Luxury fashion houses, runways, and magazines have long dictated fashion trends. But with more fashion professionals and enthusiasts gracing our social media feeds daily, style is no longer top-down – it’s a conversation.
From out-of-the-box creativity in everyday wardrobes to the secondhand revival driven by thrift hauls and sustainable recommendations, influencers are now dictating what we wear and why we wear it.
Fashion is the leading topic for sponsored posts on Instagram, with 25% of all sponsored posts on the platform related to fashion. The category is also ranked as the most popular Influencer Marketing vertical, with at least 21.6% of influencers using it as part of their core strategy.
We’re here to highlight influencer fashion trends and the opportunities for brands in 2025.
Avant-garde fashion and bold styles were once exclusive to the runway. Although experimental looks have long influenced everyday fashion, social media has engrained experimentation into the mainstream. Today, fashion enthusiasts can showcase their unique styles online before taking them to the streets, receiving feedback, support, and tips from like-minded communities.
One standout creator, Abigale Masters, has built her Instagram presence around experimental fashion. Her unique approach has gained significant traction over the past year, leading to collaborations with brands like Urban Outfitters, UGG, and Schuh. This trend highlights how brands increasingly find success by partnering with creators who reinterpret their image and push the boundaries of conventional branding.
We've experienced this first-hand with one of our fashion clients. By identifying creators who infused their personal style into the brand’s apparel, we helped a retailer traditionally known for sports fashion reach new, style-focused audiences. By using this creative fashion-focused approach to our work, the campaigns we have run together this year have overperformed on our impression guarantee by +118%, and the content comment sentiment has averaged at an outstanding 99%.
These influencer campaigns have demonstrated the power of experimental fashion to redefine brand perception and engage entirely new consumers.
Sustainable shopping is on the rise, with consumers embracing spending more intentionally and buying less. Influencer Marketing, traditionally focused on driving sales, is evolving to align with the growing consumer awareness of the environmental impact of their purchases. Brands and influencers are finding innovative ways to align with this shift in priorities.
TikTok’s FYP is brimming with thrift hauls and slow fashion recommendations, presenting a unique opportunity for brands beyond the fashion industry. Secondhand shopping ties seamlessly into themes like saving money, sustainability, and even travel and tourism, opening the door for cross-vertical collaborations with influencers who bring fresh perspectives.
Slow fashion brands are also thriving, thanks to this secondhand revival. Influencers like Emma Chamberlain have partnered with platforms like Depop, speaking to her audience in the multimillions about secondhand fashion.
One standout example of a slow fashion retailer utilizing social media and influencers for brand awareness is Remass. Last year, they launched a collection in collaboration with popular UK influencer Flossie, which sold out within hours. They continue to follow popular social media trends and collaborate with influencers to push their brand name further.
Collaborations like this showcase the potential for slow fashion brands to drive both brand awareness and sales. As we look to 2025, these success stories offer inspiration for brands to tap into the growing demand for sustainability in fashion.
Inclusivity in the fashion industry has long been a challenge, but progress is being made. In recent years, body type representation has seen improvements, with brands like Victoria’s Secret responding to criticism by diversifying their models, and Savage x Fenty setting a new standard for authentic body representation.
According to Mintel, 82% of social media users now follow at least one influencer or content creator. This shift has made media consumption more reflective of the real world compared to 20 years ago when glossy magazines dominated and set narrow beauty standards. Now, representation in fashion is evolving beyond body size to better inclusion of people with disabilities. It is a growing priority for consumers who want to see themselves portrayed in the media they consume.
Content creator Amy Stockwell embodies this shift. Through her Instagram and TikTok channels, she combines fashion-focused content with disability advocacy. Amy has creatively transformed her walking aid into a stylish accessory by customizing it with trinkets and pieces from her favorite brands, such as a scrunchie from Good Squish. This highlights how diverse consumer groups engage with products and inspires her audience to embrace their individuality and feel seen in the often exclusive world of fashion.
Influencer marketing empowers brands to embrace inclusivity by collaborating with diverse creators who authentically connect with a wide range of audiences. Allowing creators the freedom to engage their audiences authentically is key to driving representation forward.
Social media has empowered diverse voices to reshape fashion, enabling brands to connect with audiences across communities, sizes, budgets, and abilities. For brand marketers in the influencer space, this shift shows the importance of embracing creators who bring fresh perspectives and real-world representation.
Without social media, fashion might have remained stagnant, but today, it offers a platform for brands to champion inclusivity and reach new audiences through partnerships that truly resonate.
To learn more about how your brand can lean into the fashion trends and the Creator Economy, reach out to us at hello@digitalvoices.com.
