TrendWatch: Influencers

Hey everyone!! You’ve heard of influencers—nowadays, you can’t scroll through Instagram without seeing a photo of someone candidly walking with a coffee cup in one hand and the hottest new designer purse in the other! For too long, people have regarded social media influencers as unemployed millennials with an iPhone and a shopping problem. However, influencers are disrupting the retail industry with their entrepreneurial spirit and marketability. Let’s back up a bit. The Oxford English Dictionary defines an influencer as “a person with the ability to influence potential buyers of a product or service by promoting or recommending the items on social media.” There are many types of influencers out there: food, technology, beauty—even children’s toys influencers! But fashion influencers are arguably the most successful. With more than 2.2 million Instagram followers, Danielle Bernstein posts on her Instagram stories daily, updating her loyal following on her busy life. In 2010, college sophomore Bernstein started her blog WeWoreWhat to chronicle her street style. That blog grew rapidly and she started receiving paid promotions from brands who wanted her to post about their products, hoping it would influence some of her readers to buy it. In 2016, Bernstein released her first clothing brand, Second Skin Overalls (SSO). In a blog post, she describes the overalls as “luxurious cashmere-like denim that stretches but doesn’t stretch out.” The overalls sold out in hours and Bernstein continues to design new styles for the brand. However, she has expanded beyond SSO. Bernstein released a shoe brand, Archive Shoes, that sells five styles made exclusively from Italian fabrics. In 2018, she designed a collection in collaboration with swimwear brand Onia that sold over $1 million in three hours. Her latest release, however, is a bit different from her usual style. Three weeks ago, Bernstein released MOE, described as a “tech suite for influencers to run their business” by Forbes. The website is a hub for influencers, letting them create an account to manage their business partnerships and finances. After almost a decade of being an “influencer,” Bernstein has shifted her course to help legitimize the influencer business. Arielle Charnas is close behind Bernstein in popularity in the fashion influencer space. The 32-year-old mom of two started her blog, Something Navy, in 2009 to impress her then-boyfriend. Although they didn’t last, the blog took off and she gained 1.2 million Instagram followers. NYC-based Charnas, like Bernstein, works with several brands and routinely posts sponsored pictures on her page, ranging from dog food to shampoo. The ads don’t detract from Charnas’s message: to always be her true self. In an interview with Footwear News, she said, “What sets me apart is that a lot of these girls focus on beautiful images, the traveling, the extravagant trips, whereas I’m just at home hanging out in my apartment.” Her Instagram stories are unapologetically herself which include videos of her daughters playing with makeup and herself dancing to the top 50 hits on the radio. In 2017, she brought her true personal style to consumers through a collaboration with retail powerhouse Nordstrom. Titled “Something Navy,” the line reportedly sold $1 million worth of clothes in one day and shut down the Nordstrom website. Charnas has released several subsequent collections with Nordstrom and is now planning to develop a stand-alone brand and expand the product line. Big things are in store for Something Navy as Charnas recently hired a CEO, tripled her team of employees and is planning to open a brick-and-mortar storefront in downtown NYC next year! Influencers are taking the fashion industry by storm and by the looks of it, they have no plans of slowing down. Bernstein and Charnas are not alone—hundreds of rising influencers are securing brand deals and releasing lines of their own. Through social media platforms like Instagram, they become a fashionable friend to consumers around the world. The success of influencers cannot be ignored; the power of their influence will soon drive their businesses to overtake well-established retail stores. Not only are influencers starting their own fashion forward companies, but businesses are also relying on influencers drive up site traffic and sales through social media ads. Brands use sites like Instagram to target a wide variety of users for their products. Disney-made-star Selena Gomez posts sponsored content for athletic apparel Puma and luxury fashion brand Coach to her 157 million followers. Gomez is a good investment for fashion brands. The star already has a cult following and the name to market items successfully. However, the majority of influencers build their brand from the ground up. Influencers can begin from all backgrounds—take 22-year-old Alexis Ren for example. She sprung onto the social media stage four years ago after her modeling photos went viral on Tumblr. Since then, the Instagram star has managed to maintain a perfectly manicured feed with a sprinkle of sponsored posts every now and then. Aside from landing major modeling gigs at Calvin Klein and Sports Illustrated, Ren is the face of Sonya Dakar Skincare. The smaller, California-based beauty brand relies on influencers such as Ren to promote the products to her 13 million followers. Whether led by a movie star or a social media star, the people will follow. Influencers get a bad reputation but it’s no secret that people will trust the voices of other people over traditional advertisements. According to Forbes Magazine, when an influencer does their job correctly, the brand could make around $6.50 for every $1.00 spent on an influencer—a huge payoff for the business.Sadly, not everyone is lucky enough to get paid to put on a facemask and snap a photo to post. As Exonians, we don’t have the time to devote to becoming internet phenomenons. However, we still look to each on the paths for fashion influence. Leading us this week in style is Caroline Fleming ’20 who took advantage of the warm weather in a white flowy dress layered with an always in-style army-green, teddy bear jacket. The always fashionable Justin Li ’20 fended off the sun this week in a pair of cat-eye, gold lens reflective sunglasses. Lastly, Sierra Anderson ‘20 welcomed the fall with a black, chunky, wool turtleneck and a polka dot mini skirt.Remember: you don’t have to be paid to be an “influencer.” Sponsored or not, don’t be afraid to step out on the path and own your style. Cold weather is coming and it can be all too easy to roll up to class in sweats and Bean boots, but keep in mind that you never know who is looking to you for fashion help. Happy influencing, Exonians :) See you on the paths,Ramyanee & Leah