For Tita Loyek — better known by her online alias Sample Sale Bestie — it all started with a group text.

Waiting in line for Los Angeles-based womenswear label Cult Gaia’s sample sale in New York City in June 2023, Loyek befriended a few like-minded shoppers, also hoping to scoop up the brand’s metallic bags and fringed dresses for less. But the newfound friendships continued: Loyek began a group chat with her fellow sample sale attendees, which she then publicised on TikTok. Her followers wanted in, and the chat migrated to Instagram and Whatsapp before finally landing on Slack in order to accommodate the growing interest.

Now, its 400 members — who live across the United States — routinely update one another on specific sales and, of course, what they end up buying. Loyek’s TikTok, too, has grown: She now has nearly 190,000 followers, and wants to start spotlighting sales in Chicago, Miami and Los Angeles.

Sample sales have long been a ritual for fashion insiders and well-dressed residents of cities like New York and Los Angeles. The frenzy moved online in the aughts and 2010s, when blogs like Racked would share upcoming dates and details on what to expect. But in 2023, TikTok broadened the online conversation around sample sales, transforming them from niche discourse to viral sensation. Last fall, sample sales for coveted brands like Khaite and The Row gained a wealth of online attention as influencers shared their experiences (and product hauls) on TikTok. The hashtag #therowsamplesalenyc earned over 745,000 views on the app while #khaitesamplesale has over 695,000.

As sample sales’ profile rises online, so does their power as a marketing tool for brands. Sample sales’ growing popularity has raised expectations, and can lead to backlash if a “sample sale” doesn’t have the merchandise — and more importantly, discounts — to back up the name. A Mackage sale in December 2023 was met with some disappointment online with some prices just 40 percent off retail.

With that, the crowdsourcing of information online, whether from influencers or fellow shoppers, has become central to determining whether a sale is worth attending. To feed the growing interest, brands are partnering with influencers to generate hype or crafting one-of-a-kind shopping experiences to forge deeper brand loyalty.

“Sample sales were always very lock and key, and now, with social media, that’s not the case anymore. People want to know if it’s worth their time, if it’s actually a sample sale, if it’s worth the investment,” said creator Gabriela Mannix, a former fashion publicist who now shares fashion recommendations — including sample sale tips — on her TikTok account, @stillintribeca.

No Gatekeeping

On TikTok, “gatekeeping” — or keeping information under wraps — is out of style, and followers are heavily invested in what they can learn from influencers’ sample sale shopping experiences: What sort of items are included, if certain pieces are savvy investments based on material and construction and what range of sizes is available.

“People want to know why you bought something, the story behind it. They want to know the entire process, from standing in line to what it’s like inside,” said New York-based stylist and influencer Lilly Sisto.

Influencers respond accordingly. After attending a preview day for The Row’s sample sale this past fall, Mannix shared not only what she bought, but also how long she waited in line, how much items were discounted (and how that discount compares to the year prior), the selection available (handbags, for example, she noted were already gone by the time she got in) and whether or not she felt it was worth the effort for her followers.

“There’s that educational aspect that comes from having ‘insider knowledge,’” she said. “My audience is women who love fashion and want to know what to invest in.”

Some brands invite creators, as well as editors, to preview sales ahead of their opening to the general public. Beyond The Row, Mannix, for example, attended a preview day at Manolo Blahnik’s fall sale, while Sisto was invited to Proenza Schouler.

Sample sale organisers, such as 260 Sample Sale, also share invitations with creators, as well as credits to shop with. Some brands are offering similar perks: Lapointe, known for its feather-embellished pieces, reached out to Loyek with a VIP invitation to their sale, along with plus-one tickets to give to two of her followers to generate additional excitement around the event.

Experience-Led Sales

Brands are also tapping influencers to make the sales themselves — historically synonymous with overstuffed clothing racks, makeshift dressing rooms and long lines — appealing for reasons beyond discounted merchandise.

Loyek, for example, partnered directly with Piazza Italia, an accelerator programme dedicated to helping Italian brands grow their presence in North America, to host a sample sale exclusively for her followers that felt more like a shopping party, complete with mocktails, Italian hors d’oeuvres and gift bags for attendees. For Loyek, it was an opportunity to engage with her online community outside of social media — and fuel $40,000 in sales for the brand.

“They had so much fun, got great deals and loved to actually meet each other and mingle,” she said.

Similarly, downtown New York-based Alfargo’s Marketplace operates a rotating schedule of sample sales for menswear brands like Todd Snyder and J.Press, but stages the events like a party, rather than a warehouse sale. Recent events have featured a DJ and a photographer.

The group has worked with a variety of brands and venues, including NYC-based members’ club NeueHouse, to host the menswear community in spaces where they can connect while discovering new brands. For example, menswear label Original Madras Trading Company, which previously focussed on manufacturing materials for other brands, used an August 2023 sample sale with Alfargo’s to get its DTC product in front of an audience of tapped-in menswear consumers.

When the right venue and brand team up to host a sample sale, it has multi-sided benefits. Eclectic prep label Rowing Blazers also hosted a sample sale with Alfargo’s Marketplace in June of last year, which allowed both brands to introduce their communities to one another.

“We were both utilising each other’s network, and we were bringing a fresh face into the sale, as well as a different style,” said Alfargo’s founder Stephon Carson.