Can luxury brands meme their way into Gen Z’s heart?

Has your feed seen a lot of a certain tomato? The “Loewe tomato,” as it has come to be known after gaining virality, is the most recent example of luxury brands participating in meme culture. During the golden era of social media, receiving a comment on your post from a ubiquitous national brand was a pure, unadulterated dopamine hit. Nowadays, however, people have grown weary of overly familiar behaviour, and brands are struggling to adjust their tone.

When it comes to brand identity on social media, the luxury market in particular has their work cut out for them. Balancing a majority Gen-Z audience on TikTok, while maintaining their authority (and oftentimes, self-seriousness) as a storied label can create some murky territory for dealing with Zoomers. “The luxury fashion game has always included tapping into new markets–primarily in the international sense–and in the current markets, forming a relationship with the consumer of tomorrow before they fully age into having that buying power,” says Daisy Alioto, CEO of Dirt Media, a newsletter-turned-media company that dissects all things pop culture.

Some brands have massively succeeded in their attempts. On Mother’s Day, Marc Jacobs collaborated with Sylvanian Drama, a TikTok account that uses Calico Critters to enact soap-level drama that makes the Real Housewives pale in comparison. The Marc Jacobs team commissioned a video in which one Critter shoplifts the Marc Jacobs Tote Bag, but is released because it’s Mother’s Day. But when she gets home, she is greeted by an intervention, and only agrees to stay in rehab in exchange for the Tote Bag.