The introduction of social media in today’s fashion world is a new tool for businesses and brands to use. While fashion brands used traditional publications such as Vogue and Elle to promote their new lines, there is now a new way to get the word out on their new collections.

Sites such as Facebook and Instagram are rapidly becoming the new tool for brands to get news of their latest collections straight to the masses. While classic designers such as Chanel and Prada may not be using social media to its full advantage, there are plenty of new designers who have taken social media in their stride and going head first into the digital landscape. Here are the top 5 brands who are using social media to engage with customers the best and making consumers everywhere listen up.

5- Kate Spade

While the company was founded 22 years ago, the brand itself has only come to the forefront of fashion in the last year. With global superstars such as Taylor Swift and US first daughter Sasha Obama wearing the the New York based designers products, Kate Spade has utilised social media to promote her lines of clothing and accessories. With 1.1M Instagram followers and 2.2M Facebook fans, the company posts colourful and engaging content and is slowly but surely building up its presence to be one of the biggest fashion brands in digital media.

 

4- Balmain

With over 310K Facebook fans and 161K Twitter followers, Balmain may not have millions of followers on every platform, but it is creating a buzz on social media unlike many others (especially on Instagram where it boasts over 1.5M followers). Head designer Olivier Rousteing is only 28 and in touch with the social media generation. He took over the company 4 years ago and has taken Balmain into the new digital world. Rousteing uses some of the biggest models and celebs in the world who also just happen to have millions of social media followers too! The close relationship with these stars only adds to the buzz around Balmain. Kendall Jenner and Gigi Hadid are only some of the faces of the brand with a combined Instagram following on 32 million. Balmain uses Instagram to convey luxury and glamour that people are dying to emulate and always waiting to see more of.

 

3- Gucci

Gucci has been one of the most prominent fashion brands for over 90 years, however it is not afraid to go into non traditional forms of advertising. The brand currently has 14.6M Facebook fans and 4.2M Instagram followers. The brand is a classic and crisp, and so is their content. If you look beyond the number of friends and followers, however, you can see that Gucci is primarily providing content rather than engaging in two-way communication. Another advantage with social media is the opportunity to engage with brand advocates. As an established brand, Gucci probably has many fan-based communities that would welcome the brand joining them and supporting their celebration of Gucci products and the lifestyle it represents. This, indeed, is the opportunity that social media marketing offers.

2- Michael Kors

When you think of Michael Kors social media posts, you think of rich visuals and exclusive content. With a combined social media following of over 23.5M (Facebook, Instagram, Twitter), Destination Kors is an interesting hub on the fashion aficionado’s journey towards a purchase from the Michael Kors label or his diffusion line, Michael by Michael Kors. Featuring the latest products, links to all the relevant sites, and lifestyle shots from Mr. Kors himself, this social media-centric site showcases the jet-set style that the brand has become known for. Destination Kors allows fans to share how and where they wear their Kors pieces and even what is in their Michael Kors purses and similar items via branded hashtags. The visuals on all of the Michael Kors sites and social media accounts are remarkable cohesive with the brand’s advertising as a whole, making for a memorable social presence that is consistent throughout the customer’s path to purchase , and afterwards as well.

1- Burberry

With 16.7M Facebook followers, 4m Twitter followers and 3.7M Instagram followers, when it comes to social media presence there is no luxury fashion house like Burberry. It said to spend more than 60 percent of the brand’s marketing budget on digital activities, and you can be sure that the ROI is bound to be big – especially if it’s measured in terms of brand awareness. They are not afraid to try new ways to promote their collections such as their Twitter campaign: #Tweetwalk

With nearly 17 million likes, Burberry’s the most followed brand of its kind on Facebook and has definitely made its presence felt on other platforms as well, especially Twitter. In a fashion first, a few seasons ago Burberry launched its Tweetwalk, sharing its newest looks before they made their way down the catwalk, and streaming the images to 25 stores across the world.

The result? Within 30 minutes of the show, there were 50,000 views and #Tweetwalk and #ChristopherBailey trended on Twitter. Sneak-peeks do wonders to rile up excitement, especially when fans are made to feel just as important as the star-studded front row audience of live catwalk shows. Not only did real-time shoppers get the first look, they also got the chance to shop the new collection moments before they became available to the general public.

Thanks to Burberry’s online push as well as expansion in Asia, sales have been on the rise as well with a reported 14 percent increase in overall revenue last quarter. Burberry consistently delivers seamless, on-point experiences to their fans and potential customers; and while not everybody may be able to afford that iconic trench, the point is that everyone knows it’s iconic.

 

Burberry Bespoke

Personalisation has become an important factor throughout Burberry’s digital strategy, across both products and communications. Burberry Bespoke allows visitors to customise and purchase their own trench coat. Similar to how Nike use their ID service, Burberry allow users to change the colour, sleeves, lining, buttons, and even add a personalised monogram. Visitors can then buy it online instantly, request an appointment, live chat with customer service, or share their design across social media.

Burberry also uses some of the biggest and freshest names in British fashion and media such as Jamie Campbell Bower, Suki Waterhouse and the biggest supermodel for the Insta Generation Cara Delevingne. In the last 5 years the brand has taken the new digital age by storm while still keeping the classic British designs that it has been famous for since its inception.

While I think these are the best luxury fashion houses on Social Media we want to know what you think, have we missed anyone? Any honourable mentions? Leave a comment below telling us your favourite!