Beautiful Virgin Islands

Tuesday, Jun 03, 2025

How Instagram’s influencers changed the model industry

How Instagram’s influencers changed the model industry

Alexina Graham has been a successful fashion model for more than a decade - appearing in glossy magazines and walking the coveted Victoria’s Secret catwalk.

But when the coronavirus pandemic hit, her work stopped.

“I didn’t work at all in March and April,” she told BBC News.

Over the past year, models have been asked to create their own content - shooting photos and promoting brands on personal social-media accounts.

Alexina Graham has almost 800,000 followers on Instagram


“Social media is one of the main aspects of our job now,” Ms Graham said.

“To shoot content every week, edit it all together and get it out there takes a long time.”

L’Oréal’s brand ambassador, actress Eva Longoria, even filmed herself dying her own hair in lockdown.

“It was a first for us to shoot a campaign with one of our spokesmodels in this way,” Lex Bradshaw-Zanger, chief marketing officer at L’Oréal UK and Ireland, said.

“The advert has been used across digital, social and television and has been received very positively – with salons shut, Eva’s experience with home hair colouring was something many people could relate to.”


The beauty brand has long used influencers - but since the pandemic, it has invested even more of its budget into influencer marketing.

A survey by influencer marketing agency Takumi suggests 73% of brands have done the same.

'Freaking out'


And modelling agencies told BBC News they had been flooded with requests for models who could shoot their own content.

“Production just stopped when the pandemic hit," Evolve Model Management director Elizabeth Rose said, "and all these brands were freaking out about how to get all of these clothes online - they still needed to sell clothes.

“Regular models weren’t able to produce content that was good enough for the brands, so a lot of brands switched to influencers.”

And now, some High Street fashion brands have told Evolve they plan to make home shooting a permanent feature.

When Nathan Hopkinson noticed his bookings falling last year, he invested the extra time spent at home into boosting his social-media presence.

“I saw it as an opportunity to put my all into my social platforms,” he said.

“I started posting on TikTok regularly - and the rewards have been immense.”

Since March last year, he has gained more than 270,000 followers on TikTok and 130,000 on Instagram.

“I’ve had way more interest from high-end clients,” he added.

'Less polished'


Authenticity is at the core of this trend, as influencers attract followers who feel connected to the person, rather than the brand.

Shu Lin has seen an increase in demands for collaborations from fashion brands
“Brands enjoy the direct and highly engaged relationship I have with my audience,” Shu Lin, a travel vlogger who has seen an increase in interest from fashion brands during the pandemic, said.

“With the rise of users on social platforms, as both a creator and consumer, we're wanting to see content that's less polished and more reflective of the everyday experience.

“It's great to see the fashion industry embrace diversity more in the marketing of their products as it's more representative of consumers in real life.”

Influencers also give brands more value for money, according to Victoria Magrath, a blogger with more than one million Instagram followers, who has worked for luxury designer brands, including Dior, Armani and Tiffany & Co.

“Influencers can provide fresh and unique content, without the hassle of organised a shoot with upwards of five crew members, hiring a location and hiring a model,” she said.

Being able to style themselves, take and edit photographs meant “the costs are significantly lower”, while well created content could “rival magazine editorials” and deliver more accurate results than print advertising.

“Instagram insights, or blog analytics, for example, can pinpoint how many people were on a particular page, for how long, what they clicked on and where they navigated to next,” Ms Magrath added.

Technology platform Launchmetrics specialises in analysing data from social media to provide detailed research on return on investment(ROI) for luxury brands.

Every day, it monitors 20,000 brands, 50,000 media outlets and 100,000 influencers to calculate the value of a social-media post.

And it estimates:

*  a single post from model and influencer Gigi Hadid is worth $1.2m (£0.9m), compared with $20,000 in traditional models

*  the average value of a post including luxury brand Versace is $7,000

“This shift caused by social media is that the consumer does not want edited content,” chief marketing officer Alison Bringe said.

“They want to know the story behind the product."

Models1, one of the largest modelling agencies in Europe, has even hired a full-time social-media editor to support its staff.

“It’s difficult for models to become influencers, because they work for several different competing brands,” managing director John Horner said .

