Ten Tips for a Great Fashion Brand Collaboration
March 22, 2018
A great collaboration between an influencer and a fashion company is a triple-win situation. The influencer looks great, the fashion is presented well, and audiences of both brand and influencer get to see more of what they like. YAY!
Based on our past experiences with influencers, we've compiled ten tips that will help us have winning partnership. We wrote these tips with Dare Fashion in mind, but they probably apply to any fashion brand collaboration.
1. Take your measurements and get the right size
We can't emphasize this enough! You really HAVE TO MEASURE - there is no way to avoid this! The good news: for our fashion, the bust measurement is the only one that really matters. Measure around the fullest part your bust with your bra on to find your Dare size.
DO: follow this simple 3-step process to get your Dare size.
DO NOT: guess your size. It's so disappointing when an influencer goes through all the trouble of arranging beautiful hair/makeup/professional photographer, only to have the quality of the photos diminished due to bad sizing! This model has a great pose and put together a cute outfit and a creative backdrop, but the top is one size too small.
2. Present our fashion well
Keep in mind that the best influencer photos showcase the model and the fashion equally. We want you to look great, but we need our fashion to look great, too! The more your photos show off our fashion, the more widely we will post and circulate those images, giving you more and better exposure!
DO NOT: hide the fashion or over-emphasize other accessories and clothing. This image does a great job of portraying the model (especially her legs and leggings!), but does not showcase our Renaissance top well.
DO: take photos in poses and from angles that showcase our fashion. In this photo, our top is featured better, showing details of the design as well as how it drapes on a person.
3. Style as the designer intended (part 1): Tie ribbons nicely and evenly
Please pay attention to detail when tying the ribbons in the faux corsets - the corset is usually the most complex element in the piece and catches the eye first. An even corset with a neat ribbon bow makes a GREAT first impression!
DO NOT: tighten corset tightly in front as shown below. Notice the wrinkles around the corset and the bunching of the fabric around her bust. If the top is too big, please cinch it IN THE BACK using hair clips, binder clips or clothes pins.
DO: tie the ribbons neatly with the corset loose and even, as shown below. Notice there are no wrinkles around the details of the corset and the ribbons lay flat against the top.
4. Style as the designer intended (part 2): Tie spaghetti straps in back
The spaghetti straps are designed to be tied IN THE BACK at the narrowest part of the waist, creating a slimming effect and suggesting an hourglass silhouette.
DO NOT: wrap the ties around the front. Although the model achieves an hourglass figure in both these two photos (and she looks great!), the spaghetti tie in the front distracts from the true design of the top.
DO: tie the spaghetti ties in the back. In the photo below, the spaghetti ties still create a lovely hourglass silhouette, but they are tied in back, out of sight.
5. Take photos with and without accessories
We love when our models express their personal style with accessories! But please take photos with and without accessories.
DO NOT: over-accessorize. This may give potential customers the wrong impression of the design of the top. In this example, the red and orange accessories guide the viewer’s eye away from the green top. And the bow on bust gives the impression that the top comes with that accessory on it when it does not.
In this example, a viewer may think this sweater comes with a fur collar, but it does not. We love this accessorizing! But the same photo without the fur collar would be a more useful product photo for us.
DO: emphasize the fashion above all accessories. In this example, notice how this model’s choice of accessories does not distract the viewer’s eye from the top.
6. Steam/iron before you shoot
Many of our styles will be wrinkle-free, right out of the package. However, if there are wrinkles, be sure to gently steam or iron it so that it's looking its best during the shoot. Remember, the better the fashion looks, the better YOU look!
Steaming and ironing saves us from having to use Photoshop to eliminate the wrinkles. We always prefer to use minimally-edited photos whenever possible!
Pay special attention to solid colors and jersey styles. We have noticed that these show the wrinkles the most.
7. Take photos from different angles and views
In addition to standard photos of head and torso, please take some full-body and close-up shots! Also, feel free to take pictures from the back or from other angles that show off the product and/or your photographer’s creative eye.
8. Use different facial expressions - HAVE FUN!
Since you are in a photo shoot anyway, consider taking pictures with a variety of facial expressions. Express yourself! Be creative! In different photos, pretend to be playful, serious, pensive, seductive, elated, embarrassed, scheming or surprised...
* And remember, nothing conveys confidence like a big, happy smile!
9. Send as many high resolution photos as you can
We had an influencer whose boyfriend took some AMAZING photos. She sent us some low-res versions to preview, but by the time we asked for the high-res versions, they had broken up, and he said he had deleted all the photos! What a bummer!
Please send us as many of your photos in the highest resolution you can. You might be surprised by what we are looking for and which of your photos we can use. It's better to let us see more of them so we have a better chance of getting more exposure for you!
10. Connect your audience with our company
Before posting your photos, (better yet, before you do your photoshoot) please take some time to familiarize yourself with our company and our mission. We have published blogposts about Body Positivity, Self-Love, Sustainable Apparel, Being Green, Made-in-USA, Women Who Dare, Girl Power, Gothic Life and many different Costume Ideas.
You know your audiences best - so please emphasize the themes that will resonate with them, connecting them with Dare Fashion.
Please tag posts with @darefashionusa and/or #darefashionusa #daretowear. And, of course, let us know how to tag you when we repost and/or use photos of you.
Thanks for reading these tips, now let's collaborate to make this world a little more friendly, fashionable and fabulous!
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