The exception is the fashion industry

One of the measures of popularity today is the commercial value of the star. It is expressed through advertising contracts or being a spokesperson, most commonly in the fashion industry. In addition to their main careers, most celebrities try to create the most stylish, trendy and high-class image possible in the eyes of the public as well as capitalists. What they aim for is to become fashion icons.

According to fashionistas, becoming a fashion enthusiast and creating attractive looks is the most suitable and powerful form in the Insta-glam era (talking about being impressive, trendy, stylish and unique). on the social network Instagram) today. Kardashian-jenner sisters, Beyoncé, Zendaya, Harry Styles or BlackPink, BTS… are successful names on this path.

Taylor Swift is considered an exception in the fashion industry because she is not a brand ambassador and does not participate in fashion weeks. Photo: Invision/AP.

However, not everyone follows the trend. The most notable exception is probably Taylor Swift. The female singer born in 1989 is definitely one of the most famous stars in the world, as well as the second most influential voice in popular culture today. With a height of 1.8 m and a well-proportioned body, Taylor’s outfits are often beautiful. However, she is not a fashion girl.

In 2023, Taylor Swift’s personal life caused a stir in the media, making her a regular face in the tabloids. Paparazzi constantly update the different looks of the Blank Space singer, such as an oversized rugby shirt with riding boots or a corset-style denim short skirt combined with sparkling silver high heels…

While the online community did not have any notable reactions, experts did not appreciate the dressing sense of the “Country Music Princess”. Jenisse Minott writes for Fashion Magazine : “According to many Swifties (Taylor Swift’s fanbase) as well as non-Swifties, she can write (songs titled) Style and Dress , but she can’t create style for a dress or a skirt or a jacket or whatever.”

Not everyone in the online community thinks Swift is a poor dresser. But most agree that her absence from brand advertising campaigns and front row seats at fashion week shows proves that her status in the world is not high.

“Do I like her style? Most of the time that’s true. Is she a fashion icon? Unfortunately not,” commented Hanan Besovic, a fashion influencer on Instagram and a big fan of Taylor.

Taylor’s style is not highly appreciated by experts even though it is not bad. Photo: GC Images.

Culture writer Emily Kirkpatrick believes that Taylor is like an anti-hero in the fashion industry. This status serves as part of the blonde beauty’s meticulously crafted personal brand. According to the female expert, Taylor wants to convey the message “I am truly myself” – an expression of the act of building a personal brand or personal style.

Taylor’s difference is that it does not aim for a high-end image. Kirkpatrick points out that Beyoncé, a star who has achieved similar career success to Taylor Swift, almost exclusively wears luxury items that even billionaires would struggle to afford. Meanwhile, Taylor went out to dinner with friends and wore affordable handbags. She collaborates with celebrity stylist Joseph Cassell Falconer to create shimmering looks for the stage and red carpet, but his influence on everyday style is less obvious.

“She can afford to wear all Gucci. She can afford to request tailor-made outfits. But to me, she doesn’t care about that,” Kirkpatrick commented.

More than fashion

Taylor is not a style icon or a “brand name girl”, but that doesn’t mean she doesn’t have an influence in the fashion industry, even a huge impact.

Affordable luxury accessories brand Mansur Gavriel is one of the names benefiting from Taylor. In June 2023, the female singer was seen many times wearing an M Frame box bag worth $895. CEO Maria Borromeo said she gained many new customers thanks to Taylor’s influence.

“We see a spike in sales when Taylor wears the same style, often by 50 to 200 percent.” If there is no stock, customers will wait. We have more than 2,000 registrations to pre-order the items she uses. The bag is just one of them,” Borromeo shared.

According to social media analytics company Launchmetrics, Taylor Swift generated $3.9 million in media impact value (MIV) – assessing the level of influence of the other person on relevant media channels (online, society and printmaking) – for the Gucci dress at the Golden Globes. During an outing with boyfriend Travis Kelce, she wore a coat by Kristin Juszczyk, helping the company earn $473,000. Meanwhile, each advertising post on Instagram in the past 90 days of the female singer reached an average of about 1.2 million USD MIV.

No icon, Taylor Swift’s impact on the fashion industry is not small. Photo: Mega/GC Images.

So why doesn’t Taylor Swift take advantage of that to make fashion and beauty deals?

The most obvious answer is that Taylor – a USD billionaire thanks to his music career – does not need side jobs. Another reality is that when signing brand ambassador contracts, Taylor is forced to cede control of her narrative to a third party – Hanan Besovic likened that move to giving power to someone else.

“She is too powerful for these brands. She relies on her music and her fans. She doesn’t need approval from Anna Wintour (Vogue Editor-in-Chief) and the fashion world because at this point, she is bigger than fashion,” Besovic emphasized.