Couturiers, Are You Insta-ready?
Couturiers, Are You Insta-ready?
A/W 2018
Are you a fashion designer who’s active on Instagram? If not, you are missing a huge opportunity that allows you to connect directly with your audience.
“AI and virtual reality will be the next big thing, and social media will emerge as a strong medium.”
Like the global luxury brands, Indian couturiers, who until recently, ignored the strengths of social media, have realized that it is crucial to harness the power of the digital medium to meet their marketing goals. Pioneers of India’s high fashion and favorites of the Bachchan family, designers Abu Jani and Sandeep Khosla, with their ultra-niche audience, have engaging Facebook and Instagram pages—and almost 444,000 followers.
In 2017, Bollywood designer Manish Malhotra amassed a 300% growth on social media, with 4.1 million followers. In fact, the virtual has become the new real. The country’s leading couturier Sabyasachi Mukherjee skipped India Couture Week last year to launch his collection on Instagram. In 2016, he exclusively showcased his jewelry line on the same platform.
Designer Masaba Gupta adopted an interesting e-shopping format through the world’s first-ever shoppable mannequin challenge, and launched an online shop-able fashion film in 2017. Among the global giants, Burberry was among the first to use social media innovatively. It has around 17 million followers. Some of its talked-about and news-making social media campaigns include ‘Art of the Trench’, and ‘Burberry Kisses’.
Instagram is the eighth-largest social networking platform. But for fashion designers and luxury brands, it should be the first choice for several reasons. One, there are more than 800 million monthly active users. Two, just like Twitter emerged as a ‘political’ platform, Instagram became an ideal marketing tool for designers. Fashion brands can naturally align themselves to this visual-sharing platform.
However, in the past, luxury brands didn’t take social media seriously. The reason: they primarily allure the audience with exclusivity or limited accessibility, and digital media was mass-based and available and accessible to everyone. Hence, Prada didn’t have a website till 2007. Most brands felt that their presence on social media would dilute their exclusivity.
Over time, the luxury brands realized that inaccessibility cannot be confused with exclusivity, creativity, heritage, and identity. One can be accessible, and yet remain exclusive. Today, Prada not only has a sophisticated website, but sells online in the US, and has a wide social media presence with nearly 16 million followers on Instagram.
In India, social media became important because of the demographics, and buying habits of new-age shoppers. It gave access to the buyers in small towns, with both aspirations and purchasing power. Instagram, as a tool for visual story-telling, could help engage this audience.
Social media democratized luxury in India. Digital influence and online shopping are projected to rise exponentially, according to a report on retaildive.com. It is estimated that 200- 250 million Indians will shop online by 2020, compared to 90 million now. Hence, it is imperative for luxury brands and fashion businesses to have strategies for the growing mobile-first and Insta-ready audience.
With Instagram’s new long-form video app, IGTV, launched in June this year, there is a new platform for the brands to engage with. What’s next? Amazon’s AI algorithms may replace stylists and designers; Shudu, the world’s first digital supermodel that’s trending on social media, may spawn variations. Virtual reality and AI may become the next big things. ‘Voice’ too can emerge as the new interface with the popularity of Amazon Echo and Apple HomePod.
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