“A model is not a specialist - they have to be a chameleon.”

And struggling to photograph themselves at home was damaging their self-confidence.

'Small pool'


“Influencers to some extent are devaluing the industry because they aren’t models or experts in fashion or beauty,” Mr Horner said.

Clients had grown savvy to influencers who “endorse so much stuff the value of their content is beginning to be questioned”.

And, both modelling agencies said, brands should not pin all their hopes on content creators.

“There’s a very small pool of people who look good enough to be models," Ms Rose said, "and there’s an even smaller pool of people who can content create - brands cannot limit themselves.”

Newsletter

Related Articles

Beautiful Virgin Islands
0:00
0:00
Close
China Accuses US of Violating Trade Truce
Panama Port Owner Balances US-China Pressures
France Implements Nationwide Outdoor Smoking Ban to Protect Children
German Chancellor Merz Keeps Putin Guessing on Missile Strategy
Mandelson Criticizes UK's 'Fetish' for Abandoning EU Regulations
British Fishing Boat Owner Fined €30,000 by French Authorities
Dutch government falls as far-right leader Wilders quits coalition
Harvard Urges US to Unfreeze Funds for Public Health Research
Businessman Mauled by Lion at Luxury Namibian Lodge
Researchers Consider New Destinations Beyond the U.S.
53-Year-Old Doctor Claims Biological Age of 23
Trump Struggles to Secure Trade Deals With China and Europe
Russia to Return 6,000 Corpses Under Ukraine Prisoner Swap Deal
Microsoft Lays Off Hundreds More Amid Restructuring
Harvey Weinstein’s Publicist Embraces Notoriety
Macron and Meloni Seek Unity Despite Tensions
Trump Administration Accused of Obstructing Deportation Cases
Newark Mayor Sues Over Arrest at Immigration Facility
Center-Left Candidate Projected to Win South Korean Presidency
Trump’s Tariffs Predicted to Stall Global Economic Growth
South Korea’s President-Elect Expected to Take Softer Line on Trump and North Korea
Trump’s China Strategy Remains a Geopolitical Puzzle
Ukraine Executes Long-Range Drone Strikes on Russian Airbases
Conservative Karol Nawrocki wins Poland’s presidential election
Study Identifies Potential Radicalization Risk Among Over One Million Muslims in Germany
Good news: Annalena Baerbock Elected President of the UN General Assembly
Apple Appeals EU Law Over User Data Sharing Requirements
South Africa: "First Black Bank" Collapses after Being Looted by Owners
Poland will now withdraw from the EU migration pact after pro-Trump nationalist wins Election
"That's Disgusting, Don’t Say It Again": The Trump Joke That Made the President Boil
Trump Cancels NASA Nominee Over Democratic Donations
Paris Saint-Germain's Greatest Triumph Is Football’s Lowest Point
OnlyFans for Sale: From Lockdown Lifeline to Eight-Billion-Dollar Empire
Mayor’s Security Officer Implicated | Shocking New Details Emerge in NYC Kidnapping Case
Hegseth Warns of Potential Chinese Military Action Against Taiwan
OPEC+ Agrees to Increase Oil Output for Third Consecutive Month
Jamie Dimon Warns U.S. Bond Market Faces Pressure from Rising Debt
Turkey Detains Istanbul Officials Amid Anti-Corruption Crackdown
Taylor Swift Gains Ownership of Her First Six Albums
Bangkok Ranked World's Top City for Remote Work in 2025
Satirical Sketch Sparks Political Spouse Feud in South Korea
Indonesia Quarry Collapse Leaves Multiple Dead and Missing
South Korean Election Video Pulled Amid Misogyny Outcry
Asian Economies Shift Away from US Dollar Amid Trade Tensions
Netflix Investigates Allegations of On-Set Mistreatment in K-Drama Production
US Defence Chief Reaffirms Strong Ties with Singapore Amid Regional Tensions
Vietnam Faces Strategic Dilemma Over China's Mekong River Projects
Malaysia's First AI Preacher Sparks Debate on Islamic Principles
White House Press Secretary Criticizes Harvard Funding, Advocates for Vocational Training
France to Implement Nationwide Smoking Ban in Outdoor Spaces Frequented by Children
×