Sometimes I see a brand once and completely forget about it. But sometimes, for some reason, the same brand keeps coming back.
Even if I first see it through an ad, if something catches my attention, I usually visit the account or website just in case there is something amazing hiding there. And if I feel like I might never find the brand again, I follow it.
It is almost like saying, “Okay, I found you. I’m keeping my eye on you.”
Then I might see the brand again through another post, someone wearing it, a styling video, or a collaboration. Little by little, something that was unfamiliar starts to feel familiar.
This is what makes FOMO marketing in fashion interesting to me. Seeing something many times does not always make me want it immediately, but repeated exposure, social proof, online conversation, and limited availability can slowly change how I feel about it.
The First Time We See a Brand
When I first see an unfamiliar brand on social media, I do not always care about the actual product immediately.
Sometimes what catches me first is the content itself.
The colors, photography, graphics, text placement, or even the overall Instagram feed can make me stop scrolling. I like accounts that look a little chaotic but somehow still feel completely put together. I also like the opposite: something very simple that is still impossible to ignore.
That first impression can stay in my head even if I do not buy anything.
For me, the first touchpoint does not need to make me think, “I need this right now.” Sometimes it only needs to make me curious enough to check the account.
This connects to how we discover fashion brands through social media. Sometimes discovery begins with a product, but other times it begins with a person, a post, or just one interesting visual.
At this stage, I might only think, “This is cute,” or “I like this account.” But that small moment can be the beginning of a much longer customer journey.
Source: Instagram @0rzrmces
Repetition Makes the Brand Feel Familiar
SCULPTOR is a good example for me. A few years ago, when I first found the brand, there were only a few products that interested me. I thought they were cute, but the overall mood did not completely match my style at that time, so I never bought anything.
Now it is very different.
When there is a new release, I want to check it. Sometimes I am looking through the products thinking, “I want this one… and this one too.”
The same thing happened with Heaven. At first, I was not completely sure how I felt about it. After seeing more products, styling, people, and content over time, I became much more interested. I do not think this happens just because I see the same advertisement again and again.
I change too. My style changes, the brand changes, and the way I understand the brand changes. Repeated touchpoints give me more chances to see it from different angles.
That is why a customer journey can take a long time.
Sometimes the first reaction is:
“Cute, but not really for me.”
And then a few years later:
“Wait. I need to see the new collection.”
Social media makes this even worse for me because sometimes a small overseas brand somehow finds its way into my algorithm and appears like, “How about this?”
And I am like… please stop finding me. But I still look.
Social Proof Makes Us Pay Attention
I am not really the type of person who wants something only because everyone has it.
Actually, if too many people have the exact same thing, sometimes I want it less. But if someone whose style I really admire wears something I already like, that is different.
I feel a little happy.
It is like, “Wait, this person whose style I love noticed the same thing I noticed.” That can make me pay more attention to the product or brand.
For me, social proof is not only about popularity or follower count. It depends on whose opinion or style I trust. If I follow someone because I like their styling, colors, materials, or overall fashion sense, I naturally become more curious about the brands they choose. At the same time, when one trend becomes too popular, I sometimes lose interest.
For example, when Y2K or streetwear became much bigger, I started seeing similar designs and cheaper copies everywhere. At some point, it can become, “Okay… maybe I’m done.”
What I enjoy about fashion is not seeing everyone wear the same thing.
It is seeing how different people make the same trend or item their own.
Online Conversation Creates Hype
I am pretty easy to influence when something interesting is happening online.
If I see a collaboration announcement, I want to know what it looks like immediately, even if I am not planning to buy anything.
I want time to think while the item is still available.
Maybe I will buy it. Maybe I will not.
But I want the option.
I had this feeling with a Martine Rose and Nike collaboration. I had wanted something from their collaborations for a long time, and when I found an item I really liked, I kept thinking about whether I should get it.
It was expensive, so I hesitated.
But seeing items sell out made me think, “If I wait too long, maybe I will not have another chance.”
Eventually, I bought it.
This is where online conversation can make a product feel much bigger than one post from the brand.
There are styling videos, comments, people wearing it, people asking where to buy it, and people talking about whether it will sell out.
The product becomes part of a conversation.
Sometimes I become interested because everyone is talking about something, and I want to understand what they are looking at.
When Curiosity Turns Into FOMO
For me, FOMO marketing in fashion is not really about thinking:
“Everyone has this, so I need it too.”
Sometimes that makes me want it less.
My real FOMO is:
“I really wanted it, but I missed my chance.”
Words like “sold out,” “limited,” or “no restock” can suddenly make my decision feel much more urgent.
Because maybe I can think about it today, but tomorrow it could be gone.
And then maybe I will see it on resale for a crazy price.
One example for me was an A$AP Rocky *Don’t Be Dumb* merch beanie. I wanted it, but at that time I was not really sure how to buy it from Japan, so I gave up. Later, I saw someone wearing it at Granville Station.
My immediate reaction was:
“Ah. I missed my chance.”
Seeing the item later somehow made the regret stronger than when I first saw it online.
That is the type of FOMO that affects me most.
I do not want something because everyone else owns it. I want the chance to decide for myself before the chance disappears.
And when a brand becomes more familiar, sometimes I stop caring only about one product and start becoming interested in the whole world around the brand.
At that point, it is not only about scarcity anymore. The relationship with the brand has already become stronger.
Source: Pinterest
When Seeing Turns Into Wanting
If I had my own fashion brand, I would not want the social media account to feel like a catalog that only says, “Here is the product. Please buy it.”
I would want people to see different sides of the brand.
Maybe through styling, videos, music, art, different people, or collaborations.
I especially like collaborations because they can show a brand from a completely different angle. It does not always have to be another fashion designer. It could be an artist, musician, painter, or someone from another creative field.
That can make people think:
“I didn’t know this brand could do this.”
For me, FOMO marketing in fashion becomes more interesting when it is not only about creating panic with “BUY NOW.”
Repeated exposure can work because every touchpoint shows something slightly different.
Instead of making people think:
“This brand again?”
I would rather make them think:
“What are they doing this time?”
That kind of curiosity can keep people watching, following, and eventually wanting the brand without making every post feel like an advertisement.
Source: Pinterest