Holiday dressing has more dramatic meaning for those familiar with Brigette Pheloung, known online as @acquired.style. Every year, the New York-based influencer turns Thanksgiving and Christmas into annual fashion features, attending family events in pieces worthy of the red carpet. 

The juxtaposition makes it intriguing: Brigette may be wearing statement pieces in the kitchen of her childhood home, but the virality of the moment reaches beyond her 2.5M+ followers across Instagram and TikTok. Her outfit-of-the-day attracts thousands of comments, shares, online discourse and People magazine articles. Now her followers have come to expect it, tuning in to see where she’ll take the concept every year. 

But beyond ingenuity of the series, particularly as a solid social media technique — to no surprise, given Brigette’s ability to create her own online success — there’s another major player involved in each holiday outfit, echoing how stylists traditionally dress celebrity clients on actual red carpets. Everyone wants to know: who are you wearing?

Last Thanksgiving, the answer was Parker Zinn — the namesake knitwear label by American designer Parker Zinn. We spoke with Parker to uncover how a new brand landed such a noteworthy partnership, and what occurred behind the scenes after the viral moment. 

From thesis collection to viral feature 

First, Parker takes us back to 2024: “I had just finished an internship at Rag and Bone, where I was placed on the knitwear team. By the end, I loved knitwear and decided to pursue it in school. My thesis collection was knitwear, and I was trying to think of ways I could market that collection to be the starting point of my brand.” 

As a fresh college grad, social media was a natural first step for Parker. She explains: “Influencers really run the fashion game, not just celebrities or editors of magazines. They bridge the world of fashion, especially luxury fashion, to potential consumers easily.” 

She got to work immediately: “There were a few influencers at the time that really spoke to me. They shared a good balance of wearable content, New York City life, then also this luxury fashion space.”

“I had images from my photographer, so I sent them to a bunch of influencers. I was strategic though: casting a wide net, while thinking of people who would be a good representative of the brand, someone who wore the kind of pieces I design. I wanted to ensure my pieces would reach the right audience.”

It didn’t take long for Parker to get results — and get brand marketing in motion. “At first, only one person responded. It was @izzypoopi.” Izzy is a Canadian fashion influencer sharing edgy outfits and editorial-style snaps from her home base in New York City. 

“I had said: Hi Izzy. I know you’re not in New York City at the moment, but I’d love to lend you some pieces from my thesis collection if you’d be interested in wearing any and making a video or taking some pics in them. They would look so fab on you and I’d love to see how you style them.”

“She responded with the idea of wearing the gown to New York Fashion Week. And she did. She did a great photo shoot that gave the brand a bump in followers and a bit of buzz. It went a little viral, but it wasn’t this huge, big moment. Still, I was thrilled. It was my first time collaborating with another creator. I was so happy my work was out there and someone wore it.”

The moment an influencer was influenced 

Parker takes us forward into the months following her collaboration with Izzy: “I’m working on the brand at this point. I’m really busy. I’m not thinking about influencer partnerships quite so much. Then, around early to mid-November of 2024, I get a DM from Acquired Style.”

The DM was in response to one polite message Parker had sent prior: “On September 7th, I said: Hi Brigette, I’d love to lend you and Danielle each a piece from my thesis collection to style. I have a top and pair of shorts that are fully beaded that would look amazing on you.’

“At the time, she probably never saw it. But on November 19th, she responded. She said: Hi, I would love to loan the knit sweater dress for Thanksgiving. It’s so sick.”

The ‘why’ behind the seemingly random reply was traceable: “Brigette had seen Izzy wear it a few months prior.”

The DM may have been caused by Brigette’s influential peers, but it was encouraged by Parker’s concise messaging style. “I phrased the DM very casually. I don’t think a long paragraph pitching yourself is necessarily effective, especially if you’re reaching out on social media. I wanted it to be quick and punchy, so it was easy to respond.”

The strategy paid off. “I represented myself in a professional way. I’m lucky I hadn’t written ten messages to Brigette, spamming her. Because if I had, when she reached out to message me, that would be the first thing she saw. Maybe that would’ve disincentivized her from wanting to borrow the dress.”

It all came together to create an opportunity Parker immediately recognised as golden. “Of course, I knew she did these extravagant, amazing outfits for the holiday, so I was psyched. If she did end up wearing my dress, it could be a huge opportunity. But I had learned through partnering with stylists that when you loan a piece, nine times out of ten, it doesn’t get worn, because stylists are pulling from all different designers. Even though I was so excited, I was trying to remain calm.”

The decision to draft a contract for content

It was at this point Parker pulled a move many new founders may fear. Before sending the piece, she drafted a contract for Brigette, ensuring content from the collaboration would actually bring eyes to the Parker Zinn brand. 

