Phone in hand, he roamed the halls of Pali High in search of exciting outfits. After finding a few, he uploaded the fits to TikTok.
That first video launched the @palihighfits TikTok account dedicated to showcasing student fashion around campus. Within five minutes, the account began exploding online, and less than two weeks later, its first video had racked up more than two million likes.
The popularity of @palihighfits didn’t stop there.
“After about a week I had 10,000 followers and that’s when I decided to make a business email, just to see if any brands would reach out,” said the account owner, who requested anonymity in order to maintain the authenticity of the work that he is doing. According to him, artists soon began contacting him to promote songs on the account.
The viral account has influenced students at other schools to make their own school outfit accounts.
“One of my friends from Venice High told me he had seen my account and it had inspired him to make his own,” the account owner said.
In order to find students to feature on @palihighfits, the owner said he “observes students walking around at lunch,” further adding that he “likes to find people with cool combinations and it’s really interesting to see the internet reactions.”
The comments on @palihighfits videos are filled with adults shocked at seeing fashion trends that they once wore–now embraced by the current era of teenagers. Some of the comments include “The children yearn for the Y2K” and “What in the 2003?”, underscoring the 2000s influence on Pali High fashion.
After noticing that the account was appealing to people outside of high school, he decided to start filming elsewhere.
Dedicated to showcasing vintage and Y2K fashion, the owner of the account decided to go to the Silverlake Flea Market to include outfits outside of Pali.
“When I went up to people a lot of them already knew about the account and were excited to be in the video,” he said. “I think it is cool that my account has reached so many people.”
The owner of the account says he hopes @palihighfits goes beyond Pali: “My goal for the account is to expand all over LA and feature different stylistic choices,” he said.
Junior Tabby Kopple was featured in the first viral video and was surprisedsurprised by its immediate success.
“I was really confused at first since it was a new account and then all of the sudden it went viral and I was really shocked,” Kopple said.
As a fashion lover, Kopple reflected on what it meant to be part of a famous fashion TikTok account.
“Fashion means a lot to me and I really like to be comfortable so it was really exciting to be featured in a video that reached millions of people,” Kopple said. “I think teenagers’ fashion is really impactful because we take inspiration from all of the past generations.”
For Kopple, fashion and the looks featured on @palihighfits are more than trends. They are a form of self-expression that is shaped by comfort and creativity. She said being featured in a video that was seen by millions was riveting and showed her the influence teenagers can have on trends.
“I think that fashion is the best way to express myself and I think that what you wear gives people a first impression of you, that’s why I think it’s so cool to utilize social media to do so,” Tabby said.
The account has had increasing viewership since its start and consistently gets thousands of views, reaching people all over the country. One comment on a video reads, “I live in Chicago and this is my favorite account.” The viral TikTok has grown to impact adults and teenagers all over the country that claim to feel more seen and inspired by the fashion it showcases.
“I created this account because I wanted to inspire people to express themselves and I wanted to create something that had an impact and I believe that this account has achieved this,” the account owner said. “I hope that I can continue to utilize the account and expand its horizons.”
