How Digital Media Turned Influencers into Industry Powerhouses

They have now become powerhouses that are reshaping the dynamics of this industry, not just with their own visual identities and brand ambassadors, but also by establishing strategic brands.

With their own brand creation processes and their positioning in the luxury sector, figures such as Rosie Huntington-Whiteley, Elsa Hosk, Gigi Hadid, Hailey Bieber, Kylie Jenner, Matilda Djerf and Jeanna Damas are not only iconic faces, but also have an active role in the luxury sector with their creative power.

It girl!

Hailey Bieber's cruelty-free and vegan skincare/cosmetics brand Rhode is at the point where minimalism meets contemporary luxury, as a pioneer of simple elegance in the cosmetics field. Both Hailey's lifestyle and the "Rhode" brand continue to reshape not only the beauty industry but also the perception of modern lifestyle. While creating an emotional connection between the consumer and the desire for the product, it also offers an elegant lifestyle and a sense of simplicity. In the creation process of her brand, Hailey, in addition to the quality of the products, prioritises transparency, sustainability and ethical values with her "cruelty-free", vegan, organic products, and argues that contemporary luxury should be built not only on a visual but also an ethical basis.

Hailey Bieber's collaborations with high fashion houses, especially Louis Vuitton, have helped her brand reach a more global audience, and by blending her personal aesthetic with a simple and elegant understanding of luxury, it can be said that she is an important milestone in the evolution of minimalist luxury. In this way, "Rhode" offers an innovative model that allows consumers to turn to both luxury products and more responsible consumption.

High Street

Influencers and models reshape the creative and commercial aspects of these brands through their collaborations with major fashion houses. However, in addition to this, they develop important strategies in the process of building their own brands and transform their products into objects of desire. Elsa Hosk's brand Helsa Studio stands out as a brand that has gained a solid place in the evolution of modern fashion and appeals to a consumer base that is becoming more conscious every day. Hosk, who integrates both aesthetics and ethics and sustainability into her designs, redefines luxury with minimalist lines and develops a strategy where fashion, culture and social responsibility are at the forefront.

The leading role in this strategy is model and style icon Hosk, who frequently uses her own products to expand the brand's vision and add new meaning. Therefore, she ceases to be just a pretty face and makes a place for herself in the sector as a source of inspiration that gives life to Helsa Studio's sustainable and elegant designs. Elsa transforms Helsa Studio's approach that combines luxury and simplicity into a platform that appeals to a highly educated and conscious audience, drawing attention to its environmental sensitivity as well as elegance.

Transformation of the cosmetics industry

Kylie Jenner’s success in the cosmetics world can be evaluated as a business person who has an international influence power that is a few steps beyond being a business venture and who has turned the dynamics of the sector upside down. The collections of the brand, which is divided into four subcategories as Skin, Fragrance, Baby, Cosmetics, are sold out in seconds. Kylie, who has fundamentally changed the power dynamics in the traditional cosmetics market by reaching a brand value of billions of dollars through social media with her aesthetically impressive products, started with the minimal product category in the establishment of her brand and carried out the presentation through her own visual identity. Thus, she has also reshaped the marketing strategies that the word luxury is synonymous with. She has managed to position her brand as a lifestyle that reaches a wide audience, rather than a tool that appeals to women in search of beauty.

Kylie Jenner's influence can be considered one of the milestones that proves that a young and dynamic audience can find a place for themselves in the luxury segment by questioning the more exclusive marketing strategies of luxury cosmetic brands. Especially in addition to conventional prestigious brands, Jenner's preference for the content quality, durability, high-level packaging quality of the products offered by her own brand and accessibility in pricing; has started to transform the traditional perception of luxury since its first year in 2016. This strategy that Jenner has implemented in her own brand has deeply affected cosmetic brands that have been considered in the upper segment for years in reaching a wider demographic and has opened the door to a change in target audience plans. In a way, it is possible to say that she has played a pioneering role in understanding the fact that brands that adapt to the expectations, demands and tastes of Generation Z can continue to exist. Jenner continues to create an impact that changes the perspective not only in the cosmetics sector but also in luxury consumption in general with her Khy clothing brand. Kylie's visionary power that appeals to quality and aesthetic perception has initiated the transformation into an integrated marketing model that is not limited to appearance alone, but also presents concepts such as youth, influence and accessible luxury.

A new marketing paradigm

The need to establish one’s own brand has become a priority for every social media figure who has a voice in today’s digital world and has the power to direct their community. Because digital platforms have gone beyond being one of the powerhouses of the fashion industry and have become a medium for building personal brands. The ability of actors with the power to influence in this area to create their own identities and create individual brands without being dependent on traditional media tools is shaking the foundations of the dominant structures in the sector and radically transforming the marketing approach, especially in the luxury segment. One of the most striking examples of this process is the brand “Rose Inc.” founded by Rosie Huntington-Whiteley. Rosie not only integrates her understanding of beauty and style into her brand, but also responds to today’s most important consumer demands such as sustainability, ethical production and environmentally friendly practices. Thus, “Rose Inc.”, in addition to being a beauty brand, has also become a symbol of a modern lifestyle, environmental awareness and simplicity.

The values that Rosie offers in her brand are not only limited to the quality of the products, but also change the nature of the relationship she establishes with the consumer. It can be said that the experience she gained from her collaboration with Victoria's Secret allowed Rosie to find how to establish the fine balance between the elite and the mass consumer in the sector, beyond creating a brand perception. In this context, Rosie's personal brand can be considered as a transformation movement that reshapes the understanding of values and aesthetics in the sector, rather than a commercial enterprise.

Similarly, Gigi Hadid’s collaboration with Tommy Hilfiger was a significant turning point in the brand’s reshaping with a dynamic and innovative vision. Gigi brought her style to life in her collections with a modern and global approach that was in line with the demands of the younger generation. Thus, this partnership redefined the American style that Tommy Hilfiger had for many years, allowing the brand to appeal to a more niche and younger audience in the global market, thus consolidating the brand’s place in the luxury segment. It can be said that it also contributed to the evolution of marketing strategies that gained value beyond design, bringing the concept of “premium” to a wider and more accessible area.