Clockwise L-R: Mercedes Salazar, Ming Ray ,and Neous
Courtesy
Instagram, with its feed, stories and recently added IGTV, is the social media channel of choice for many in the fashion industry and it’s also a place to track emerging and undiscovered brands.
A few designers have gotten smart harnessing the images and videos of the social media platform to drive sales and increase brand awareness. Last year, Cult Gaia did just that with its “Ark” bag, which ended up on every influencer and media newsfeed. #Cultgaia has over 31,000 tags and the brand has 299,000 followers. Here, we predict the next crop of brands who, like Cult Gaia, could become Insta-famous:
https://www.instagram.com/p/BjvVRxIg246/?hl=en&taken-by=mercedessalazar
Brand: Mercedes Salazar
Followers: 150,000
Details: Originally from Colombia, Mercedes Salazar designs contemporary jewelry and fashion accessories handmade by artisans in her native country.
Brand: Neous
Followers: 22,500
Details: Founded by Alan Buanne and Vanissa Antonious, Neous is a contemporary-priced footwear collection. The pair use the Bauhaus movement as an inspiration for their minimalistic architectural heels.
Brand: Ming Ray
Followers: 11,000
Details: Ming Ray’s namesake label is a few years old but she cut her teeth with stints at Alexander McQueen and Jimmy Choo. Her bags and shoes incorporate her signature 3-D element.
Brand: Wicker Wings
Followers: 4,754
Details: Brother-and-sister duo Belinda and James Yu use traditional Chinese techniques and make each bag out of naturally grown rattan and vegetable-tanned leather.
Brand: Emily Levine
Followers: 2,977
Details: Millennial designer Emily Levine spent three years at Etro before starting her collection of rings, earrings and bags, all affordably priced.
