TikTok’s #CheapestThing Trend Is All About Luxury On A Budget

Some TikTok trends seem more random than others, at least to begin with, but the increasingly popular #cheapestthing hashtag makes a lot of sense.

It's all about acquiring a slice of luxury on a budget by ordering the "cheapest thing" from a high-end brand like Chanel, Tiffany or Prada. Think keyrings, lighters and smaller makeup items – anything that costs between £5 and £50, really.

TikTok user @securethebaggagee has shared several popular #cheapestthing videos. This one in which she unpacks an $8 (£5.80) Saint Laurent lighter has racked up more than 88,000 likes.

Another TikTok user, @steffieinthecity a.k.a. Steffie Price, has also seen several of her #cheapestthing videos go viral.

Discussing the popularity of the hashtag, she told Glossy Pop: "I noticed that TikToks with luxury items always tend to pop off, and featuring a product that’s actually reasonably priced is especially exciting to the young audience that is on TikTok."

Price has also got creative in her videos. In one, she shows followers how she turned a $50 (£36) Prada keyring into her own DIY designer necklace, which you have to admit is pretty ingenious.

As these viral videos demonstrate, the joy of the #cheapestthing trend isn't just getting to own something by a high-end brand. It's also about the pleasure of opening a beautifully packaged item that's been wrapped with as much care whether it cost £20 or £2,000.

In a cute and low-key way, the trend is also about democratising luxury fashion. And if the brand happens to throw in a few free samples for good measure, well, so much the better.