their connections with fans and to promote their projects in innovative ways.” Method dressing also enables fans to immerse themselves into the world of their favourite stars and engage in cultural moments through the conduit of fashion. Last summer, people flocked to movie theatres dressed in shades of pink to commemorate the Barbie movie, with almost 50,000 online mentions in July. Beyonce fans also dressed up to attend the icon’s Renaissance World Tour, with #RenaissanceOutfit amassing over 136 million views on TikTok, and Swifties took the same approach by posting about Taylor Swift’s world tour with the tag #ErasTourOutfits, gaining 1.2 billion views on TikTok.
Method dressing presents an opportunity for brands to look beyond traditional media and press by partnering with different industries for cross-sector collaborations. These collaborations can be a powerful tool for meeting audiences in unconventional ways. For example, to celebrate Barbie’s release, Airbnb made her ‘Dreamhouse’ available to rent via the platform – enabling fans to go beyond ‘think pink’ and immerse themselves in the Barbie universe. Similarly, Half Magic Beauty teamed up with A24 to promote Sofia Coppola’s Priscilla biopic by dropping an eye kit enabling moviegoers to imitate Priscilla Presley’s signature ’60s-style cat eye.
Collaborations like these enable fans to cultivate their own immersive experiences and brands to reach audiences in unlikely places. 'With stars like Margot Robbie and Anya Taylor-Joy leading the way with method dressing and fandoms following suit, we're watching the rules of engagement shift. While it was once the pinnacle of exclusivity, is it time to make the red carpet more about celebrating participatory fandom?