“I didn’t charge for the dress. Instead, I drafted a contract that says: for the pieces of content in which you wear my piece, you have to tag me. I think she had to mention me in the video as well. Otherwise, people could look up ‘cable knit dress’, but I didn’t know if my SEO was strong enough that my dress would pop up. So it was really important she mentioned me and the brand by name.”

Parker kept the contract collaborative, not strict: “I didn’t give her a paragraph that she had to read. I basically said, however you want to incorporate the dress into your content is up to you.”

While Parker never second-guessed her decision, she left room in her mind for the possibilities: “If Brigette had said, I can’t mention you in the post, would I still have done the collab? Yes, for sure. But I’m the kind of person who likes to shoot my shot. Then if it doesn’t work out, there’s room for negotiation. But from seeing her videos, I felt she was very reasonable, and she’s the kind of person that uplifts emerging designers.”

So Parker locked in her decision: “I drafted a contract, sent it over. We were communicating back and forth — and then she went radio silent.”

The last-minute scramble only a founder could love

At the time, Parker felt nervous, but simultaneously, she felt acceptance. “A few days go by. Still no response. I’m not one to pester. I’m pretty determined, so I’ll try and get a response, but I didn’t want to be pushy. I was about to go home for Thanksgiving, and I wasn’t going to bring the dress. If she didn’t respond in time, I thought, okay, it’s not going to happen this year.”

She continues: “So I flew back to North Carolina. Then I get a DM. Brigette said, I’m so sorry, I completely missed your message. Is it still possible that I wear the dress?”

No matter the cost or inconvenience, every ambitious founder knows they would’ve said yes. 

“I was like, oh my gosh, I’m in North Carolina. The dress is in the city. My family, my boyfriend, everyone I know in New York is gone for the holiday. What am I going to do? But my brand was launching two days before Thanksgiving. I thought, let me figure out how to get this dress to her.”

“I had an intern from Parsons at the time. She was about to leave the city the next day. I call her and say, ‘I will do anything — can you go to my apartment? I will have the owners of my building unlock my door. I need to send them a photo of your ID. We need to fill out all this paperwork to let them break into my apartment. I will FaceTime you, walk you to the dress, help you package it. I will tell you what to write on the box and I will put you in an Uber and send you to Brigette’s apartment.’”

“So that’s what we did. It was a tight timeline, but we got the dress to her. It worked out.”

The impending possibility of virality

On Thanksgiving morning, all was revealed: the Acquired Style holiday video did in fact star the iconic Parker Zinn dress. But Parker was never completely sure it was coming. 

“It was just as much of a surprise for me as everyone else when she woke up Thanksgiving morning and wore the dress. I had an idea it might happen, but I wasn’t sure.”

Following the contract Parker had shared, the results were as expected, and also more: “As soon as Brigette said yes to the collab, I trusted she would hold up her end. To her credit, she totally did. She was really sweet, talking about my time at Parsons and how I hand knit the dress. She mentioned and tagged me.”

So, what next? What happens in the minutes and hours that follow millions of people turning their attention to your brand? Parker recalls: “I didn’t prerecord any content. I don’t know what I was thinking. I had just launched the brand two days before, so my mind was on the orders to prepare when I get back to New York. Then Brigette posts the video. And suddenly, my TikTok, which had a very small following at the time, starts getting all these notifications. I’ve never had this happen. I was like, oh my god, I have to film something. So I was scrambling. All my family is at my home in North Carolina, we’re all trying to film content. Everyone’s helping me, we’re all freaking out. It was really cool.”

Results started to roll in. “The tag sent people to my Instagram, my TikTok, my website. But I didn’t really know what would happen. I didn’t have much of an expectation. I was most excited about getting eyes on the brand. I didn’t consider whether this will or won’t convert to sales. I was open to the experiment of it all.”

Luxury fashion meets the Acquired Style customer base 

In the days that followed, the results of the collaboration became measurable — but skewed towards social media success rather than sell-out sales. “Brigette’s following, I think, is younger than my average customer. So it did convert to some sales, but it wasn’t like, oh my god, I’m freaking out because I can’t fulfill all of these orders. It wasn’t that type of situation.”

Parker explains: “The collaboration definitely resulted in a kick in social following. That was wonderful, because I’m happy to acquire customers even two to three years before they actually purchase a piece from me. I think it’s great to capture someone early, then bring them along for the ride. Maybe down the line when they have disposable income, they purchase.”

This partnership got Parker thinking about how to structure the next: “I learned an important lesson through all of this. The customer that was purchasing my pieces was actually different from Acquired Style’s fan base. It’s not because they don’t have an interest in fashion. It’s because of the age and socioeconomic factors of the person that follows her versus the person that purchases from me. For example, I’m 23 and among most of my friends, nobody would be able to afford my pieces because we’re just starting our careers and saving up.”

