Street style photography has undeniably become a popular genre within the fashion industry in recent years. The work of street style photographers has been praised for its ability to capture the unique styles seen on the streets and right outside major fashion shows around the world. 

In anticipation of Copenhagen Fashion Week, we decided to investigate the current state of street style and what makes it so popular amongst fashion enthusiasts and brands alike. We spoke to two street style photographers: Søren Jepsen from The Locals based in Copenhagen and Antoine De Almeida a French photographer based in Berlin, to get a deeper understanding of the industry and where it’s headed.

The history: Street style photography then

The shift: How did street style photography evolve?

As we are now living in the image-centric age of Instagram, the focus that used to be on everyday people has shifted. Today, the forefront of street style images are dominated by influencers, and fashion industry insiders. And the shots taken of this special crowd are most certainly as influential and valuable as those of the models on the catwalks. “[…] Street style photographers need to get pictures of certain influencers to fulfil their clients’ wishes. And those pictures tend to be the most popular with the photographers’ audience, too.” Søren says.

And as it turns out, the refreshing styles and spontaneity that street style photographs exude have also caught the eyes of many fashion magazines and brands. Collaborations between influencers, brands and street style photographers is a reality that keeps expanding. Antoine explains why: “I think people still enjoy watching the shows and seeing the new styles season after season. But it can get a bit monotone. I think street style opened a new door in terms of showing the world how you can combine styles and brands, and how to wear something in real life, which someone who’s never been to a fashion show can relate to much more easily.”

Søren agrees and further explains: “As the street style blogs got bigger, the publishing industry noted the appeal of those images. For readers and consumers, it is inspiring to see ‘real people’ wear cool clothes ‘out in the wild,’ so street style started to appear in some magazines. And as those magazines wanted more specific trends depicted, the photographers started attending fashion weeks.” 

The future: Where is street style photography heading? 


So, what now? Here’s what Søren and Antoine had to say about the new meaning of street style photography:

Søren: “By now, the term ‘street style’ has taken on a new meaning […] it doesn’t depict regular people anymore, but instead editors and influencers and members of the fashion industry that are dressing in a specific way because they know they will be photographed. Street style has become a big part of today’s aesthetic in the fashion industry, as big houses and retailers use the look for their lookbooks and advertisements.”

Antoine: “I deplore the fact that now it’s more used to sell a product rather than to promote style and diversity in fashion. Companies now understand the value of having their product in every street style picture and we can’t blame them for using it. But sending an influencer in a full look from a brand that they didn’t even choose or style themselves, is inauthentic. […] I trust some photographers share my views on the subject and will keep shooting ‘real’ styles. I try as much as I can to find authenticity, a true challenge in the fashion world…but it still exists!”

However, they both agree that the candid photography style is what still gives the most authentic appeal to the genre:

Antoine: “Street style is the opposite of shooting in a studio, with controlled lighting, a model posing, etc… I love the authenticity, the rush, the constant adaptation to weather conditions and light.”

Søren: “Street style started as something authentic, it still has some of that feel to it even though situations might be staged, or at least more planned than before. A lot of it is in the technical details: pictures taken outside, in natural light, will always look more authentic than those shot in a studio.”

The meaning of authenticity in Street Style photography may have shifted but it remains one of the most popular means of showcasing diverse fashion styles in our digital era.

You can find Søren Jepsen’s upcoming schedule on thelocals.dk. Antoine De Almeida is currently focusing on architecture photography and his career in fashion buying but will be attending Paris Men’s Fashion Week in January 2020.

Meet the Experts


@thelocals

Søren Jepsen is currently working as a full-time photographer across the globe and is a resident street style photographer for many international Vogue editions. His line of work also includes shooting fashion editorials for various other publications, brands and clients. 

@antoine.dealmeida

Antoine De Almeida is a French photographer based in Berlin. His interest in street style photography first sparked through skateboarding, streetwear and sneaker culture. Antoine currently enjoys attending fashion weeks as a side gig while combining it with his main career in fashion buying. 

Ines is the French Fashion and Design Researcher at VOCAST. After spending most of her life on the beautiful African continent she has chosen Copenhagen as her home-base. A self proclaimed “beauty addict”, she previously worked in the beauty industry and is now exploring her passion for digital marketing, fashion PR and design. 

Find your future street style photographer using our Contact Network. Our international team of curators handpick relevant photographers within the fashion sphere. As a result, our brands are provided with the concrete lists that match their needs. Why not expand your contact network? Read more here.

Forget about Scandinavia – at least for the moment. The Benelux (an aggregation of the first letters of Belgium, The Netherlands, and Luxembourg) is an area good for 29 (1) million people, five languages and a long, partly shared heritage. The Benelux is in 12.5 times smaller than Scandinavia but has 8 million more inhabitants, making it a compact and diverse market worth considering for your next media venture. Curious as to how you can collaborate best with these social media influencers? Search no more! We’ve got all the insight and more when you continue reading below.

