Modern Day Fashion Exploration

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How Instagram’s overlooked explore page can be your new favorite space for fashion inspiration

Written by Grace Reber, Fashion Staff Writer

Unless you’ve been able to limit your Instagram following to influencers and fashion icons, most of us don’t receive many fashion tips from our feed. While I appreciate a weekend photoshoot with my friends or a throwback family photo from my Aunt, finding the newest fashion trends and outfit inspiration won’t necessarily come from those posts.

Similar to others, I’ve spent my time sifting through my explore page for as long as I can remember, wasting my time on silly “hack” threads before the days of TikTok. It wasn’t until recently that I started noticing how tailored my explore page had become. I found myself diving into fashion threads for hours, creating mood boards based on the incredible designs I was able to find through the fashion database I’ve had at my disposal for years without even realizing it.

Statistics show that around half of Instagram users do not utilize the explore page function, that’s about 500 million people that are missing out on the world of style tips and the newest trends. No matter what your style is, odds are there will be a thread tailored to your personal preferences. The more you use the explore page and interact with posts you like, the page will only become more and more fitted to your personal style.

In my experience, starting to use my explore page as anything more than a pass time was slightly overwhelming. With so many different threads to delve in to, it was practically impossible to find anything of substance. However, as I’ve learned how to properly utilize my explore page is filled with the stunning red carpet looks, unique brands that have flown under my radar, hair and makeup inspirations, and fashion influencers to keep me up to date on the latest fashion trends.

Recently, I’ve found brands that are completely cohesive with my style, as well as those I can share with my friends and family. To name a few, Anine Bing, Jaded London, The Branded Sorrel, and Citizens of Humanity have all come to me from Instagram’s explore and have quickly become staples in my online shopping routine. These brands’ use of eye catching captions and more casual promotional posts featuring their customers and known influencers caused me to feel more connected to them as opposed to the more professional, perfect pictures displayed by larger brands. This marketing strategy, known as user-generated content or UGC, involves a brand taking posts from their customers to feature everyday styling of pieces on the brand’s Instagram. UGC is said to be five times more likely to draw the attention of new customers than brands that use non-UGC. By spending enough time liking, following and sharing posts from creators and brands that I’ve found myself loving, my explore page has continued to generate numerous posts that reflect exactly what I’m looking for.

Not only has the explorer page introduced me to fashion brands, but also style influencers who have been spot on in trend forecasting, giving me insight on what should be in my closet this season. Whether it was the monochromatic neutrals from Koleen Diaz (@koleendz) or the eclectic style of Alani Figueroa (@wuzg00d) that is sure to pick up in 2021, these influencers that have been featured on my explore page have one way or another helped me to shape and even expand my personal style.

Large corporations are not the only businesses to thrive on Instagram. With the explore page, there is no need to have paid advertisements and promotions, as those are often costly and fairly exclusive. In these fashion threads, smaller brands and stores are able to showcase their product without having to pay big money. For example, ÜNIKA SWIM, a custom-made and sustainable swimwear brand, found its way to my exploration this Summer and has become one of my absolute favorite brands when it comes to swimwear. Being able to discover smaller and sustainable brands that showcase all body-types, skin tones and ages is not something that is very prevalent in mainstream fashion promotions.

Whether your style is one of a modern day cowgirl, more minimalistic, or you just tend to follow whatever is on trend, the Instagram explore page is a hidden treasure filled with top-notch brands and fashion-forward influencers, you just have to know where to find them.

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