The advent of social media has revolutionised consumer interactions with brands. Essentially, social media has bolstered the geographical reach of word-of-mouth advertising and widened its audience. But what are the implications of this for the luxury fashion industry, which has long been characterised by exclusivity and elitism? Moreover, with social media going nowhere, what insight does it offer into the future of the industry?

In short, social media has democratised the luxury fashion industry. Long-gone are the days in which runway shows were witnessed by a small, select audience within the confines of its venue. Nowadays, brands can livestream shows to an audience of millions on their website, Facebook and Instagram – the platform which Exane BNP Paribas claims is “by far the most relevant social platform for luxury brands”. Instagram facilitates the sharing of snapshot imagery, backstage footage and live streamed content to captivate audiences. Offering this authentic insight into a world that’s inaccessible to many in real life can drive a brand’s social media engagement.





Ultimately, social media has permeated all aspects of the luxury fashion industry. Not only is it a method to communicate with a brand’s audience, but the size of one’s social media influence has become a major consideration in the casting of models and even the recruitment of entire backstage teams (stylists, makeup artists and producers). Burberry exemplified this when they tapped into the 5.9 million Instagram followers of Brooklyn Beckham’s when they hired him to shoot a campaign. Despite accusations of nepotism, the campaign was wildly successful, achieving 15 million impressions within the first 8 hours the shoot was live. As companies with higher levels of engagement on Instagram tend to experience faster online sales growth, it is likely that the future of the fashion industry is in the hands of celebrity designers like Virgil Abloh and Olivier Rousteing, supported by an army of social media savvy models and the $1 billion influencer economy.





TTYL







