Image: BFA
Fashion thrives off of everything new, which means bloggers, digital leaders, and brand personalities dictate the ever-evolving style world. From the original bloggers who created the hunger for content to an editor who took old-school magazine skills and applied them to new technology, these women embody a new approach to editorial content and technology.
#1. Tina Craig and Kelly Cook
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The duo launched Bag Snob in 2005 over a mutual love of chic designer handbags. With Tina Craig’s expertise in international licensing and Kelly Cook’s background in design, the blog focuses on luxury bag trends, as they shop for vintage Chanel and Hermes, investment pieces, and more. It was one of the first fashion blogs specific to bags, and set the stage for many more to come.
#2. Susanna Lau
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As a part of the early generation of fashion bloggers, London-based Susanna Lau (also known as Susie Bubble) launched Style Bubble in 2006. With a signature style of endless, colourful layers and honest fashion show reviews, she has quickly built an enormous following—and the fashion world has taken notice. She’s been known to write about under-the-radar designers and to champion native British designers, and she also takes on special projects without compromising her unique vision.
#3. Garance Doré
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One of the most inspiring things about Garance Doré is the fact that she’s completely self-taught in HTML, coding, photography, and illustration. She founded her namesake blog in 2006 to showcase her illustrations and gradually moved into photography, writing, and video. Perhaps what’s most captivating are her New York and Parisian street style photos, shot through the eyes of a woman, a rare lens within an industry dominated by male photographers.
#4. Hillary Kerr and Katherine Power
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When Hillary Kerr and Katherine Power founded Who What Wear in 2006, they began with one post per day related to celebrity fashion news. While other blogs centred on personal style or street shots, Who What Wear provided all the details when it came to what Nicole Richie or Kate Moss were wearing. Kerr and Power seamlessly mixed editorial and shopping content before many other blogs and websites, and continue to publish celebrity-based fashion content today.
#5. Chiara Ferragni
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Equal parts businesswoman and blogger, Chiara Ferragni founded The Blonde Salad in 2009. A native Italian, her influence is both widespread and global, and her success ushered in a new era for bloggers in the form of designer collaborations, street style star personas, and awards. Ferragni currently has over 4.7 million followers and has collaborated with designers ranging from Chanel to Christian Dior and Guess. She was named 2015’s most influential blogger by Fashionista, as well as Blogger of the Year by Bloglovin’.
#6. Leandra Medine
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Leandra Medine started Man Repeller in 2010 based off the notion that great fashion is about pleasing women, not men. Since then, she has developed her trademark humorous voice, which not only proved to the industry that fashion could be funny, but also introduced writers cover everything from politics to think pieces. Women around the globe have started using the term “Man Repelling” as a verb, further proving Medine’s widespread influence.
#7. Eva Chen
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The fashion influencer capitalised on the power of social media early on, responding to readers’ questions directly through Tumblr, Twitter, and Instagram. Her prestigious editorial background as a Beauty Director at Teen Vogue and Editor-in-Chief at Lucky primed her to break down the walls between the pages of glossy fashion magazines and their readers, setting an example for future publications. Now serving as Instagram’s Head of Fashion Partnerships, Chen has made the platform all the more stylish.
#8. Aliza Licht
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She’s proof that the face of a brand matters in today’s social media-driven world. Aliza Licht, formerly known as DKNY PR Girl, created community, conversation, and inspiration surrounding the DKNY brand on Twitter and Instagram for six years. Her posts were witty and intelligent, creating a likeable, lifestyle-driven persona that engaged thousands of followers. This year, Licht’s own best-selling book, Leave Your Mark, was published based on these principles, and set new standards for other fashion brands on social media.
