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With the ability to amass huge followings, secure brand sponsorships and become ambassadors for some of the world’s top fashion brands, fashion influencers possess the unique ability to be relatable – which has worked well enough to sell other brands of clothing that many of these influencers have launched their own lines.
For many, if they’re not launching beauty brands, starting fashion labels has been a logical next step.
Here, WWD looks at nine fashion influencers who have used their personal brand to launch a clothing collection.
Chiara Ferragni
Over the years, Italian blogger, businesswoman and fashion designer Chiara Ferragni has grown her blog, The Blonde Salad, which was launched in 2009, into a mega-influencer empire.
She launched her fashion label Chiara Ferragni Collection in 2013, initially as a shoe line that has since expanded into a broader offering. The collection now includes clothing, accessories, swimwear, make-up, children’s wear and jewellery; often emblazoned with the brand’s eye logo. Starting in 2017, the clothing brand Ferragni increased its global distribution by opening a series of flagship stores in Milan, Paris, Shanghai and Hong Kong.
Describing the Chiara Ferragni collection, the brand’s website says: “Chiara Ferragni is the brand of sharing, happiness, positive values and good vibes, both in the real and digital universe. Chiara Ferragni women are international, dynamic, cool, modern and strong.”
Ferragni now has a growing Instagram audience of more than 27 million followers, and also in 2017 she secured the top spot on Forbes’ 2017 Top Fashion Influencers list.
Aimee Song
Blogger-turned-fashion designer Aimee Song started her blog Song of Style in 2008 and has since parlayed it into a platform — a website, YouTube channel, Song a spot on Forbes’ 30 Under 30 list in 2016 and two books, the first of which, “Capture Your Style” entered The New York Times bestseller list.
With all that influencer prowess, Song debuted her own clothing brand, Song of Style, in 2019, which she created in partnership with women’s clothing retailer Revolve. The launch was unique in being Revolve’s first influencer brand.
Now, Song of Style features more than 200 pieces from her collection on Revolve, as well as a partial collection on Shop.songofstyle.com (which powers Revolve). In the brand description, Revolve’s website says, “The Song of Style girl is understated yet elevated. She is not consumed by trends, but instead focuses on timeless pieces. She is energetic, artistic, bold and colorful… just like founder Aimee Song.”
Pieces from the collection include mini dresses with satin kimono sleeves, square-toe heels carved in wood and short cotton two-piece sets with oversized cuffed sleeves.
Arielle Charnas
Arielle Charnas started her blog, Something Navy, as a style blog in 2009 and had developed it into a clothing line by 2020. (Before, according to a Forbes article, an early tie-up with Nordstrom in 2018 saw a 4.4 million dollars in sales in 24 hours).
Something Navy, which the brand’s website describes as “a celebration of personal style, carefully crafted for real women who want to add something elevated, something aspirational and something classic to their everyday lives,” includes women’s clothing, children’s clothing, swimwear, accessories and home decor. Pieces in the collection include wide-leg jumpsuits, minidresses, and string shorts.
The clothing line also has a series of brick-and-mortar boutique stores in New York City and California. Originally set to launch in March 2020, the brand was delayed by months due to Covid. Around that time, Charnas also faced backlash for retreating to the Hamptons in mid-March 2020 after her positive Covid-19 test despite stay-at-home orders being in place. Now, Charnas, currently has more than 1 million followers on her Instagram page and more than 300,000 followers on the brand’s Instagram account.
Raven Tracy
Raven Tracy, model and influencer with more than 2 million Instagram followers, launched her clothing brand Body by Raven Tracy in 2018 as an ode to body positivity.
As a model, Tracy has worked with brands including Adidas, PrettyLittleThing, Naked Wardrobe and collaborated with brands such as True Religion – but still faces struggles, including self-acceptance and challenges with social media versus reality. However, she has channeled these personal experiences into a platform, complete with clothing line, focusing on positivity in all forms.
The brand, which has been worn by Kylie Jenner, JT of the hip-hop rap duo City Girls and Lori Harvey, offers size-inclusive swimwear and loungewear (sizes XS to 4XL). The latest body capsule drop on June 17, called Goddess Swim, features hand-painted artwork (digitized and printed on the final garment) of female bodies in bikinis and tankinis.
On the site, the brand says its goal is to “continue to celebrate our community and build our platform to become the premier destination for all things related to you, starting right here with body positivity.”
Rumi Neli
Rumi Neely, formerly a blogger for the site Fashion Toast (which she started in 2008), debuted her clothing line, Are You Am I, in 2014.
The clothing line’s first drop was in collaboration with fashion retailer Revolve as a holiday pop-up shop in Los Angeles and is now sold from its site. “Are You Am I” is made up of airy and breezy pieces that reflect Neely’s everyday California style, including lace dresses, open tops with puffy sleeves and minimalist gold hoops.
The brand champions slow fashion, producing all pieces in Los Angeles, where it says it always pays workers a living wage. As for the Are You Am I ethos, the brand notes on its website: “We bring out pieces that exist outside of trends and stand alone, as opposed to collections, so we can bring a range of ideas to live in just a few weeks. We value slow fashion over mass production so that each quality piece is worthy of the investment and cherished forever.”
Danielle Bernstein
New Yorker Danielle Bernstein launched her WeWoreWhat blog in 2010, initially to showcase NYC’s everyday fashion, but has since grown it into a multi-faceted eponymous brand. Her 2020 autobiography This Is Not a Fashion Story is a New York Times bestseller, she was named to Forbes’ 30 Under 30 List in 2017 when she was just 24, and she launched her clothing line WeWoreWhat in March 2020, offering the pieces exclusively through Macy’s through the end of 2020.
However, even with a seemingly successful clothing line and more than 2 million Instagram followers, the fashion influencer has not been immune to controversy. Bernstein has, on numerous occasions, been accused of copying work from small designers and labeling it as her own, with the most recent allegation coming in March 2021 after Ngoni Chikwenengere, founder of the small clothing brand We Are Kin accused the influencer of copying. her maxi dress with silk straps.
Bernstein, as he did with previous allegations, denied stealing the design and said in an Instagram story that “there’s always going to be something” people “can say looks similar.”
PHOTO: Blogger will see you now
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