The new window to fashion

It’s hard to believe that Instagram, popularly known as ‘Insta’, was launched just eight years ago. The photo-sharing app has become an integral part of our everyday routine. A particular day of a social media savvy starts with scrolling Insta on the throne, at college/work and before sleeping on the bed. 

Be it following friends, artists, brands or bloggers, everyone has a tendency to check their Insta, at least once a day, if not more. Believe it or not, there are over 25 million brands and businesses active on Instagram and fashion related business constitute about 1.7 million accounts, not accounting for the plethora of fashion bloggers, influencers and photographers. 

Fashion brands have already jumped on to the huge opportunity to market and promote their latest offerings on Insta. It is an avenue to window shopping, storytelling and connecting directly with customers in the comfort of their phone. 

For consumers, Instagram is the leading online platform to discover new offerings and promotions from their most loved brands, find new fashion brands and follow talented individuals such as bloggers, photographers, make-up artists and stylists. It is also the easiest way to follow actors, models and check out emerging fashion trends from around the world. 

Masaba Gupta’s show in Lakme Fashion Week (LFW) was broadcast live around the globe through her Insta handle. Followers could, in the comfort of their personal spaces around the world, watch the designer’s colourful new collection live on Instagram.  

“Instagram is the new fashion newspaper, digital video lookbook; everybody sees it, the moment they wake up. It is the new venue to window-shoppers and they become potential clients, and the new clients become regular customers,” says Nishank Sainani, Mumbai-based Designer.

Instagram is a hot property for any brands and individuals who want to make a mark in the online community. Many emerging fashion brands use Instagram to keep their followers updated on the latest products and offers. The direct messaging (DM) service on Instagram acts as direct communication as well as a point of sale to customers.

Instagram is a 100 per cent sure way to gain global exposure quickly, especially if you are working with influencers and cultivate relationships with a community of potential customers.

Esha Hindocha, a Hyderabad-based fashion influencer says, “Instagram is a great social media platform that helps connect people with similar interests and gives inspiration to everyone no matter in which field they are! I have been able to make my content go global through my Insta and I am really grateful to all my followers and fans who have shown love so far and help me create interesting concepts.” 

Many Fashion houses are upping the Insta game by using the stories feature to live stream new store launches, new collections and events. This helps to connect with consumers in real time. With Instagram recently allowing users to follow or track a hashtag, brands are leveraging on that to build their follower base.

“A few months ago, I was looking for professionals to help with makeup and photography for my lookbook, and I used Instagram to look for talents. I could instantly connect with a number of professionals at different levels in their career and collaborated with the ones who were on the same wavelength as me and was able to do the shoot within two days. Throughout the shoot, we also shared behind the scene pictures and videos on Insta stories and Insta live,” says Shareef Nadyala, fashion photographer.

Instagram is changing the fashion industry, it is obvious and noticeable that a strong Insta presence is a core ingredient to every brand small or big. The new form of relationships formed between brands and consumers where the brand acts more like a friend than a corporate entity, in which having an aspirational, yet the attainable face of the company helps foster a more intimate bond. That doesn't necessarily mean that any brand can make its products go viral on social media, or that it's easy to do so. 

By: Deepika Sarode
The writer is founder of PikaLove