From Middle East’s favourite Influencer – Karen Wazen to Hollywood’s Bella Hadid, Kylie Jenner, Jessica Simpson and JLo, all are sporting this designer’s collections. The power of word-of-mouth and influencer are massive in these situations. But what role does it play here?Â
Middle Eastern designers have been breaking into Hollywood more often now than before and we have seen some of the industry’s biggest people champion big ticket clients like Elie Saab and up-coming labels like L’afshar.
Brands and retailers are turning towards Influencers as major marketing channels. From Kim Kardashian snapchatting Airbnb accommodations, to Cupcakes and Cashmere’s clothing line with Nordstrom to bloggers creating outfits for Corona Light, Influencers are the golden children of Marketing strategies right now. Rebecca Minkoff even put influencers front and center in her New York Fashion Week runway show, featuring several popular fashion bloggers—including Chriselle Lim and Arielle Charnas as models in her Greene Street production. Sure that says something, right?
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Influencers are the new celebrity Ads.
Data from Influencer Marketing platform MuseFind shows that 92% of consumers trust an Influencer more than an advertisement or traditional celebrity endorsement. Mainly because we can track the picture to the sales.Â
Andrea Wazen started her label at 25, and has only raised her bar higher on a local and international level. Fashion Trust Arabia recognized the London-born entrepreneur with an ‘Accessories Designer of the Year’ award last year. We had a chat with her to understand her namesake Andrea Wazen Footwear’s journey:
Q: How do international celebrities discover your well-established brand which is born and raised in Lebanon?
A: “Ever since I move to Paris in 2010 to pursue my passion for sketching and designing, I met so many important figures in the Fashion Industry, made deep connections with them and actually became close friends with some of them! In my domain, I always get to meet celebrities on a daily basis, through social media, during fashion weeks or though common connections. I also believe that my brand stands out in its unique style, statement pieces like our signature Franca or full on laces Mandaloun style are what celebrities look for! Statement pieces that really give any outfit a special touch. We get approaced by so many celebrities on a daily basis, and I believe that social media plays an important factor in making the brand known everywhere!”
Q: Tell us how social media has helped your brand.
A: “The internet is really were all the magic happens! Social media is an amazing tool for brand awareness. By posting content, it’s so much easier for clients to find us, see us and get to know the brand! With one click you can reach Millions of clients and make your brand stand out. When the whole world had to be put on pause because of the Pandemic, social media has been the easiest and optimal tool to keep in touch with clients, even reach out to new ones and on a much bigger scale.”
Q: Which brand do you see your Footwear label collaborating with in the future?
A: “I have many ideas for collaborations but at this point I would love to collaborate with a homeware brand.”
Q: What was that one game-changing moment in your career which got you where you are today.
A: “There were several turning points for me but I would have to say that winning the FTA awards was definitely a step into the limelight for the brand. Being mentored by people leading the industry and having their thoughts on the brand was really enlightening.”
Q: What do you envision for your brand as of 2022?
A: “I envision the brand maturing and developing in the right way. We also have many exciting plans in terms of distribution. We are currently working on a new amazing market for us with a retail partner that we are very excited to collaborate with – hint, The Big Apple!!”
Q: Celebrities often wear your designs, but do not tag the designer or the brand. Does this work for or against your digital strategy?
A: “As a designer, I create pieces that celebrities or a client would want to wear to feel unique, happy, daring and comfortable. Of course, for a digital strategy, celebrity tags bring higher brand awareness, tagging the brand would make the designer really feel great and I’d personally be very happy seeing women around the world wearing my designs, but that is not something I mainly look for when creating a new design because most of all I want is for the celebrity and client is to appreciate my creation and be satisfied wearing my design!”
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