What are the outfit trends of summer 2023? Call it the coastal cowboy aesthetic that’s currently flooding TikTok pages, according to CNN. But who is the owner of this world’s newest fashion trend? That is the famous American singer: Taylor Swift.

With the superstar American entertainer attracting record audiences for ‘The Eras Tour’, retailers across the US are aggressively and creatively marketing ‘Swifties’ (Taylor Swift tours).

Taylor Swift performs on stage during the first night of the Taylor Swift/The Eras Tour at Nissan Stadium on May 5, 2023 in Nashville, Tennessee. Photo John Shearer/TAS23/Getty Images

Taylor Swift’s tours are conducted at 52 stadiums in most US states.

Taylor Johnson, founder of a women’s fashion company, says she owes Swift a ‘big Thank You’ because her co-singer is on tour again. and made her company’s glittering sequin dresses, cowboy hats, and rhinestone boots available for mass sale around the world.

“This year has become an incredibly special year for us thanks to Taylor Swift,” said Johnson, CEO of Hazel & Olive.

In particular, one of their dresses, called The Eras Sequin Fringe Dress, which retails for $129, is selling out.

“Our phones were blowing up, we got hundreds of calls and Instagram messages about that dress,” she said.

Left: Francesca’s ruched, bow-back and baby-doll dresses are seeing a 30% increase in sales. Right: Taylor Johnson, founder and CEO of Hazel & Olive, wears The Eras Sequin Fringe Dress. Photo Francesca’s/Raleigh McMillan

Francesca’s, a fashion chain with 454 stores nationwide, expects Swift’s tour to have a strong impact.

Ruffled, country-style dresses with dolls and bows on the back saw a 30 percent increase in sales, said Leanne Neale, vice president of ideas and innovation at the Houston-based company. in stores when Taylor Swift comes to town on tour.

Trendy clothing chain Altar’d State has proactively gone all in on the Swift craze by curating styles from its collection for each of Swift’s albums. “Enter your decade,” the stores invite customers.

Ticketmaster scandal

Swift’s “The Eras Tour” was already buzzing and famous before it even started. The concerts were so anticipated that people failed to pre-sell tickets on the Ticketmaster website.

Ticketmaster blamed unusual demand for crashing its website and eventually canceling ticket sales to the public. Many people do not have tickets even after purchasing them.

The mess caught the attention of lawmakers, leading to a Justice Department investigation and a Congressional hearing.

Ticketmaster has apologized to Swift and her fans for the “horrible experience” and said the online ticketing site will reopen when it is “technologically strengthened” for the tour. by Swift.

It was too late for some fans as they decided to take Ticketmaster (and Live Nation, the site’s parent company) to court.

But the show must go on, and it did, with Swift taking on New Jersey’s MetLife Stadium (capacity 82,500) for performances over the weekend.

Behind the scenes of the race

At Altar’d State, “We’ve never prepped stores this way, but we call it Taylor week,” said Callie Lewis, the chain’s director of merchandising.

Altar’d State stores have arranged fashion products inspired by singer Taylor Swift to serve concert-goers. Altar’d State photo

Mannequins sporting Swift-inspired looks are placed front and center in stores, along with other eco-friendly items like clear handbags that meet security protocols at locations give a concert.

Everything from sundresses and metallic boots to romantic, breezy frocks, tulle tops, bold red capes and lots and lots of fringe.

“We can’t restock fast enough,” says Lewis. Best-sellers include lavender clothes (inspired by Swift’s song Lavender Haze).

Swift isn’t the only exciting concert tour affecting the fashion business in 2023.

Neale at retail chain Francesca’s said she expects Beyonce’s “Renaissance” tour will also stimulate demand for concert attire.

She said that Francesca’s stores will also curate styles that appeal to the BeyHive (fans of singer Beyoncé).

Beyonce fans line up to enter Friends Arena to watch her first concert of her world tour titled “Renaissance”, in Solna, north of Stockholm on May 10, 2023. Photo Jonathan Nackstrand/AFP/Getty Images

And Hazel & Olive’s Taylor Johnson admits that all this mad dash for product is a necessity, as up to 80% of the retailer’s monthly orders are now for concerts. (She declined to disclose her annual revenue but said she runs a small business that turns in a few million dollars a year.)

Johnson said she ordered the maximum number of product styles available to concert guests, but that still didn’t seem like enough.

“As soon as I restock, they quickly sell out,” she said, adding that she even airlifts goods at a higher cost from her suppliers in China. , instead of shipping by sea as is usually done, to speed up delivery.

“This is crazy but I need Taylor Swift to perform year-round because we are currently on track to have the highest sales of the year,” she said.