The development of digital media has fundamentally transformed modes of visual expression and mechanisms of emotional communication, redefining the identity and performative function of fashion illustration, particularly within short-form content. This study thus aims to analyze the emotional performance strategies used in short-form video fashion illustration content and to interpret these strategies through an integrated framework combining performative image and emotional design theories. As a methodology, five actively operating English-language YouTube channels were selected, each recognized for producing fashion illustration content in short-form videos and holding a subscriber base of over 50,000. The study conducted a qualitative analysis of short-form videos from these channels, examining how they engage viewers emotionally across Norman’s three levels: visceral, behavioral, and reflective. The results revealed that short-form video fashion illustration content employs multi-layered emotional strategies: immediate aesthetic stimulation through visceral visual impact, behavioral immersion via sharing of the drawing process, and reflective meaning-making through storytelling and socio-cultural messages. Notably, these strategies extend beyond the mere display of images, positioning the illustration as an active agent that performs and elicits sensory, emotional, and social engagement from audiences. The study concludes that the convergence of performative image theory and emotional design offers a comprehensive lens to decode how fashion illustration short-form videos function both as visual art and as performative acts. These findings contribute theoretical and practical insights for future digital fashion content creation and research in the visual arts, highlighting how emotional experiences are strategically constructed in contemporary digital media contexts.

Digitalization and the emergence of online video platforms changed the way people communicate and made new marketing opportunities. As mobile short-form video has unique characteristics, more people tend to consume and produce diverse content in the digital environment. The purpose of this study aims to better understand the influence of short-form videos from a fashion marketing standpoint and delineate the driving factors through story types. Specifically, by adopting common traits of short-form video content and story types based on Greimas’ narrative theory, this study explores customers’ intention toward fashion purchases and electronic word of mouth. In this context, this paper contributes to activating short-form video content as a tool to promote fashion brands and products but also opening up the possibility to further study short-form videos.