“The other factor is that my brand launched two days before the video went up. For reference, I’m releasing a collection next week, and it’s the first time I’ll have pieces available for immediate shipment. Previously, everything was made to order. It was a very different system.”

“Don’t get me wrong, I would absolutely partner with Acquired Style again. Brigette is great for brand awareness. If I show people a photo of my dress, many people recognize it. There’s value there. But there’s also another type of influencer that could be valuable for me to partner with. Maybe they wouldn’t have as big of a viral moment, but it could convert to sales because their following is a bit more mature and more rooted in their career.”

Parker’s advice on landing a natural-fit collaboration  

Following the viral success of Parker Zinn, how should other brand founders consider who to collaborate with? Parker shares: “I think about people who would be a good representative of the brand. Someone who, if they came across my piece, would actually wear it. Because when it comes across as natural, that’s most effective. Acquired Style had a history of extravagant Thanksgiving outfits, so it fit really nicely. Same with Izzy who wore the dress prior: she’s known for videos where she wears kind of outlandish pieces, and it fit nicely into this series she had already done. So pick someone who would be a customer, or who you could imagine as the face of the brand.”

This effect goes both ways: “But also consider, for that influencer or person you’re partnering with, their audience has to accept your business as something that feels natural for that person to promote.”

Should founders search far and wide or niche down? Parker says: “My attitude is to cast as wide of a net as you can. There’s no harm in reaching out to a big influencer, but I didn’t get a response from Brigette originally. It only happened because she had seen that dress and it probably sat in her mind, or maybe she bookmarked it. I’m not sure exactly how she came to reach out, but I know for a fact she saw the video by Izzy, who has a sizeable following. Plus, there were other influencers in the comment section of Izzy’s video. I made sure to note the people I knew had seen the dress, because I thought if I reached out, they’ll remember it.”

“So reach out to whoever you think would be a good fit, but just know that a smaller partnership in the beginning isn’t necessarily a loss. It can be the thing that gets you that larger partnership. Just make sure it is a good representation of your brand and you’re doing it for the right reasons.”

What does Parker mean by the ‘right reasons’? “Going viral for the sake of going viral doesn’t really benefit your brand. You might get some views, you might have a bump in following. That’s great, but it doesn’t necessarily convert to sales. So, knowing what your goals are, collaborating with a micro influencer could result in more sales than a large influencer. It just depends on their following.”

Testing messaging on a mass scale 

An underrated benefit of viral influencer marketing is the ability to test brand messaging on a massive scale. Parker paid attention to the conversation and responses she received: “The collaborations got my wheels turning. It changed how I approach my marketing.”

“On TikTok, I’ve started talking more about the process behind the pieces. Because if you’re investing in that type of piece, it’s likely you appreciate the quality.” 

Parker has learned what makes the right audience tick (and engage). “I posted a video about the process of making the Acquired Style dress. I hadn’t told that story because I thought people wouldn’t hang around to listen to a description. But it was an eight minute video, and it was one of the most viral videos I’ve ever had.”

This approach has refined Parker’s messaging, making it more authentic and natural in a way that delivers results: “Previously, I was trying to conceal that the pieces were made in New York by home knitters. I was trying to seem a bit more established than I was. In reality, I was finding skilled knitters who worked out of their apartments. One was getting their PhD from Columbia. Another was a mom on the Upper East side with a bit of free time. Another was a grandmother who had recently retired and wanted something to do.”

“Initially, I didn’t want to share those stories because I felt it would make my brand less legitimate than I wanted it to appear. Same with the cable knit gown. I wanted people to think it was made in an atelier, because that sounds clean and beautiful. What I realized through telling that story, and the response it got, was that the real story is actually much more beautiful and interesting.”

This realisation, tested and proven in front of millions of people, has influenced how Parker creates content: “Previously, I was creating videos that were aesthetic and very product-forward. Now it’s more brand ethos and founder-forward. It’s opened my world to the fact that the pieces are great and they’re beautiful, but what will sell them isn’t the piece itself.”

This storytelling-led marketing technique has become infused into the heart of the brand: “Even the way I’ve approached launch is different from last year. My approach is less of a launch day, and more the start of promoting this collection, because it was a labor of love. So even if it’s slow and steady, over time we’ll sell product, but it’s less about one big moment and more about the long-term.”

She warmly states: “That’s just as much of a win as someone who immediately sees the piece and buys it then and there. It’s a slow burn. Honestly, that’s more exciting, because you’ve convinced someone over time that your pieces are valuable enough for their dollar.”

__

Based on an interview with Parker Zinn, founder of Parker Zinn

Written by Taryn Rapp of Lovenote