Feb 10th, 2016, 12:56 PM

Instagram as Star: Fashion Designers Turn the Spotlight to Social Media

By Duc Dinh

iPhones at a fashion show. Image Credit: Dina Litovsky.

Younger brands are turning to Instagram to capitalize on the social media revolution.

The landscape of the fashion industry has changed rapidly within the past few years due to social media–especially Instagram. Long gone are the days when fashion followers waited months to see the collections in magazines for the first time. Nowadays, iPhones are the accessory du jour across front rows, where guests seem never to be without a photo-capturing device. With its "share now" philosophy, Instagram allows fashion lovers to be au courant with what’s happening at the shows, whether it's backstage or on the catwalks. Social media is democratizing fashion events and reshaping the fashion industry.

Since its launch in 2010, Instagram's popularity has been a monetizing machine for the fashion industry. Speaking with CR Fashion book, Frank Spadafora, a former casting director and founder and CEO of D’Marie Archive, an analytics group that recently introduced an app and platform that obtains the valuation on the social power of a model or influencer, mentioned that the three most highly ranked supers on social–Kendall Jenner, Cara Delevingne and Gigi Hadid, in descending order, “are currently valued between $125,000 and $300,000 for a single post across their portfolio.”

With the number of followers now a metric for brand equity, emerging fashion brands and designers have found a strategic way to create new and interesting content that caters to younger generations.

Here are four emerging brands’ Instagram accounts that you should be following:

1. Jacquemus (189k followers)

"JE M'APPELLE SIMON, J'AIME LE BLEU ET LE BLANC, LES RAYURES, LE SOLEIL, LES FRUITS, LES RONDS, LA VIE, MARSEILLE ET LES ANNÉES 80," reads Simon Jacquemus's Instagram bio. That he mentions his love of fruits, the sun, and life adds a personal touch to the Parisian brand's account. Known for posting three-photo series to line up with Instagram’s layout, Jacquemus often shares art, daily life scenery and pictures of himself, along with photos of campaigns and products.

Image Credit: Jacquemus via Instagram.

Jacquemus once said, “My collections are my biography, nothing else.” His Instagram, similarly, feels just like that. It is a glimpse into a world seen through children's eyes, as Jacquemus mentioned in an interview with WWD. Featuring a mixture of his personal life and business, the account blends the designer and his brand into one, creating a distinct identity for the 2015 LVMH Special Jury Prize winner.

2. J.W. Anderson (242k followers)

J.W. Anderson is famous for his gender-blurring designs that brought him recognition as both Menswear and Womenswear Designer of the Year at the 2015 British Fashion Awards. A true trend-setter with a visionary eye, J.W. Anderson has boosted exposure for his own label and for Loewe, where he is creative director.

Claiming that he will “never see fashion as an art form,” but rather “mechanical,” Anderson disagrees with the comparison of a designer and an artist because of the bottom line mentality of the fashion industry. However, with a peek at his label’s Instagram feed, one can easily spot Anderson’s artistic and inventive use of social media to announce sample sales, workshops and new campaigns.

Image Credit: J.W. Anderson via Instagram.

A closer look into his personal Instagram (@jonathan.anderson) reveals a vast source of the North Irish designer’s inspiration. He posts images of paintings, art installations, music, and films that have influenced his collections for both J.W. Anderson and Loewe. Whether Anderson is a great artist or a marketing genius, his followers can decide. But one thing is for certain, whatever he’s doing, it's working.

3. The Row (442k followers)

The label founded by twin sisters Mary Kate and Ashley Olsen in 2006 has gained attention from the press for its simplistic, timeless and relaxed designs that focus on fabric and cut. Winning the Council of Fashion Designers of America’s (CFDA) Womenswear Designer of the Year Award for the second time in 2015 against Marc Jacobs, Michael Kors, Altuzarra and Proenza Schouler has aided the designers' exposure to younger customers. However, it’s The Row’s Instagram that intrigues many people to press the “follow” button.

Image Credit: The Row via Instagram.

With their minimal approach to sharing images of products and ads, the designers opt for posts of paintings, furniture, architecture and photographs. The brand’s Instagram account reflects the Olsen twins themselves–soft-spoken, artistic and often timid, but not without leaving an impression on the people they encounter.

4. Vêtements (196k followers)

Despite being a newcomer to the fashion industry, Vêtements rose to the headlines during fashion week. With a magnetic aesthetic that's a mix of street style and the French je ne sais quoi attitude, Vêtements creates ever-alluring and irresistible clothing. There was that famous floral dress of last season, and the oversized coat that was everyone’s dream.

Head designer Demna Gvasalia and his team have chosen to show their collections at unconventional locations like Parisian gay club Le Depot, and Chinese restaurant Le Président, in Belleville. Their unique decisions are also reflected in Vêtements’s Instagram.