Academic Research ARTH 302: Examining the Exclusivity and Relationship Between Fashion Influencers and Luxury Brands

Abstract: Within the fashion industry, luxury fashion has served a purpose of delivering high quality investment like pieces surrounded by a sense of exclusivity, desirability, and high class positioning. The luxury fashion industry has worked as an exclusive space functioning as and representing a “dream like” space to the public. This research examines the emergence of the fashion influencer across social media platforms and their role within the luxury fashion industry as strategic marketing tools. Drawing upon social media content such as Instagram and Tik Tok content created by influencers in a paid partnership with luxury brands, previous academic research, and luxury brand partnerships and marketing strategies throughout the years 2000-2023, which can be understood as the life of the influencer as it’s known, this project aims to determine the influencers role in exclusive luxury spaces and the selection and marketing tactics of luxury brands in extending invitations to influencers within this space. Through this analysis, the role of the fashion influencer in the luxury fashion space will be examined to identify the influencer's purpose and function within the exclusivity surrounding luxury fashion.