BEIRUT: Among the platforms now at the disposal of digitally
savvy fashionistas, Instagram is fast emerging as a favorite in Lebanon
thanks to incremental improvements in the notoriously stymied telecoms
sector.
“Before last year, a lot of relatives and friends, when they went to Beirut, they would never open their apps because it was so expensive,” said Dania Hakim, editor of Lebanese Street Style, which boasts over 45,000 followers. “Now it became less expensive, and yes I have noticed that the number of followers shot up quickly.”
In terms of global trends, Hakim sees little difference between the Arab world and the United States or Europe, although the Instagram fashion crowd is certainly a self-selecting one. While she declines to post outfits she considers too revealing or inappropriate, such as short shorts, she describes this as a “personal choice” rather than a cultural difference or a marketing strategy for reaching out to more conservative Arab countries.
Others consciously put a modest twist on current style. Fashion blogs, including Instagram, that cater to veiled women are increasingly popular. The New York Times recently profiled Kuwaiti-American blogger Ascia Farraj, who has gained nearly a million followers with her unique, playful approach toward conservative dress.
While the styles, give or take a sleeve or a headscarf, are more or less the same, Hakim said, what differs is the scale and professionalism of the Instagram fashion community.
“The people with resources who are interested in these kinds of pages, their number is very limited compared to other parts of the world where they live on their phones,” she said. “In Europe, you have the international bloggers; it’s their business.”
Street style bloggers like Miroslava Duma of Russia, who has 795,000 followers on Instagram, are now regulars at fashion weeks around the globe.
Instagram accounts focusing on fashion tend to fall into one of several categories. There are, of course, well known celebrities like Haifa Wehbe who also happen to be active on Instagram, granting fans a sneak peak into their private lives, or at least their private dress fittings.
Curated accounts, like Lebanese Street Style, feature user-submitted posts in addition to original photographs by the editor of the account, highlighting the everyday chic.
Professional photographers and stylists also use the app, alongside their websites, Facebook and Twitter accounts, and blogs to promote their work and that of local designers. The 55,000 followers of L’armoire de Lana, by freelance stylist Lana El Sahely, were able to track her wedding preparations from the personalized Patchi chocolates and the Bassam Fattouh makeup to the custom Elie Saab gowns worn by the bride, her sister and their mother.
And then there are what Hakim calls the “self-promoters,” glamorous individuals – usually well-to-do women – seeking to create personal brands using the sheer momentum of their shopping-brunch-cocktails schedules. While many of those who fall into the latter category could easily be dismissed as virtual social climbers with a closet full of H&M and a few strategic designer pieces, a select few stand out for their more artistic fashion choices.
Serene Assaad moved to Thailand at the age of 19 and through her Instagram presence became the Middle East ambassador for several Asian fashion labels. Her style is bold and eclectic, and she uses her location to her advantage, often featuring temples or bustling street scenes to give her shots a high fashion editorial feel.
“The best part of Instagram are the active followers, the followers I know I am an inspiration for,” she told The Daily Star. “I do have a strange fashion sense,” added Assaad, who has over 12,000 followers. “It’s a bit daring to wear what’s not common and what’s not in trend yet. I believe I do create my own trend.”
For those overly concerned with the journalistic ethics of fashion blogging, the advertorial nature of the business is assumed, and few if any fashion bloggers disclose what is gifted and what is bought.
The key to building a following, according to Lama Jammal, editor of Street Style Dubai, is to post judiciously and avoid flooding followers’ feeds with redundant, boring or unoriginal content.
“The quality of the picture, I really care about, and the outfit by itself – it doesn’t have to be really sophisticated but it should really suit the person so we feel, ‘Wow, we really want to copy her’ or, ‘She’s inspiring us with her look,’” Jammal said.
“I don’t recommend random posting of everything because you don’t want to annoy the followers; they can simply unfollow you if they don’t feel attracted by everything.”
“Before last year, a lot of relatives and friends, when they went to Beirut, they would never open their apps because it was so expensive,” said Dania Hakim, editor of Lebanese Street Style, which boasts over 45,000 followers. “Now it became less expensive, and yes I have noticed that the number of followers shot up quickly.”
In terms of global trends, Hakim sees little difference between the Arab world and the United States or Europe, although the Instagram fashion crowd is certainly a self-selecting one. While she declines to post outfits she considers too revealing or inappropriate, such as short shorts, she describes this as a “personal choice” rather than a cultural difference or a marketing strategy for reaching out to more conservative Arab countries.
Others consciously put a modest twist on current style. Fashion blogs, including Instagram, that cater to veiled women are increasingly popular. The New York Times recently profiled Kuwaiti-American blogger Ascia Farraj, who has gained nearly a million followers with her unique, playful approach toward conservative dress.
While the styles, give or take a sleeve or a headscarf, are more or less the same, Hakim said, what differs is the scale and professionalism of the Instagram fashion community.
“The people with resources who are interested in these kinds of pages, their number is very limited compared to other parts of the world where they live on their phones,” she said. “In Europe, you have the international bloggers; it’s their business.”
Street style bloggers like Miroslava Duma of Russia, who has 795,000 followers on Instagram, are now regulars at fashion weeks around the globe.
Instagram accounts focusing on fashion tend to fall into one of several categories. There are, of course, well known celebrities like Haifa Wehbe who also happen to be active on Instagram, granting fans a sneak peak into their private lives, or at least their private dress fittings.
Curated accounts, like Lebanese Street Style, feature user-submitted posts in addition to original photographs by the editor of the account, highlighting the everyday chic.
Professional photographers and stylists also use the app, alongside their websites, Facebook and Twitter accounts, and blogs to promote their work and that of local designers. The 55,000 followers of L’armoire de Lana, by freelance stylist Lana El Sahely, were able to track her wedding preparations from the personalized Patchi chocolates and the Bassam Fattouh makeup to the custom Elie Saab gowns worn by the bride, her sister and their mother.
And then there are what Hakim calls the “self-promoters,” glamorous individuals – usually well-to-do women – seeking to create personal brands using the sheer momentum of their shopping-brunch-cocktails schedules. While many of those who fall into the latter category could easily be dismissed as virtual social climbers with a closet full of H&M and a few strategic designer pieces, a select few stand out for their more artistic fashion choices.
Serene Assaad moved to Thailand at the age of 19 and through her Instagram presence became the Middle East ambassador for several Asian fashion labels. Her style is bold and eclectic, and she uses her location to her advantage, often featuring temples or bustling street scenes to give her shots a high fashion editorial feel.
“The best part of Instagram are the active followers, the followers I know I am an inspiration for,” she told The Daily Star. “I do have a strange fashion sense,” added Assaad, who has over 12,000 followers. “It’s a bit daring to wear what’s not common and what’s not in trend yet. I believe I do create my own trend.”
For those overly concerned with the journalistic ethics of fashion blogging, the advertorial nature of the business is assumed, and few if any fashion bloggers disclose what is gifted and what is bought.
The key to building a following, according to Lama Jammal, editor of Street Style Dubai, is to post judiciously and avoid flooding followers’ feeds with redundant, boring or unoriginal content.
“The quality of the picture, I really care about, and the outfit by itself – it doesn’t have to be really sophisticated but it should really suit the person so we feel, ‘Wow, we really want to copy her’ or, ‘She’s inspiring us with her look,’” Jammal said.
“I don’t recommend random posting of everything because you don’t want to annoy the followers; they can simply unfollow you if they don’t feel attracted by everything.”
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