Fashion influencer

[2] Brands endorse them to attend fashion shows, parties, designer dinners[3] and exclusive trips[4] and to wear their clothes on social media.

As marketers Jung von Matt, Brandnew IO and Facelift point out: "Daily interactions across multiple channels, through photos, stories or live sessions, create a form of closeness and trust" that make influencers "often more tangible than traditional celebrities".

[10] According to researcher Emily Hund “Social media’s influencer economy has gained steam quickly in the last few years, particularly on platforms like Instagram and Pinterest, whose image-heavy nature easily lends itself to commerce”.

Forbes calculated that the top ten fashion influencers combined generated a reach of 23.3 million on Instagram.

[14] It named Chiara Ferragni, Danielle Bernstein, Julia Engel, Gabi Gregg, Jenn Im, Susanna Lau, Nicolette Mason, Simone Zippi Stardust, Aimee Song, and Bryanboy as the top influencers in the fashion category.

[2] Fashion influencers are paid to pose with specific products on their social media channels and must mark them correspondingly.

[2] As thousands of people follow them for their authentic personality and style, influencers must be able to identify themselves with the brand in order to recommend it convincingly.

Influencer Camille Charrière reportedly turned down a 5-digit offer of Macy’s, because she could not identify with the clothes: “At the end of the day, I’m selling my taste and my eye – if I do things off-brand I will lose the respect”.

German fashion influencer Xenia van der Woodsen (xeniaoverdose) left her full-time job at an investment trust, when she realized that she could earn more money with a single Instagram post than working mana full day in a regular job.

[20] In 2017, a study of Jung von Matt, Brandnew IO and Facelift revealed that such a high income is relatively rare among influencers.

Xenia van der Woodsen, one of Germany’s top three fashion influencers in 2017,[2] accepts only long-term brand co-operations in the majority of cases.

[18] In her experience, posts of long-term campaigns appear more authentic and credible, whereas single paid content pieces stand out as advertisement.

[2] Although data that shows the direct correlation between influencer campaigns and sales are rare, the success of affiliate platforms as rewardStyle, Chirpyest, Shopstyle Collective and successful examples such as the #mangogirls campaign, indicate that influencer engagement affects sales.

In the #mangogirls campaign several influencers had independently chosen the same coat as their favorite piece of the Mango collection and showcased it on Instagram.