Since the second season of the Netflix series Bridgerton launched on March 25, some fashion companies have reported an increase in purchases of items that match the dress style of the series.
Already last year, the series had an impact on consumer behavior, giving rise to the ‘Regencycore’ trend, which was particularly reproduced on social media. After Regency-style DIY looks first appeared on apps like TikTok, the costume-esque styles seeped into mainstream fashion in a toned-down form—beaded necklaces, long Empire-style dresses, and blouses that accentuated the shoulders and neck. The term ‘Regency’ describes the age of the British Empire.
The current season also reflects the onslaught on Bridgerton fashion in social networks: videos with the hashtag ‘Regencycore’ currently have no fewer than 33.4 million views on TikTok. The hashtag ‘Bridgertonfashion’ also reflects the enthusiasm for Regency fashion – with 4 million views in total, it is an indicator of the popularity of the particular style of clothing.
Klarna and Accessorize report increased sales
After the start of the series, the service provider Klarna recorded an increase in sales of certain items of clothing – off-the-shoulder dresses and blouses, which are not worn directly in the series, because the shoulders were well covered at the time, but still serve the same romantic, playful style, increased by 679 and 120 percent. Tight-fitting blouses with puff sleeves also seemed to go down particularly well with viewers – Klarna reports an increase of 308 percent.
The style-defining character of the series is also evident in the accessories: the demand for tight-fitting pearl necklaces, as worn by numerous characters in the series, rose by 341 percent and tiaras by 140 percent. Sales of empire-style dresses — with high-waist darts and flowing skirts — rose 12 percent. Also Corsets gained importance: purchases increased by 32 percent.
Accessorize, a British accessories label, reported the same phenomenon, with purchases of statement earrings up 49 percent and hair clips up 28 percent. Customers also increasingly searched for keywords such as “jewellery”, “pearls” and even “fascinators”.
In search of the Bridgerton style
In addition to the increase in sales, the series aroused general interest among fashion-savvy Bridgerton fans: the search entries and clicks on corresponding topics also increased.
Stylight, an international fashion search engine, published a report on March 30 – just five days after the second season premiered – that put the Bridgerton trend into numbers.
In addition to an 18 percent increase for empire dresses, the colors purple and apricot were of particular interest: searches for “purple evening dresses” and “apricot evening dresses” increased by 34 and 23 percent, respectively. The demand stems from one of the key scenes in season two, where two of the main characters each wore a dress in the color. The biggest increase was in pashminas and bracelets – 37 and 28 percent respectively – accessories that have their origins in India and in the series fashionably pick up on the origins of two of the protagonists. Bridgerton’s second season also proved its fashion influence when it came to choosing shoes: there were 31 percent more clicks for ballerinas with lacing.
The influence of the series was also reason enough for a number of fashion labels to launch capsule collections in the style of the series. Stradivarius, a brand owned by Zara’s parent company Inditex, featured airy dresses, pastels and floral patterns in a very wearable ‘Bridgerton’ collection. English shoe label Malone Souliers presented a 14-piece collection inspired by British Empire style.
The influence of the media on consumer behavior in fashion is not new: it was already mentioned at the beginning of the year Euphoria the most searched series for fashion and makeup inspiration appointed.