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The Red Carpet Is a Branding Strategy Now
From Zendaya's method dressing to Mona Patel's viral MetGala butterfly gown, the most memorable red carpet moments of recent years have one thing in common — they were never just about the outfit.
By Sincere Fidelis
The Most Influential red carpet looks of recent times were not necessarily the most beautiful or the most colourful. They were the ones that made people stop their scrolling long enough to pay attention to what the red carpet was about, made people search for the designer, the wearer and repost the image across various platforms, starting conversations and increasing earned media value for the event, brand and individual.
The 90s red carpet celebrated elegant gowns and the most praised looks were often the simplest ones. Think Carolyn Bessette-Kennedy in her minimalist slip dress. The 90s red carpet elevated the little black dress into a symbol of effortless celebrity glamour, where restraint was the ultimate statement.
But today's red carpet operates by a completely different standard. Simplicity alone no longer cuts the line. In a world where a look needs to survive the a social media scroll and generate headlines, fashion has had to evolve from beautiful to strategic.
Zendaya’s Method Dressing to every red carpet and press event for her movie premieres, which goes beyond the simple gowns, and embraces bold, colourful and even metallic silhouettes but commands more influence and cultural conversations than the “simple gowns” of the 90’s shows that a shift has happened in red carpet styling.
The Spider-web reference to the spider man press tour, the tennis ball reference to the Challengers press tour, the futuristic metallic reference to the Dune 2 Press Tour, the angelic out worldly reference to the Odyssey Press Tour were not random fashion choices. They were not just outfits, they told a story and became fashion moments and references that extended beyond the present.
There is a current focus on narrative dressing for the red carpet in today's time. From events having themed dress codes to individuals now aligning their fashion choices to the event they are attending, red carpet styling has surpassed just a glamorous night for a shiny dress.
Red Carpet Looks are also curated to get people's attention on the public figure hence increase visibility and cultural conversations around them, helping grow a stronger personal brand.
Mona Patel, an Indian entrepreneur got the Internet raving with her 2024 MetGala Look. She became one of the most viral guests of the 2024 MetGala because of her Iris van Harpen gown with moving 3D Kinetic butterflies, which the public named “Moving Butterfly Outfit”.
It is important to note that before this fashion moment in this event, she was not a major Hollywood celebrity. It was her first MetGala event and her outfit garnered millions of views, headlines, and fashion media named her “Mystery woman who stole the show at the MetGala”.
Her appearance instantly elevated her global profile as an entrepreneur, made her a name to watch out for in the fashion media and certainly secured her another invite to the MetGala.
Law Roach, who was the stylist for Mona Patel 2024 MetGala Look and also the longtime stylist for Zendaya, responsible for building Zendaya's image through fashion, has made certain statements on how he constructs red carpet looks for his clients. One of his cited statements are:
“We don’t get dressed, we create moments and I want people to remember the moment.”
A lot of public figures move into the mainstream lens and become culturally relevant by wearing red carpet looks that start conversations, make headlines, cause the daily internet scroller to stop scrolling, give them attention and look forward to their next red carpet look.
We have seen that happen with Mona Patel’s 2024 MetGala Look, Zendaya's Recurrent Method dressing for every movie press tour and Olandria’s Paris Haute Couture Fashion that landed her Vogue coverage expanding her presence beyond reality television and into mainstream style discourse.
The red carpet is no longer just a place to wear a Dress, it's now a stage where public figures build and become brands. red carpet fashion is now a visibility engine.
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