The fashion world this year saw a new uprising, influential factor. The power of photo sharing app Instagram was one of the most discussed topics in the fashion world in 2015. The social media platform worked on it and hired Anna Wintour’s former protégé and the youngest glossy magazine editor in the U.S., Eva Chen, as the head of fashion partnerships.
Instagram made some major changes on its platform to be more fashion friendly. It adopted fashion-focused formats, which included freedom from square-only photos. Now, users can upload a complete portrait image. These new features made Instagram a favorite amongst fashion editors and brands. “Throughout September Fashion Month 2015, there were 44 million unique accounts, with 360 million interactions — more than double what we saw in 2014. Fashion has always has been one of Instagram’s most creative and vibrant communities,” says Chen.
Instagram creates a difference but not monetarily
Though the popularity is high, there are still questions over how much difference Instagram makes. A set of recently released figures shows that Prada was the second most Instagrammed brand after Nike. The Italian fashion house received around 18.7 million mentions in 2015. The account received some heavy response, but the sales were down. Instagram might have an effect, but it surely does not make a monetary impact. The reason is it does set trends but helps fashion houses make a mark for themselves; the increase in business is not much impacted. It becomes more of an interaction portal.
A boon for new entrants
Instagram is extremely useful for people who are new entrants into the industry. It can help them boost their profile. “Misha Nonoo staged an InstaShow rather than a traditional show at New York Fashion Week, so that any of her followers could watch her collection unfold,” says Chen. For small-scale and recently opened companies, Instagram is a boon.
Turkish designers Merve and Beste Manastir, behind Manu Atelier, experienced the same. Their bags have become signature bags and made the label a mainstream player rather than an underground hit. “We just launched in Selfridges and we are thrilled to be launching on STYLEBOP.com, Shop at Bluebird and then Harrods for next season, along with two concept stores, Inanna Guernsey and Bernard’s Boutique,” explains the duo.
Chen has a further explanation and says, “While I’m a big fan, I personally can’t take credit for turning [Manu Atelier] into a mainstream player — that’s the result of a lot of their hard work and talent. Instagram has created a new wave of celebrities, with bloggers and editors holding huge followings and in some case almost as large as traditional celebrities.”
Chen further points out additional benefits. “Earlier this year, DKNY used Direct Messaging to allow their followers to ask the new creative directors Maxwell and Dao-Yi questions about their new vision, which they answered in real time,” says Chen.
Models also have made their presence effective on Instagram along with big fashion brands. The number of interactions doubled from last year. The influence of Instagram cannot be ignored and will continue to impact the fashion world in 2016.
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