The Rise of Male Fashion Influencers

How the men of today are becoming avid Instagrammers and Bloggers are taking on the fashion industry.

Capture, edit, post, share; the easy Instagram way. One street-style or outfit post on your feed could lead you to hundreds, even thousands of likes and just like that you could be a fashion influencer. If you have a blog link attached in your bio, even better. Anyone can do it now and Instagram is the first port of call.

Even I try to label myself a fashion blogger, but how much of one am I? Making sure I have the right filter on my photos, having a styled feed, updating my blog on a weekly basis and standing out from the crowd of thousands of bloggers. But it’s not just other women I have to compete with anymore.

For ladies across the globe, a cute outfit post could go a long way. If you’re portraying the hot trends of now you’re bound to get some reaction.

For the male population of the world, fashion used to be very simple. Chucking on a pair of jeans and tee, or a shirt for a dressier look, was enough to get by but in recent years men’s fashion has taken a more serious turn.

Many men are making fashion their permanent jobs by becoming influencers and bloggers. Fashion blogging is an idea that used to (and still is at times) considered more of a women’s chosen job title, but more men are taking it on.

Having a visually appealing feed and a great sense of style may not be enough; you need to have a substantial amount of followers and brands that either want to or are already working with you.

Like women, male fashion influencers are making an impact on the industry. In January this year, men (and women) gathered together to watch showcases of new male trends at London Men’s Fashion Week. Lining the front rows sat the likes of David Beckham and son Brooklyn, amongst a sea of bloggers and influencers.

These fashion enthusiasts blog or vlog their way through the week, giving an insight into what it entails. You could say there’s a much deeper thought into what goes on and it’s more about what’s on the runway for men than what they are wearing.

Being papped outside catwalk shows and presentations so the rest of the world is a usual part of fashion weeks. Women usually are pulled over to pose for pictures, some don’t even attend shows but dress up and walk by in the hopes of being featured in magazines.

But when you look through the LMFW candid street photos, most of them are motion shots rather than poses. Just from this you can see how seriously men are taking their fashion and what trends they are rocking.

Mirroring what’s happening in the women’s side of the industry, men’s fashion does it in it’s own way. Take the pyjama trend. Women have been wearing silk, pipe-hemmed pyjama shirts and trousers in the day and this has now transferred over to the guys, who will probably find a way to rock it better.

Though their primary interest is fashion, men are said to be more technologically aware and lifestyle conscious. With ever-changing daily trends, men seem to keep up with more than we realise.

“Men buy and read magazines like Esquire and GQ because they are interested in what is has to tell them about clothing, but also lifestyle and technology. Men take magazines very literal, they pay attention to what is being said, unlike women who buy Vogue or Elle just for the experience, for that naughty pleasure”, says fashion journalist, Julia Robson.

Julia says male fashion influencers have untapped potential and a different stance on how they manoeuvre in the industry. “With men, there are many different fish, none of them can be put into the same box. They have their own attitudes and identities.”

The idea of Church and State comes to Julia’s mind when explaining bloggers’ position in the fashion industry. They say Church and State don’t mix; for example fashion editors will not mix with advertising, but with bloggers they are mixing the two with no responsibility or ethics.

Bloggers can say what they want and feel without any major repercussions. Unlike women, male influencers are selective in who they work with. They really won’t work with brands who don’t suit their style or don’t have the same ideals, whilst women will be happy to work with any brand, if the perks are good.

This selectivity gives men an edge, explaining why their influence in the industry is becoming ever stronger.

Designers, Dolce & Gabbana, have taken the leap from models to influencers for brand representation. They were one of the first brands to include them in the frow, but now they have moved from seats to stage. The #DGMillennials campaign is a statement that youth is fashion.

During Milan Fashion Week in February, vlogger Marcus Butler, YouTuber Juanpa Zurita, blogger Jim Chapman and Vine star/model, Cameron Dallas walked alongside women influencers and celebrity kids.

However the whole industry hasn’t been as accepting. After Milan Fashion Week in September 2016, Vogue had its writers and editors recap on the week that had been and an attack on bloggers cam from all sides.

Digital Creative Director, Sally Singer, wrote “Note to bloggers who change head-to-toe, paid-to-wear outfits every hour: Please stop. Find another businesses. You are heralding the death of style.”

Though they weren’t the only comments, an instant backlash from the blogging community came at full fire. Not only from the women, who were the main targets, male bloggers and influencers spoke up too.

When Vogue speaks out in the fashion world, all women listen. It’s the bible for us in our fashion lives. But its impact goes far enough to now effect men.

Hong-Kong based blogger, BryanBoy, who has a 609,000 follower count on Instagram, called out Vogue via Twitter for their “schoolyard bullying” and wrote, “How satisfying it must be to go for the easy target rather than going for other editors...”

He continues to tweet, “And what about editorials in head to toe runway looks? Celebrity covers because they are the face of the brand?”

Social media plays a key role in the influencer job attributes. It allows individuals to involve people in their conversations, but also call them out on what they feel is wrong. It’s that idea of Church and State, the lines are blurred. It also brings connectivity.

The fashion industry used to be secluded, one for the rich, elite and the lucky. But now with the changes in the industry, especially with the rise of bloggers and influencers, having social media allows fashion to become even more universally connected than it was before.

Joseph Clough, or Joey London as he’s known in the blogging world, started his blog a few years ago and started off with outfit posts, with the blend of product reviews that revolve around technology, lifestyle and travel. He had not idea about what blogging entailed, so he learnt and worked on it, which has led him to a 35,200 following on Instagram and 19,500 on Twitter.

Joey says that being an influencer can have its challenges because the offers you receive can lead you off a path of identity. “You have a responsibility to stay true to yourself, your branding, and when it comes to working with others, you should be doing what you have agreed on, the industry is full of false promises, don't be one of those!”

By one of those, Joey means the bloggers or influencers who lose their credibility for the purpose of getting likes, follows and publicity. Many male influencers like Joey seem to hold continuous relationships with brands that reflect their personality in order maintain identity and not get lost in the crowds of bloggers.

“Social media for sure had a big part in that, I guess it’s just the fact that we can all express ourselves to the world a lot easier and it's a lot easier to be someone online you maybe couldn’t be in person”, Joey says.

People love to live through the eyes of others, to desire for something else, and influencers offer that. Shooting amazing clothes, embracing the latest technology, travelling the world for promotions; it’s what everyone wants. However like Joey says, you can be someone else online but you can also be yourself.

Even I get jealous when influencers like Joey and Alex Cannon jet off to Bali for a few weeks with a travel collective. I also get annoyed when they are dressed better than me. Who knew that was going to be a problem one day?

When you’re trying to make it into the blogging and influencer world, you automatically have to compete with all the other women who are trying to have the same profession. But the new problem is the competition with male bloggers too.

Brands are separating their time between the girls and the guys, looking for the right people to work with. Having a unique style, a good personality and perfect online presence is at the core of success in this job title.

That’s why men tend to have more success than women in this field. They approach it differently. Their loyalty, their personality and their attention to detail is what gives them the edge in the fashion industry.

Though it’s the female influencers that are paving the way into the fashion industry, it won’t be long before the men level up.