It is the story of a long and complex social war involving the United States and the TikTok platform. A clash with geopolitical contours that, however, risks unleashing a tsunami in the fashion world
Massimiliano Viti
Will Donald Trump be remembered (also) for throwing a life preserver at TikTok? Possibly. Yet only four and a half years ago, he tried to shut it down in his first term. This turnaround is just one of many twists in the history of the Chinese app in the US, which has become increasingly important to the fashion world globally. The possible closure of TikTok, in fact, has alerted not only the influencers who earn money from their videos on the platform but also many brands in the fashion system.
A social war that also concerns fashion
Between TikTok and TikTok Shop, there is a lot at stake for the fashion industry. Brands such as PacSun, Ralph Lauren and Nike use the platform to connect with consumers. To put it bluntly, by 2024, TikTok Shop would generate about $1.5 billion in sales in the US, according to an estimate cited by WWD. Demographics indicated that the app was expanding beyond Gen Z, reaching Millennials and Gen X. According to Darpan Seth, CEO of Nextuple, TikTok Shop could potentially dominate global digital commerce to the tune of $25 billion in sales. This is because TikTok is important to show the very young how a product is made.
A security risk
But why does the US want to ban TikTok? To understand this, we need to start in 2019, when the US Army and Navy decided to ban the Chinese app from government devices because the Department of Defence had called it a security risk. For the same reason, on 6 August 2020, Trump signed an executive order to ban TikTok (and other Chinese apps). What would be the danger? The company that owns TikTok is called Byte Dance, and being Chinese-owned, it can be forced by law to provide all the data it stores to the Beijing government. Trump’s executive order remained on hold due to a legal dispute, but the anti-TikTok sentiment was inherited by Joe Biden and culminated in a bill signed on 24 April 2024 (Protecting Americans from Foreign Adversary Controlled Applications Act) that, with massive bipartisan support, banned TikTok’s existence in the US.
Appeals and counter-appeals
Here, too, the paper challenge began. We arrive on 17 January 2025. The Supreme Court rejected the appeal based on Byte Dance’s claim of unconstitutionality and unanimously confirmed the validity of the Biden Act. Therefore, as of 19 January 2025, TikTok must close unless it is divested. On Saturday, 18 January (10.30 p.m. Eastern Time), the app loved by more than 170 million Americans became inaccessible in the United States. Byte Dance pressed the Off button, only to press On again around noon on Sunday, 19 January, after a 12-hour blackout. This was accompanied by a statement of thanks to President Trump.
Trump’s life preserver?
The next day, the US president signed an executive order directing the Attorney General not to take any action to enforce the anti-TikTok law for a period of 75 days. Thus, it was completely the opposite of the decision he had made in August 2020. Technically, Trump’s order does not nullify the ban but does order its non-enforcement. Simply put, if you have the TikTok app on your smartphone, you can continue to use it, but if you don’t, you can’t download it. This has ended up fuelling a thriving market in the US for refurbished used mobile phones with the app already installed, which have reached sky-high prices. But there is more.
The Reaction of the Young Americans
However, the reaction of young Americans shows that they do not seem so convinced of the Chinese danger. Millions of US users of TikTok, in fact, have allegedly flocked to the – even more Chinese – app Xiaohongshu, which in the US is known as RedNote, after accepting the terms of service written in Mandarin (source: The Guardian). This reaction was probably sniffed out by Trump, who instinctively understood their mood because his son Barron had accumulated 15 million followers on TikTok.
Possible buyers
After the suspension, several parties seemed interested in taking over TikTok. For instance, Frank McCourt, Jimmy Donaldson (Mr. Beast), Microsoft, Oracle and X (Elon Musk’s platform). They currently have until 4 April 2025 to complete the transaction. In other words, the expiration day of the suspension wanted by Trump, who, however, is unlikely to have much trouble signing a possible extension.
A key marketing channel
“The loss of TikTok, even temporarily,” says Susan Scafidi, academic director of the Fashion Law Institute at Fordham University, “would eliminate a key marketing channel for many fashion brands. Maryanne Grisz, CEO of Fashion Group International, points out that TikTok has become a leading marketing and sales tool for many small fashion companies. But TikTok is also important for fashion storytelling. Many creators post video content showing how products are made in the factories that supply the big brands. Knowing how products are made and where they come from is becoming a new status symbol as consumers forego logos in favour of quiet luxury and technical streetwear.
Made in this factory
The latter is an evolution of the use of TikTok that is far from negligible. According to Vogue Business, many of those interested in this type of content are running small start-ups or planning to start a fashion business and want to learn how the production chain works. In this sense, Glass Factory is a platform that showcases selected manufacturers based on various criteria, including certifications, brands they work with, management style and how they treat employees. “We are trying to change the way people label things. We no longer want it Made in China, Made in Italy, or Made in Portugal. We want to be Made in This Factory,” concludes Glass Factory founder William Lasry.
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