Instagram is a top-rated social network for fashion brands.
And for good reason…
Statistics show that engagement rates on Instagram outperform all other social media platforms in this industry.
It makes sense. Instagram is a highly visual community replicating the traditional “lookbook” vibes that have been prominent in the fashion industry for generations.
Combine this portfolio-style experience with Instagram shopping features that allow users to buy in-photo products on the spot, and it’s no wonder that fashion brands are aiming to master the world of Instagram marketing.
But how do you make the most of this engaged audience of potential customers?
Here are six fashion brands making waves on Instagram – use them for comparison and ideas to build out your strategy.
1. STAUD
STAUD is a fashion brand inspired by downtown street art and vintage style. Despite being relatively young in the fashion world, this brand has grown a sizeable Instagram following and is well worth checking out.
The main thing I love about this Instagram profile is how it creates a thread of color connection throughout its content. The STAUD clothing line is iconically colorful, with bright yellow, pink, orange, and red playing a significant part. This colorful theme is extended to its Instagram profile.
For example, in the Story Highlights section of its profile, STAUD uses a mix of its iconic bright colors to spell out its brand name – reinforcing the branding and creating a memorable experience for viewers:
Then, of course, these colors are represented throughout its photos as you scroll and see all of the beautiful styles:
The big takeaway? Consider how you are reinforcing your brand at every opportunity on Instagram.
2. Fabletics
With a whopping 1.9 million Instagram followers, it’s no surprise that Fabletics has made this list. They’re doing plenty right on this social network.
Given ShortStack’s contest features for eCommerce, its use of giveaways is what stood out for me when exploring this profile. Fabletics regularly runs giveaway promotions to engage with its audience and grow its following.
For example, they ran a series of Instagram giveaways when they hit the 500k follower milestone – the promotion lasted for 12 days and skyrocketed its followers even more!
If giveaways aren’t part of your Insta-strategy, I’d strongly recommend rethinking your approach. They are one of the best ways to grow at speed.
3. The Frankie Shop
The Frankie Shop is a minimalist brand that combines French and American styles. That minimalist theme runs through its product lines and extends to its Instagram profile – which has an impressive 1 million followers.
I like how they present a mix of model-style photos to showcase their clothing line with a sprinkle of “simple” items surrounded by empty space – epitomizing the minimalist style of the brand:
Think about how you can represent the essence of your brand without showing your products and incorporate it into your Insta strategy.
4. Emma Mulholland on Holiday
Emma Mulholland on Holiday is a unique 80s-inspired fashion brand with a nostalgic theme, taking people back to memorable vacations from their past.
They use subtle product placement, polaroids, retro filters, and popular 80s colors to represent this nostalgic theme throughout their Instagram feed:
Does your brand connect with a certain era or lifestyle? If not, it probably should so that you can represent that way of living in all of your content and connect with the perfect audience for your business.
5. Lisa Says Gah
Lisa Says Gah is an environmentally friendly fashion boutique based in LA. They’ve grown an Instagram following of over 500,000 people by adopting the concept of “Gah” – an “unbridled outbursting of surprise and delight” that’s the opposite of “Ugh.”
I found the extensive use of videos interesting in its Insta feed. If you observe the trends on major marketplaces such as Amazon and Etsy at the moment, 360-degree product videos are all the rage. They increase conversions and tell a complete story of your product. Lisa Says Gah makes the most of this tactic on Instagram, with some videos getting hundreds of thousands of views.
Are you creating product videos for your Instagram feed? If not, take some inspiration from Lisa and start tapping into this trend.
6. JADE Swim
JADE Swim is a luxury swimwear fashion brand with a minimalist style and a rapidly growing Instagram following.
They don’t try to overcomplicate things. Much like their swimwear line, all their photos are simple yet professionally captured. It’s all about the product for JADE; every photo shows its swimwear in a different context to capture the varying imaginations of its target customer.
What can you learn from JADE? You don’t need to recreate the wheel to be successful on Instagram. Stunning photographs with a consistent theme may perfectly suit your brand. Simple and elegant, never go out of fashion.
Conclusion
As you can see from the examples above, fashion brands can gain phenomenal reach and engagement on Instagram. And you don’t need to do anything outrageous to make it happen.
It comes down to consistency – posting regularly and sticking to a theme that aligns with your brand and the lifestyle of your customers.
If you turn up with high-quality, professionally taken photos every day that meet these criteria, then mix them with giveaways, videos, and other trending content, you’ll start to reap the rewards of this flourishing channel in no time.
Sound like fun? It can be! Especially when you start to see results.
Good luck.
