Mary Katrantzou is LFW brand that uses Instagram best - report

By

Sandra Halliday

Published
Feb 19, 2019

Some of the high-end labels that show at London Fashion Week are using Instagram to good effect but too many of them aren't making the most of the opportunities that this key social media platform offers, a new study claims. Retail search marketing agency Red Hot Penny has analysed the Instagram feeds of the labels that show at the event and declared that Mary Katrantzou ranks top of the list of those using it well.

Other labels making the most of Instagram include David Koma, Erdem, Shrimps, Alexa Chung and Burberry. But the report criticised Christopher Kane’s Instagram feed.

Instagram is a key promotional channel for fashion brands as a showcase of their product and general creativity, as a way to shout loudly about which influencers are wearing the brand, and as a directly shoppable sales tool.

Red Hot Penny scored 73 brands/designers that are in the news at the moment because they're showing at the current London Fashion Week. Their Instagram activity was scrutinised and ranked, using follower numbers, post engagement rates, use of Stories and shoppable posts/links to their e-tail sites.

Katrantzou won out because her Instagram feed “has an engaging mix of lookbook shots, catwalk imagery, as well as sharing posts from her celebrity fans wearing the clothes including Beyoncé and Adele. The recent Victoria’s Secret collaboration is also showcased and created buzz.”

In second place was David Koma, known for statement, red carpet-friendly dresses. “Its use of borders to create a modern, curated aesthetic made the feed feel editorial, and videos of its catwalk shows drove strong engagement,” the study said.

Erdem was third ahead of Alexa Chung, then Shrimps with Burberry in sixth position. The study said Riccardo Tisci, “a designer with a glamorous ‘neo-gothic’ aesthetic has brought a new strong direction perfectly played out on Burberry’s Instagram feed.”

However, the report was less flattering about the Instagram feeds of some other big-name labels and said that brands such as Aspinal of London (12th), Vivienne Westwood (13th), Roland Mouret (15th) and Pringle of Scotland (17th) “perhaps aren’t leveraging Instagram to the fullest.”

And it said that Christopher Kane in 20th place lacked a clear identity with “dark, low quality images [that] were unable to create a strong engagement rate.” However, given that over 70 brands were analysed, 20th place isn’t necessarily as bad as it looks.

Red Hot Penny’s Russ Powell said that “Instagram is a powerful tool for designers, allowing them to bring their vision direct to their fans. Unlike much of the fashion business, doing Insta well is not dependent on financial firepower. Success arises from combining aspirational content with inspirational vision and sharing with your followers.  Smaller labels can build substantial followings through creativity and knowing their customer.”