Influencers outperforms designers on social media for NYFW

By

Cassidy Mantor

Published
Feb 22, 2017

Traditional runway photos from Fashion Week are out as influencers step in to lead the discussion on social media.

With Instagram usage soaring to over 340,000 more shares than last year's February NYFW, this change signifies a larger shift in underway fashion marketing.

A recent report completed by brand reporting company Chute has revealed that influencers outperformed designers and official brands on social media during New York Fashion Week. #FashionBlogger took over 25 percent of all shared content, beating out #model and #streetstyle which previously garnered 17 percent and 16 percent of shares last season.

The only post in the top 50 Instagrams related to NYFW that showed a runway photo was from plus size model and social media influencer Iskra.

Iskra's post reveals the value of the brand's relationship with influencers. Her post included a shout out to the brand Chromat, whose show she walked in. Her post reveals the personal connection influencers have with their followers, something brands are desperately trying to harness.

Iskra shared seemingly intimate information with her followers as she spoke of her excitement to walk in a NYFW show as a plus sized model, praising Chromat's designer for asking her "why wouldn't I use anyone who rocks my designs and can walk?"

Chute has been tracking the past few seasons of Fashion Week to gain a deeper understanding of the influencer power and dynamic on social media. Their recent report reveals the shift in consumer marketing so much that the highest Fashion Week consumer traffic is now to influencer handles, not the official designer accounts.

Of the top brands still on Instagram, Chute named MAC, H&M, Michael Kors, and Tommy Hilfiger as the most successful in terms of engagement and following. However, even their posts showed they are working the influencer marketing angle. Instead of posting photos from their runway shows, they turned to their own models for backstage shots of their chosen influencers like Kendall Jenner and Karlie Kloss.