How Non-Traditional Marketing Led To The Rise of Fashion Nova

Fashion is a billion-dollar industry that is constantly growing and evolving.
From high fashion brands to drop shippers, utilizing social media for marketing is a staple in today’s day and age. Influencers don’t just have their name for being cute online, but rather the influence they have on consumers to check out the newest collection or buy the hottest outfit of the moment.

Fashion Nova is a key player in the fashion industry for its use of influencers and celebrities for marketing. It’s one of the fastest growing clothing brands that has taken the world, and social media, by storm. The fast fashion company was created in 2006 by Richard Saighan and has since released several lines of clothing including men’s, curve, kids, and even a makeup line. They also founded their own charity. With over 21 million followers on Instagram, you don’t need to wonder why Fashion Nova is so successful. The question is rather how?

The brand’s physical retail stores are few and far between because they decided to focus on pushing their brand on social media, Instagram in particular. Millions of people every day are scrolling through social media and Fashion Nova’s marketing team took advantage of this, namely by publishing posts on Instagram every 30 minutes. A majority of their posts are seemingly “unprofessional” iPhone photos rather than curated e-commerce pictures. Instead of using supermodels for their marketing, they repost influencers' and consumers' photos or videos on their page. Several celebrities and influencers with millions of followers, such as Kylie Jenner and Cardi B, have worked for the brand. According to the owner Saighan, an Instagram post from Jenner generated Fashion Nova $50,000 in sales while rapper Cardi B previously stated that she was paid $20,000 to promote the brand.

There is no doubt Fashion Nova is ultra-popular. In 2019 they spent $40 million on influencer and celebrity marketing. The brand has a network of at least 5,000 global influencers and with revenue between $500 million and $1 billion, influencer marketing has proven its worth.

Bio: Emily Ledesma is a senior at CSUN currently studying journalism with a focus on public relations. Fashion has always been a major part of her life and she hopes to grow in the fashion industry. Currently working for a modelling agency, Emily is excited to continue her career upon graduation in May 2023.