For many, the first thing that comes to mind when the social platform OnlyFans is mentioned is adult content. But the platform hosts a wide variety of adult and non-adult content across images, videos and text posts. Luring in people from across the creator economy — including beauty and music — to bring any sort of subscription-driven content to the platform is among its current priorities.
Now, the company’s targeting fashion.
The latest effort to bring in more fashion content is the Creative Fund: Fashion Edition, an incubator program OnlyFans launched on Thursday that will connect around a dozen fashion creators — including stylists, designers and influencers — with mentors including stylists Maeve Riley and Law Roach, and beauty guru Sir John. Creators who are accepted into the program will also be featured in OnlyFans’ marketing. The potential for mentorship and exposure is meant to lure in more fashion creators who may not already be on OnlyFans, Gan said.
By beefing up its fashion offerings, OnlyFans aims to secure a larger stake in the fashion side of the creator economy. The ability for fans of a fashion influencer to subscribe to them directly gives influencers another source of revenue beyond brand deals and sponsorships. OnlyFans typically takes a 20% cut of all user transactions.
This is the second iteration of the Creative Fund, after a 2021 version of the incubator program focused on bringing more music creators to the platform. While OnlyFans does not separate its creators by category, CEO Ami Gan said the team has an interest in cultivating creators with diverse focuses to make OnlyFans a more varied platform.
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“Fashion is a natural next step for us,” Gan said. “It’s a great place to share style tips, share looks, share designs and ideas. We already see a lot of fashion content organically on the platform.”
Gan cited existing OnlyFans creators like designers Owen Rogers and One Luv Jack as some of the most prominent fashion users on the site, however OnlyFans doesn’t disclose how many subscribers its creators have.
Other big names in the fashion industry that have joined the platform include Rebecca Minkoff, an early adopter who uses OnlyFans to show behind-the-scenes looks at her design process and early previews of upcoming collections.
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Minkoff started her OnlyFans account in February of 2021, timed to New York Fashion Week. At the time, it may have seemed like an off-the-cuff decision, but Minkoff said it’s a long-term strategy.
“We use any platform for as long as we see traction and growth,” Minkoff said. “If you can capture the mindset of your most loyal, most dedicated fans, that’s really valuable.”
Supporting creators through incubators like the Creative Fund or spots on OF.TV, OnlyFans’ free streaming service that regularly features creators, is important for discovery, Gan said. Unlike many other social platforms, there are no recommendations of accounts to follow or algorithms controlling what accounts subscribers see. Users only see content from people they’ve subscribed to, and it’s up to creators to advertise their accounts.
In February, 6-year-old OnlyFans, which is based in the U.K., ranked fourth in the Financial Times’ list of fastest-growing European companies.
In August of 2021, the company announced it would ban explicit content from the platform, but reversed its decision after outcry from users. OnlyFans said the reversal came with assurance from its financial backers that its funding wouldn’t be affected by the presence of adult content, a key driver of the platform’s growth. Since then, OnlyFans hasn’t shied away from its reputation as home to adult content, but it continues to message around the diversity of adult and non-adult content it offers.
“Ultimately, we are here as a platform where creators can share any kind of content they want,” Gan said. “We’re proud of being an inclusive and safe platform for all creators, which does include adult models, but also musicians, artists, designers and trainers. And there’s a great opportunity for fashion on OnlyFans, too.”
