American Influencer Awards Recognize the Best in Online Fashion Trendsetters

The latest USA TODAY’s American Influencer Awards have recognized trendsetters who reflect the inclusive nature of the online fashion industry.

De’arra Taylor, who won the award for Fashion Influencer of the Year, exemplifies the close relationship she has with her over one million YouTube followers. She gives fans insights into her personality and everyday life, not only through her fashion hauls, but also through cooking, girl talks, and travel. As CEO of the sunglasses company Lorvae, she is well aware of how to use different platforms to great effect with short-form fashion videos on her TikTok account and professional shots on Instagram to showcase her products.

For LaToya Shambo, founder of Black Girl Digital, an influencer marketing agency for Black women and multicultural creators, social media influencers stand at the forefront of a new form of entertainment. The proximity to influencers is a major part of this change: “TV is still there, but the phone is closer.”

The power of the internet

The continued influence of social media sites in the fashion industry reflects the shift towards online content in the sector as a whole. In the same way, streaming services have shaken up the TV and film industry through highly successful platforms such as Netflix. The impressive audiences achieved by streaming services have encouraged traditional movie companies such as Paramount to launch their own subscription video-on-demand service. The prevalence of online entertainment can also be viewed in the casino sector, which gives players a chance to play games such as blackjack live from the comfort of their homes. Online casinos offer a wide range of traditional or live dealer blackjack variations including Royale Blackjack Mega Fire Blaze Blackjack Live that make players feel like they are in a real casino setting. 

How influencers promote body positivity

Influencers do not only have the power to drive sales, the American Influencer Awards also recognize the contribution of influencers to the body positivity movement. Chastity Garner, who famously wrote an open letter to Target lamenting the lack of fashion for plus-size customers like her, won the award in the Body Positivity Influencer category. 

Nicole Weisman, who won the Emerging Fashion Influencer of the Year award, first became involved in blogging when she noticed a lack of women she felt she could relate to online as a curvy person. Realizing there was a gap in the market she began sharing plus-size fashion and is now a fashion influencer in her own right. As an influencer who has struggled with her body image in the past, she wants to act as an inspiration for other women who feel the same.

For Amanda Marzolf, a partner at the personal brand management company Underscore Talent, there is not just a desire for more inclusive fashion among consumers, there is a need. As the fashion industry reflects the body positivity movement, Marzolf views influencers as being pioneers for size-inclusivity as they have “likely been the largest force in shifting and positively adding to the conversation around bodies and sizing.”

The power of social media influencers to shape conversations in the fashion industry is set to continue as followers flock to the content of fashionistas who reflect their preferences and ideas about inclusivity in the sector.