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First Comment
CLOTHEScall HAPPY FRI-YAY!! ready for the weeeekend in this cute romper - shop my new look here http://liketk.it/2Vqjn #liketoknow.it #rails #stellamccartney
Influencers need more than followers to succeed as fashion designers. By Erika Geisler
A decade ago, it would have been hard to imagine that anyone would take fashion or beauty tips from someone with no real experience in the business. But today, women aren’t opening up magazines to find out what experts say is hot or not, they’re looking at their phones to find out what social media influencers are buying — and they’re buying it, too. The influencer marketing industry is on track to be worth as much as $15 billion by 2022, up from $8 billion in 2019, according to estimates by the research group Business Insider Intelligence. It’s no wonder that fashion influencers, flush with funds and small-screen fame, might want to participate in producing the fashion items they built their businesses commenting on. But these influencers should not be so eager to change careers, say experts. Launching a fashion line could put the value of their brands at risk by angering followers if their designs are not original, or if the clothing is poorly constructed. “We live in the age of cancel culture,” Qianna Smith Bruneteau said, founder of The American Influencer Council, a non-profit membership trade association. Influencers are popular because they endorse trends and original designs. But if their own design efforts are unoriginal and inauthentic, their reputations could suffer. Make a mistake, said Smith Bruneteau, and followers might not be very forgiving: “The risk is often not worth the reward.” It’s not illegal to steal an idea from another designer, said associate professor Jared Schroeder, who teaches communication law at Southern Methodist University. But experts like Smith Bruneteau say that doesn’t mean there aren’t consequences, and today’s customers
12 • SMU LOOK
often have zero tolerance. Danielle Bernstein, founder of the influential We Wore What blog and social media brand, found that out. With 2.5 million followers on Instagram, Bernstein has the perfect platform to design whatever she wants, and the following to support her endeavors. She had some success in 2018 with a swimwear and clothing line, despite criticism that her styles were similar to those of other designers. In July, however, Bernstein was accused on social media of stealing a very specific design from a small brand, and a scandal ensued. Instagram fashion industry watchdog Diet Prada broke the story, posting a side-by-side photo comparing Bernstein’s masks to a design by the brand By Second Wind. The Diet Prada post also included direct messages between Bernstein and By Second Wind where Bernstein solicited the mask in question prior to the launch of her own design. Bernstein denied the allegation on Instagram, explaining that her mask had been in production weeks before she contacted By Second Wind. Although Bernstein had been criticized before, this time Bernstein’s influence has suffered. According to Social Blade, a website that tracks social media statistics and analytics, Bernstein’s weekly average follower gain is usually around 5,000. The week the mask scandal broke, she gained only 404 followers. Bernstein took to her Instagram story with a video message, tearfully telling her followers she had been receiving death threats, and that someone had even shown up at her Montauk house to harass her. Bernstein has since deleted all Instagram posts associated with the face masks. While an influencer can have a great eye for
style, that doesn’t mean they are Raf Simons who can produce a show-stopping collection, say industry watchers. The disconnect between the influencer and the design process often results in low-quality, poorly made clothing. This can damage their credibility as much as allegations of design theft. “More power to them if influencers believe they can cross over into a very difficult, different realm,” said SMU adjunct professor Rosanne Hart, a fashion industry insider and the former fashion editor of Fashion Showcase. “But if the quality and business savvy are not there, back to the Instagram.” This happened to influencer Arielle Charnas. In 2018, she partnered with Nordstrom to release back-to-back collections for the retail store. According to a Vice article published in August 2020, it was the most successful partnership Nordstrom has had, bringing in $4.4 million in a single day. But those single-day earnings don’t tell the whole story of what played out after the glow of the launch faded. Reviews on Nordstrom’s website and reports from Diet Prada detail how shoppers had to buy multiple sizes of the same garment because of the inaccurate sizing scale. Shoppers also repeatedly cited quality issues. As a result, shoppers returned what didn’t fit. Sometimes, they brought back their entire purchase. The takeaway from these examples? Influencers should consider that Instagram success doesn’t equal fashion industr y success. As long as social media influencers believe that their skill at unboxing, TikTok dancing or recreating a red carpet lewk qualifies them to be fashion designers, the buyer should beware.
