Category: Influencers & Bloggers

Influencers & Bloggers

Why are fashion bloggers so influential today?

Riya Gupta

Most industries rely on information dissemination, and the fashion industry is no exception. We all know the importance fashion magazines hold in this respect, as initially, their role was to dictate trends before the season’s clothes were available for purchase.

Fashion trends are no longer solely governed by magazines and editors, as you can now watch any runway from wherever you are via social media and see how to style these clothes through fashion bloggers. 

In these parts, due to the lack of a strong runway culture or fashion media, fashion bloggers hold even more clout. They’re pretty much the only fashion information disseminators we have and the best things about them are that they manage to mix local and global style, and also marry high fashion and street style together to give us wardrobe inspiration.

We’ve spoken about the importance of stylish, influential people such as Lisa Folawiyo, Chimamanda Adichie and Bayo Oke-Lawal’s, and why, as celebrities, people tend to look to them for style inspiration.

Because fashion bloggers are regular people and not models who have been styled to a designer’s taste, they tend to show trends in a more relatable way — which can appeal to more people. Also, instead of actually dictating trends, they take what is available and show people how to rock them, which makes the fashion industry more democratic and appealing.

Wearing clothes is a daily requirement and before you say anything, your clothes have said a lot about you — so why not make it intentional and stylish? Like fashion editors, fashion bloggers have a point of view, however, the difference is the personal touch and their unique way of presenting and documenting fashion — whether visual or written. They are useful for discovering new trends, designers and ultimately for style inspiration.

Instead of wearing ruffles because Dolce & Gabbana have paid for a publication to say it’s the season’s trend, all you need is a quick scroll through Instagram to see what trends suit you and your taste!

Influencers & Bloggers

Why are fashion influencers important today?

Riya Gupta

Who is an Influencer?

An Influencer is an individual who has a certain following in a particular niche, that they actively engage with. The reason they have a powerful influence on their followers is because their opinions are valued. Influencers are real people and often looked at as friends and audiences are looking for reality that they can emulate and buy into, as opposed to glamorous ads. An influencer’s audience size is important, but what is more important is the right kind of audience.

Example, Chriselle Lim is a Korean-american beauty and fashion influencer, who has a 1.1m following on Instagram. She shares how her interest and influence in beauty came from her mother. Lim discusses her beauty regime, make-up, food, beauty, culture, and now her family in her Instagram posts to her followers. Her followers respect her opinion and consider her an expert in her subject matter.

There is a strong relationship between her and her community, which makes her a trustworthy “friend” that they would listen to and engage with. Hence if she strongly recommends a product, her followers are very likely to give it a shot ✨

 

Why is Influencer Marketing so effective and popular on Instagram?

Your target audience will trust a friend’s recommendation over something a brand is trying to “sell or market” to them. Influencers are removed from traditional marketing. They are the trusted “gatekeepers” of their community. Hence it’s more credible and organic when they recommend a product or service.

Example, H&M took advantage of fashion influencers on Instagram, to promote their latest product line. It proved to be more effective to share real people wearing their clothes in real situations, as opposed to doing a glamorous print ad. They tag the influencers in their posts to bring in new audiences.