From being front-row fixtures to creating their own labels, fashion influencers are now, new-age polymaths. It will be safe to say that the flair which resonates in their Instagram selfies is also reflected in their business acumen. As fashion forays into a more democratic setup, influencers have moved beyond their high-heeled image; they are profit-yielding collaborators, social media mavericks, photographers, models and much more.
31-year-old, Milanese, Chiara Ferragni of The Blonde Salad is a potent example of how social media coupled with business churning skills can reap results. According to Financial Times, her business is worth 30 million euros. Another old hand at the game is Something Navy‘s Arielle Charnas, who post her successful collaboration with luxury retailer Nordstorm launched her own fully blown fashion and lifestyle brand. Besides this Milan-based influencers, Giorgia Tordini and Gilda Ambrosio launched their ‘speciality couture’ brand Attico in 2016 and New York-based street style star Ada Kokosar forayed into the discipline of design with her footwear brand Midnight 00 in early 2018. These leading entrepreneurs have aced the art of not just looking great but of encashing on their fashion and beauty choices and making a business out of them.
Here is our edit of top influencers who are taking us fashionably into 2020 and the coming year is a testament to not just their social media clout but their ability to create legit businesses and off-shoots out of it.
Elle Ferguson
Australian influencer Elle Ferguson does not warrant an introduction. After launching her successful website They All Hate Us, Ferguson forrayed into vegan beauty and launched Elle Effect, a line of vegan tanning products which helped her garner rave reviews. When it’s Ferguson, think beach, lace dresses and loads of cropped denim jackets. One look at her Insta-feed will also spell her love for chunky jewellery.
Caroline Daur
Caroline Daur is in the big league with designer collaborations with labels such as Dolce & Gabbana, Dior, Valentino, Off-White, Adidas, Roger Vivier. Peppered with the right amount of chic with an undertone of fun, is how one can sum up her style. With 2.1 million followers on Instagram, Daur is doing something right to be featured in a Fendi campaign alongside Sarah Jessica Parker.
Margaret Zhang
It’s not all pretty pictures with Australian-Chinese, stylist, writer and a filmmaker Margaret Zhang. She began her career almost a decade back with her website Shine By Three and has graduated to expand into various fields and collaborating with brands such as Dior, Gucci, Under Armour, and Louis Vuitton, working front and behind the camera. Zhang, a regular face at all the high profile shows, has been featured in leading glossies and has also co-curated the first FOREFRONT Summit, which brings together creative minds from different genres of life debating and sharing thoughts on inter-industry issues.
Karen Wazen Bakhazi
For those of you following the Middle-East fashion scene, Karen Wazen doesn’t need an introduction. A regular at all the important shows, Wazen commands a loyal following of 2.1 million on Instagram. As a fashion influencer she has been featured on the cover of Harpers Bazaar Arabia and Grazia to name a few. The global jet-setter is known for her easy-on-eyes Instagram feed, sharp fashion choices and edgy eponymous eyewear brand.
Danielle Bernstein
She can easily be referred to as the OG among fashion influencers. Danielle Bernstein is a name that stands for the coolest street-style moments and owing to her successful collabs with the likes of Joe’s Jeans, Onia Swimwear, All Saints and more, she has become a force to reckon with. When Bernstein is not serving impeccable style she is indulging in technology. Her latest venture that dropped in 2019 was Moe Assist, an online tool for influencers to manage multiple campaigns, their records, an account of their invoices, all-in-all a complete tool specifically meant for influencers who want to manage their daily chores.
Camille Charriere
A Parisian in London, that’s how one can describe fashion influencer and entrepreneur Camille Charrière. Known for her website Camille Over The Rainbow coupled with her understated fashion choices, Charrière’s effortlessness can be peaked into by scrolling down her Instagram; baggy trousers, denim jackets and lightweight robes. Her Instagram feed seems to be a mosaic of everything monochrome, peppered with gingham. Besides collaborating with brands such as Chloé, Mango, H&M, she also co-hosts the podcast Fashion: No Filter along with the likes of Susan Sarandon and Eva Chen.
Tamu Mcpherson
Milan based photographer and writer Tamu Mcpherson started her journey with photographing street style for her website All The Pretty Birds, which over the years has turned into an online community of multicultural and multi-ethnic women working in different creative spheres. A Fordham Law graduate, Mcpherson in the past has led Grazia Italy as it’s editor and lends her creative streak to a number of reputed publications. Her style is fresh and experimental; think oversized plaid blazers, neon puffers, cropped leather trousers and padded mules.
Jeanne Damas
Jeane Dammas sets a perfect definition for Parisian chic. With her signature red lips and tomboy-ish style, Dammas is one of the leading French-style influencers today. When she is not making understated style statements sitting on the frow supporting her designer friends Simon Porte Jacquemus, she is busy working on her fashion label Rouje. Launched in 2016, it has garnered rave reviews from beauty and fashion enthusiasts alike. Just in case you are into lip shades, Rouje will not disappoint you.
Nilu Yuleena Thapa
What started off as an informal set of images clicked for her fashion blog. seven years later has turned into a full-blown website documenting Nilu Yuleena Thapa’s style and love for everything beautiful. Big Hair Loud Mouth, as the name suggests is about being unapologetically original; think coloured hair, crimson red lips, logo-emblazoned hoodies and distressed denims. Thapa’s website and her social media is nothing less than a mosaic of everything colourful, thoughtful and visually intriguing. Peppered with the best of labels, both homegrown and international, her feed also features beauty and travel.
Sakshi Sindwani
One look at her youtube channel will decode her personality; vibrant, effortless and of course with a pinch of fun, Sakshi Sindhwani does it all. From styling videos to giving skincare and haircare tips, Wadhwani has established herself as the countries leading body positive content creator. Besides this, Sindhwani is also a branding enthusiast too.
Nikita Madhani
Based out of Mumbai, Nikita Madhani is a true jet-setter who gets the best of Paris, Milan and New York through her website Styllogue. Truly versatile, her fashion choices range from Chanel tweed jackets, Dior crinkled skirts to a whole spectrum of luxury bags and eyewear pieces that aficionados can not get enough of. With a solid 154k followers on Instagram, her social media feed and her website is a window into her eclectic, vibrant style and travel experiences.
Anupam Dabral
Sr. Associate Editor
It was while studying fashion journalism at London College of Fashion that Anupam developed a keen interest in the anthropological aspect of the discipline; for him, fashion only makes sense when seen in the context of its environment. He is always on the hunt for great stories, and in his spare time binge-watches films/shows starring Whoopi Goldberg, Dawn French and Jennifer Saunders.
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