A fashion influencer is someone who has the ability to influence the public with their clothing and accessory choices. The Instagram model is a great example of how a fashion influencer can develop their brand and have a successful career.
Read on to find out more about becoming a fashion influencer.
What is a Fashion Influencer?
In the past, celebrities were fashion influencers. Now, it’s a job in its own right thanks to social media. Regular people with great fashion sense have found social media to be the ideal platform to showcase their looks and gain attention from rising follower numbers.
A fashion influencer or fashion blogger’s job is more difficult than it looks online. They have a lot of background work to do finding items and looks that will appeal to their followers. Not only that, but many do this alongside other jobs as they build their presence.
They then have to photograph, edit and post their images consistently. Photos must be high-quality to capture and keep the attention of fans. It’s very difficult coming up with new and interesting looks. What’s more, social media is incredibly demanding and many fashion influencers don’t get any time off. Every holiday, event and night out is a chance to post.
They have be their own make-up artist and hair stylist to begin with too.
Once a fashion influencer has enough followers, they can start approaching fashion brands for collaborations and advertisements. These may be unpaid at first, or paid in freebies. But as they begin to see their demand rise, they can start to request proper payment for their work. This is the time when a fashion influencer should be up to date on contracts and invoices so they understand how the business works.
As their business and demand grows, many fashion influencers begin to hire people to manage their social media and to help with marketing. At this point, a fashion influencer is likely to be working full-time if they are earning enough money from it.
By this stage, brands may be approaching the fashion influencer for endorsements, campaigns and collaborations. These can be very lucrative if you have a good following and interaction on your social media platform.
Top Fashion Influencers
Many top models can also be considered fashion influencers. These include Gigi Hadid, Bella Hadid, Kendall Jenner, Josephine Skriver, Ashley Graham, Cara Delevingne, Emily Ratajkowski, Miranda Kerr, Chrissy Teigen and Candice Swanepoel – basically, most of the top supermodels who are regularly seen in the press.
Those who are famous purely because of their fashion influencer success include:
– Aimee Song
– Chiara Ferragni
– Danielle Bernstein (WeWoreWhat fashion blog)
– Olivia Palermo
– Mariano Di Vaio
– Camila Coelho
The In’s and Out’s of Fashion Influencing
At their core, fashion influencers are excellent content creators. They aren’t just selling a brand or product; they are selling themselves and their own image – so they must have a constant grasp of the market, and how their own image fits into the current climate.
Social media is the main tool of the trade for fashion influencers. Instagram and TikTok in particular are both platforms that fashion influencers can effectively utilise to build their self-brand and market themselves.
Once you have a certain amount of followers, you have the ability to influence what they purchase. But this means catering to the specific audience, and understanding the people who follow you. If your followers wear Dior, it’s likely they will buy into luxury fashion. But if your audience is young and unlikely to have a high salary, wearing top brands like Chanel might make you seem out of touch with your fan base. Lots of audience research must therefore take place if a fashion influencer wants to make money from their business.
Fashion influencers rely on two things: being popular, and having the right look that is in style right now. The fashion industry is constantly changing, and influencers must keep up with the demanding nature of the business as well as the public who are always hungry for the next look.
How to Build Your Instagram Account
Building your Instagram account or social media presence isn’t easy. You’ll need some information about algorithms and marketing, and you’ll have to stay up to date of any changes.
Typically, the following will help build your platform organically:
– Post high-quality content
– Post regularly and consistently
– Try to get as much post engagement as you can
– Talk to and interact with other Instagram accounts
– Don’t be tempted to buy followers
– Collaborate with other well-known accounts
– If you have some extra cash, spend some money on influencer marketing and adverts
– Build your subscribers on YouTube or on your blog
Most of all, you need to be tenacious and strive for better. Social media is hard work, especially at the beginning, so you’ll need lots of time and plenty of patience to succeed.
Street Style
‘Street style’ refers to the sort of clothing and accessories you wear when out and about. This is a whole fashion category in itself, especially in major cities like New York, Los Angeles and London. You will need to have a strong street style if you want to make it as a fashion influencer.
Tips for Aspiring Fashion Influencers
Some fashion influencers are considered fashion designers in their own right, because many actually design and create their own clothing and accessories. It’s a good idea to think about taking a textile or sewing course to learn more about what goes into clothing and style.
A lot of influencers like to mix high street with high fashion for a more obtainable look.
You should also think about attending fashion shows. This is a great way of keeping abreast of new fashion trends, as well as the current top faces in the industry.
Think about investing in a decent camera. There are some excellent phone cameras now available, so if you’re on a budget it’s definitely worth learning how to at least use PhotoShop or some other form of photo editing software.
Follow fashion influencers who inspire you, but don’t copy them (unless you plan to give them credit in your post description).
Read fashion magazines like Vogue, Elle and Harper’s Bazaar as much as possible.
Pay attention when out in major cities like London and Manchester to what people are wearing – you never know when inspiration may hit.
You should also follow top designer brands like Gucci for brand awareness. If you’re more of a sports style influencer, follow relevant brands like Nike.
Work hard to build your social media following. Use hashtags, add an engaging caption and try to get content scheduled in advance so you don’t miss a day. You could also think about linking your Instagram account to other social media platforms like TikTok.