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Top Influencer Founded Fashion Brands

According to eMarketer, in 2023, 1 in 3 US gen z consumers bought a product from an influencer-founded brand. This growing trend of creators becoming founders, and their brands rapidly succeeding, highlights how a creator’s input can influence purchasing decisions.

Targeting an already oversaturated industry, fashion brands like SKIMS, Frankies Bikinis, or Djerf Avenue stand out by leveraging their founder’s credibility, storytelling, and deep understanding of audience preferences. From inclusive sizing to sustainability, these brands can help inspire content strategies and creative campaign ideas for your next brand.

In this article, we’ll explore the top 10 best influencer-founded fashion brands revolutionizing the industry, to learn from their success and elevate your own content strategy.

Why Do Influencers Build Fashion Brands

When an influencer becomes a brand founder, they are already being held to a certain standard by their followers based on their online persona and what that audience is expecting to see. 

Luckily, online personalities like Sami Miro (Sami Miro Vintage) and Danielle Bernstein (We Wore That) already nail to resonate with their strong audience built around their personal style and fashion sense. 

Here are 3 reasons fashion influencers like Sami and Danielle launch brands:

  • Existing Audiences: When starting a business, an existing audience is already a very valuable asset, as they are already familiar with you as a creator and likely will trust the projects you embark on.
  • Creative Control: When an influencer partners with a brand, creative control is not always guaranteed. With owning their own brand, influencers can take on much bigger creative roles and ensure each campaign detail caters to their strategy.
  • Monetization: From micro to mega influencers, a brand provides creators a revenue alternative beyond sponsored posts and paid ads. 

Check out our top 10 fashion brands that work with micro influencers and learn how to get your collaborations started today.

As an example, influencer founder Grace Beverley grew a loyal following, initially interested in her fitness journey, and leveraged this engaged audience to launch her sustainable women’s activewear brand named TALA in 2019. 

According to Vogue Business, TALA’s sales were eight figures back in 2023 and continues to grow alongside Grace’s unique vision.

Top 10 Influencer Founded Fashion Brands

  1. SKIMS by Kim Kardashian
  2. Djerf Avenue by Matilda Djerf
  3. Frankies Bikinis by Francesca Aiello
  4. KAI Collective by Fisayo Longe
  5. Set Active by Lindsey Carter
  6. Song of Style by Aimee Song
  7. Are You Am I by Rumi Neely
  8. Guizio by Danielle Guizio
  9. BUMPSUIT by Nicole Trunfio
  10. I.AM.GIA by Alana Pallister

SKIMS by Kim Kardashian

  • Founder: Kim Kardashian
  • Launched in: 2019
  • Growth Story: SKIMS launched as a solution-focused shapewear brand and quickly expanded into loungewear, underwear, and basics. It became a cultural phenomenon through savvy marketing, inclusivity, and the influence of Kim Kardashian’s massive social media following.
  • Key Takeaway: Leverage celebrity influence, inclusivity, and product-market fit to scale a brand into a global powerhouse.

Like SKIMS, explore similar brands that work with nano influencers and discover how authentic partnerships and niche targeting can drive massive engagement and loyalty. 

Djerf Avenue by Matilda Djerf

  • Founder: Matilda Djerf
  • Launched in: 2019
  • Growth Story: Djerf Avenue began as a reflection of Matilda’s Scandi-chic aesthetic and commitment to slow fashion. Without wholesale or paid ads, the brand thrived through organic community engagement, ethical production, and timeless designs.
  • Key Takeaway: Building a values-driven brand around personal style and community can lead to strong, sustainable growth.

Explore how Matilda Djerf expanded her fashion brand into Djerf Avenue Beauty and check out our top 10 influencer founded beauty brands.

Frankies Bikinis by Francesca Aiello

  • Founder: Francesca Aiello
  • Launched in: 2012
  • Growth Story: Frankies Bikinis started with custom bikinis showcased on Instagram. Gaining traction from influencer marketing and celebrity endorsements (like Kylie Jenner and Gigi Hadid), the brand evolved into a trendy swim and lifestyle label.
  • Key Takeaway: Early adoption of influencer marketing and a bold, youthful aesthetic can help turn a side hustle into a national brand.

KAI Collective by Fisayo Longe

  • Founder: Fisayo Longe
  • Launched in: 2016
  • Growth Story: KAI Collective is known for its vibrant prints and bold silhouettes inspired by Fisayo’s travels and Nigerian heritage. The brand gained global attention through social media virality and strong storytelling around empowerment and identity.
  • Key Takeaway: Cultural authenticity and bold storytelling can turn a niche idea into a globally recognized fashion label.

Set Active by Lindsey Carter

  • Founder: Lindsey Carter
  • Launched in: 2018
  • Growth Story: Set Active capitalized on the activewear boom with monochrome sets and “Set” drops. The brand built a cult following by creating limited-edition collections, investing in influencer collaborations, and maintaining a strong visual identity.
  • Key Takeaway: Cultivate hype and community with limited drops and consistent branding.

Explore other top Instagram fitness brands to follow in 2025, and how they are setting trends by building loyal online communities.

