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Mila Santos, like any modern influencer, lives an exciting juggling act
In an interview, when asked about her long-term goals and ambitions, Mila Santos explained that her goal is to start her production and business, which majors in fashion for curvy women. There is certainly nothing new about curvy models promoting types of fashion that align with their body types; if anything, that is the core activity. However, something noteworthy is that a model’s place was taking part in those glamorous runway shows, engaging in photoshoots and sometimes working as a fashion brand promoter. The models had a very limited place and did not make much impact on the direction of fashion. Nothing was more than featuring in those magazine covers and other highly exclusive fashion shows.
But with Mila’s ambitions, something new is coming out. As the model, she wants to be central in designing and promoting her aesthetics. This is not new, as influencers and models have started promoting merchandise branded in their names. There are so many explanations for this trend.
First, the goal is to capitalize on brand identity and the audience. As an influencer, Mila has worked so hard to build a strong fanbase with over 256k followers on Instagram, and she is in a position to tap into a market that likes her style. She is assured that if she designs fashions that match her identity, she will reach out to her existing fans and use her brand identity to make sales further. Put another way, having such a fanbase gives her a good head start compared to brands that have to grow from being unknown.
Another reason for this trend is to fill the market gap in body types. Ideally, the traditional fashion outlook focused more on models with perfect body styles. In a real sense, the wide population has so much variation in body types that many people are left out when fashion brands focus on ideal beauty standards. For someone like Mila, she can isolate the exact body type and major in designing fashion attires that suit them. This representation also would add to her fan base and brand identity.
Another obvious reason is that many influencers never leave much legacy, and this is the case when their key focus is short-form content or viral trends, which are soon forgotten. There is no better of establishing a legacy than being a pioneer in a line of fashion or creating a brand that would sell long even after the influencer has reduced her online. I like to think of it as a strategic retirement plan when one takes a permanent break from all social media and influencer activities.
