Fashion, beauty and free giveaways brought Cal State Fullerton students together Friday as the Edikted College Tour was hosted in the Alpha Chi Omega (AXO) backyard.
The event took place Oct. 16 featuring activities and products from beauty brands, giving students a chance to connect with the fashion, retail and beauty companies in person. The CSUF stop was a part of Edikted’s 10-school tour across California and Arizona, which included branded games and free gifts such as a limited edition Edikted tote bag, a tank top, stickers and a gift card.
For Edikted, the tour is an opportunity to reach and connect with its Generation Z audience beyond online platforms.
“We feel like this is our target audience, so we like to target college students and promote marketing events for them,” said Josh Velasco, the event coordinator for the Edikted College Tour. “They seem to love it. We’ve done multiple college tours and it’s always a hit.”
Velasco said the company has organized multiple college tours and continues to host them because of students’ enthusiasm for the events. Although Edikted primarily connects with customers online, meeting them in person allows the brand to establish a more personal connection with its audience.
“A lot of these students already wear Edikted,” Velasco said. “I think for online brands, it’s good to present yourself in person and make that personal connection with your audience.”
Featured beauty brands, including Too Faced Cosmetics, UNOVE and Starface also connected with students through their presence at the event.
Tasleem Lee and Telaya Harris, brand ambassadors for Too Faced Cosmetics, said the event offered an opportunity to introduce the brand to younger consumers while creating an experience that appealed to college students.
“Too Faced is here just to be a presence for the younger audience,” Harris said. “I believe that they are catering towards what their financial situations are and just the need of what college students and young adolescents are needing these days.”
They also pointed to social media as an important factor in the event’s popularity. Platforms such as TikTok help spread awareness, attract attendees and create excitement around brand activations.
Lily Wilright, a first-year art major, said she heard about the college tour through social media and friends before deciding to attend.
Wilright said Edikted’s branding and its ability to participate in campus events help the company connect with college students. She added that social media platforms such as TikTok and Instagram allow students to discover events and share them with friends.
Beyond promoting the tour, Wilright said events like this bring students together through their shared interest in fashion.
“We’re one unit, one community at Fullerton,” Wilright said. “And I think just like coming out here and all of us together just shows how much we love fashion, love dressing up, love getting ready and just love being us.”
Melissa Hashem, a senior double major in criminal justice and philosophy, attended with members of her sorority, Zeta Tau Alpha.
Hashem said spending time with her sorority sisters while collecting freebies and taking pictures made the event enjoyable. She also mentioned Edikted’s ability to keep up with current fashion trends contributes to its popularity and appeal among college-aged students.
“They just definitely know how to cater to our style,” Hashem said. “Whenever something’s trendy, Edikted is super quick to hop on it.”
Campus activations like the one hosted Friday show that fashion companies want to engage with college communities and understand their clothing preferences.
The CSUF stop also showcased Edikted’s use of existing campus connections to bring its events to universities. Velasco said the company works with sororities through its campus ambassador program, which helped establish its connection with AXO.
When the company explored locations for the CSUF event, its campus ambassadors offered the sorority’s backyard as a venue. The existing relationship helped the company bring the tour to CSUF while giving students a chance to interact with the brand in person.
For Edikted, the goal extends beyond introducing students to its clothing. The company hopes to strengthen relationships with customers by creating experiences that bring the brand into their everyday lives.
“I think it goes a long way when you connect with a brand that you really enjoy in person,” Velasco said.