Song of Style by Aimee Song

  • Founder: Aimee Song
  • Launched in: 2019
  • Growth Story: Already an established influencer, Aimee launched Song of Style in partnership with Revolve. The brand blends California cool with runway-inspired pieces, benefiting from Aimee’s creative control and Revolve’s infrastructure.
  • Key Takeaway: Leveraging existing industry partnerships and personal brand equity can supercharge a label’s launch.

Are You Am I by Rumi Neely

  • Founder: Rumi Neely
  • Launched in: 2014
  • Growth Story: Fashion blogger Rumi Neely built Are You Am I as a luxury basics brand with an edgy twist. The line reflects her minimal yet sultry aesthetic, and it found a cult following among fashion-forward millennials.
  • Key Takeaway: A distinct personal style and early blog fame can create long-lasting brand loyalty.

Guizio by Danielle Guizio

  • Founder: Danielle Guizio
  • Launched in: 2014
  • Growth Story: Guizio gained early traction with its sporty-chic streetwear and Instagrammable corsets. The brand was propelled by celebrity fans like Bella Hadid and Hailey Bieber, and became a staple for modern, feminine street style.
  • Key Takeaway: Strategic celebrity placement and aesthetic consistency help drive cultural relevance and demand.

BUMPSUIT by Nicole Trunfio

  • Founder: Nicole Trunfio
  • Launched in: 2020
  • Growth Story: Designed to offer comfort and style for pregnant and postpartum bodies, BUMPSUIT disrupted maternity wear with sleek bodysuits and functional staples. The brand resonated with expecting mothers seeking both practicality and fashion.
  • Key Takeaway: Solving a real pain point with elevated design can build strong niche loyalty.

I.AM.GIA by Alana Pallister

  • Founder: Alana Pallister
  • Launched in: 2017
  • Growth Story: I.AM.GIA exploded on Instagram thanks to viral festival outfits and bold, edgy designs. Worn by Bella Hadid and similar online IT girls, the brand became synonymous with Insta-baddie fashion, trending hard amongst Gen Z.
  • Key Takeaway: Viral moments and trend-driven design can spark explosive short-term brand success.

5 Steps Creators Can Take Before Launching a Fashion Brand

From a work-life balance to creator blocks, becoming a brand founder can bring many challenges. Here are 5 initial helpful steps you can take to face these difficulties with confidence, and build a solid foundation.

1. Create Your Brand DNA

Does your brand stand for sustainability, inclusivity, bold self expression, or minimalism? Like Matilda Djerf showcased her timeless and slow fashion style into Djerf Avenue, what are your brand’s mission, vision, and values?

The start of a brand identity could sound like: “Our mission is to empower women through minimalist, timeless fashion pieces made sustainably.”

2. Define Your Target Audience

As a creator, you already know who your followers are and what they are interested in. Take understanding their behaviour a bit deeper and analyse their preferences and frustrations.

Nicole Trunfio, founder of BUMPSUIT, created fashionable basics for pregnant women after identifying this very specific pain point within her audience.

3. Validate Ideas

As mistakes in production or design can get costly, start small, test your ideas. You can leverage your audience and create Instagram polls or digital mockups to share and welcome feedback.

Francesca Aiello began Frankies Bikinis with made-to-order pieces posted on her IG profile, helping her validate ideas before scaling up.

4. Build a Community

Your strong audience is already a fan of you, now they have to become a fan of your brand. 

A helpful tip can be documenting behind the scenes content and taking your followers with you. Integrate them into your brand-building journey and make them feel a part of it. Turn your followers into your most powerful launch partners.

Check out this helpful Reddit response to discover content ideas, smart audience research tips, and a powerful tool for turning engagement into warm leads, everything to start your own fashion brand’s media growth and sales.

5. Product Quality and Fit

Even after a great content strategy, quality and sizing can make or break a fashion brand. Prioritize wear-testing or invest in samples to gather useful feedback of your product’s fit, durability, comfort, and functionality.

Brands prioritizing comfort and quality like SKIMS or TALA prove to win long term.

Key Takeaways: From creating your brand DNA to building community and working on product quality, these 5 steps will help you establish a strong starting point for a fashion brand that’s authentic, audience-driven, and built to last.

Final Thoughts on Influencer Founded Fashion Brands

From SKIMS to KAI Collective, influencer founded brands have been revolutionizing the fashion industry and its customers' purchasing decisions. 

By connecting with their founders’ communities and prioritizing feedback, these businesses establish a direct relationship with their most trusted buyers, helping to build brand loyalty and authenticity. These brands don't only sell products, they sell stories, values, and lifestyles that resonate deeply with their influencer founder and make their audience feel like they’ve become a part of their journey.

If you’re a creator dreaming of launching your own brand, consider building the foundation now. 

Platforms like Creator Hero help you connect with top brands through paid collabs, so you can monetize your content, grow your audience, and gain firsthand experience in what it takes to market and sell a product.

FAQs
What makes influencer-founded fashion brands successful?
Are influencer-founded fashion brands sustainable?
How do influencer-founded fashion brands market their products?
Which male influencers have launched fashion brands?
How can small influencers start their own fashion brand?

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