Balmain Won Instagram During Paris Fashion Week, and Is Proud of It

Balmain got a lot of love (and double taps) during Paris Fashion Week.

The French fashion house sent out a press release Tuesday boasting that it had the highest overall social engagement during the runway showings, the first time we recall seeing a fashion brand announcement specifically touting social media popularity. (Critics of the collection, an exuberant if a bit bewildering mix of ‘90s grunge and safari chic, take that!) 

Instagram confirmed the news, that Balmain reached 1.9 million people from Feb. 28 to March 7. The @balmain account, which has 6.5 million followers, also drove 2.9 million interactions (likes and comments) on the photo-sharing platform, globally, besting rival French luxury firms Dior and Chanel.

Creative director Olivier Rousteing, one of the most social-media savvy designers working today, with 4.4 million followers, reached 1.1 million fans and drove 1.3 million interactions from his own personal account (@olivier_rousteing).

Related Stories

Related Story

Instagram Rolling Out Shopping Feature to More Apparel, Jewelry and Beauty Brands

It’s quite a feat for Rousteing and the luxury label, considering not a single Kardashian or Jenner sat in the front row this season. Before the infamous Paris robbery, Kim, Kourtney, Kris and Kanye West were all regulars at Rousteing’s shows, lending their social media clout. But if you think the Kardashian clan is to thank for all of Balmain’s success, think again. This time around, the front row glittered with two famous dudes — Nick Jonas and Zayn Malik — and Paris Fashion Week wild card Nicki Minaj.

It’s worth nothing that even though the famous reality star family wasn’t on the scene, Rousteing still had a Jenner on the runway: Kendall, who had the most-liked model Instagram photo with 2.3-plus million likes during PFW. Models Gigi Hadid, Jourdan Dunn, Lily Donaldson and Cindy Bruna, who all have massive Insta followings, hit the catwalk for Balmain, too.

 

A post shared by BALMAIN (@balmain) on Mar 4, 2017 at 8:20am PST