Why social media stars are the key to fashion’s future

Like it or not, they're the ones that are excelling in the industry right now

With 10.3 million Instagram followers, her own fashion line and being featured on the Forbes list twice, we best get use to seeing Chiara Ferragni's face on front row seats (Rex)

Forget Vogue and its army of preening fashionistas – the most influential person at this London Fashion Week is a 30-year-old Instagrammer who spends her days travelling the world in designer clobber.

Dubbed the voice of a new generation, Chiara Ferragni is arguably the most striking example of the rising power of social media stars, and while her name might not be familiar to some of you, her 10.3 million Instagram followers, front row seats and burgeoning fashion line cements her status as a big deal in the industry.

She’s been on the Forbes under 30 list twice, the subject of a Harvard Business School study and graced the cover of 55 magazines including the industry Bible, Vogue. Nevertheless, her success continues to prompt eye-rolls from members of the ‘old system.’

For a generation of people who believe success should spring from years of back-breaking hard work and exceptional talent, the idea that someone like Ferragni can make an affluent career solely by publishing photographs of herself in designer get-ups is grating.

But, now worth a reputed $12m (£9m), with a line of shoes that sell at $500 a pair and a $3.5m Los Angeles mansion under her belt, does she really care? We think not.

Like it or loathe it, it’s people like Ferragni – social media players, bloggers, and let’s face it, fully functioning business women – that are excelling in the fashion industry right now.

You will be well aware, I’m sure, of the US Vogue scandal that saw editors criticise bloggers for wearing paid-for brand placements, describing the practice of posing for street photography as “desperate” and heralding “the death of style.”

It’s nothing new, influencers’ credibility has long been on the chopping block, but as a wave of high-profile bloggers pointed out in light of the comments, glossy magazine’s hold no high ground when it comes to their reliance on brand sponsorship.

“Let’s not pretend that editors and stylists are not beholden to brands in one way or another,” tweeted Susie Bubble, one of the UK’s most influential fashion bloggers.

Blogger and fashion journalist Pandora Sykes echoed the sentiment, adding “The Voguettes are suggesting that bloggers are all biased: so you’re saying you’d write a scathing review of your biggest advertiser’s show, then? I thought not.”

The fact is that celebrity and the way in which consumers interact with high fashion is changing, diversifying – and that’s a good thing.

While magazines still have the ability to transport their readers into the fantasy world of fashion, now it’s social-media stars – men and women just like you and I – that are the messengers for brands in the social media age.

Instead of flicking through a magazine once a month to find out what’s hot and what’s not, now you can discover fashion in real-time, just by scrolling.

With more influence than celebrities, fashion’s social media stars are the very reason we’re falling back in love with the industry. What once felt out of reach to use mere mortals has done a full circle.

No longer are the traditional gatekeepers responsible for steering trends or pushing smaller brands to the forefront, instead it’s bloggers that are considered the trustworthy authority for all things fashion and style – just ask their millions of followers.