For starters, leave the word Benelux out

Talking aesthetics, Benelux versus Scandinavia

When thinking of the hash tags #scandichic, #scandiliving or #gannigirls, most of us already have a great picture in our head as to what constitutes the Scandinavian aesthetic, both in interior and fashion. The Benelux, on the other hand, cannot be described aesthetically with the same ease.

In Belgium, for example, Julie explains that people “are quite conservative and need to see a trend on opinion leaders first, to see how they combine it with their style. Whereas Scandi girls are much more experimental and daring.” According to Hanneke, “Scandinavia is a bit ahead of Benelux. That’s why I love Scandinavian brands so much. Mostly very sophisticated. And fashion wise it’s the combination of  minimal and clean, with bright colours and prints, very Scandinavian and very cool.”

Influencer marketing in the three countries


Each country has its own influencer marketing demands and peculiarities. What are the differences within the Benelux and what is helpful to know for collaborations? Below you will find a short comparison between fashion & lifestyle Instagram influencers in Belgium, Luxembourg and The Netherlands. 



• Starting off with Belgium, it is the second most engaged market of all three countries. The average fashion & lifestyle Instagram influencer in Belgium has 11.413 followers with a 7% engagement rate, and (3) covering a total of 23 categories. (4)


• Luxembourg is the smallest and least engaged market of all three. The average fashion & lifestyle Instagram influencer in Luxembourg has 9,574 followers and 6% engagement.(5) Luxembourgian influencers cover a total of 9 categories.(6)


• Lastly, The Netherlands has the largest and most engaged media market. 13,390 (7) followers are the average number of followers for fashion & lifestyle influencers in the Netherlands, with an engagement of 8%, (8) covering 30 categories.

Benelux historical facts

The Benelux is often used to describe The Netherlands, Belgium and Luxembourg both geographically as well as for efficiency. It is also an intergovernmental partnership between the three countries. The Benelux was established in 1944 during the Second World War as a customs union. In 1958 the customs union resulted in the Benelux Economic Union, which entailed a broadening and deepening of the economic cooperation. A new Benelux Treaty was signed on June 17, 2008. From then on, cooperation will focus on three core themes: internal market & economic union, sustainable development and justice & home affairs. (9)

Meet the Experts


@acausedesbrunettes



Self-proclaimed ‘fashion-enthusiast’, Julie Geilenkirchen is the face behind the blog A Cause des Brunettes. She started the blog at 19 years old during her bachelor’s degree in communication and continued her education with a master’s in strategic communication. Today, Julie works as a PR Consultant at Coopr alongside blogging.

@hanneketsujimaru

With a clear signature style, visual addict Hanneke approaches both fashion and interior design as identifiable. Whether is be renovation sneak peeks of her dream house, style-shots, her sons, or her beautiful travels, everything she captures has the same eye for detail and style.

Kelly is the Dutch Curator at VOCAST. During her internship in Copenhagen, she fell in love with Denmark and decided to establish herself here. With a background in Fashion Design, she is taking a slight d-tour at VOCAST learning the PR side of fashion. Reach out to Kelly at kelly@vocast.com.



Our Dutch Researcher has build an e-mail list and handpicked influencers, with the most relevant within the fashion and design spheres in Luxembourg, The Netherland and Belgium. Including Hanneke and Julie from this article. Why not take a step towards the Benelux market with your marketing strategy? Read more about our Influencer Network here.

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In anticipation of one of Denmark’s biggest design events, 3 Days of Design, we at VOCAST have dug deeper into the world of interior design.

Today it seems people are striving towards a cleaner, less cluttered way of living and while consumerism is kicking the bucket, minimalism is stepping into its shoes.

Curious and driven by our Scandinavian roots, we set out to discover more about what makes an interior minimalistic. To help you navigate the field, we spoke with three minimalists from three separate countries who help define minimalism within their own markets.

What is Minimalism?

Minimalism across the markets 

However, as a minimalistic brand it might be hard to know what to look for when devouring new markets. Who’s to say that minimalism looks the same wherever you go?

“Minimalism as a trend differs from person to person. Some people are into minimalism because it is stylish and not because they embrace the philosophy behind it. Of course, minimalism also appeals to some french design companies as their furniture can adapt to anyone, and fit in with more people,” Yasmina says.

”In Scandinavia, though, I think most people refer minimalism to mostly architecture and design. Scandinavian minimalism is usually seen as something modern and progressive, and is still very much influenced by Danish design,” Fredrik means.

”The minimalistic key ’less is more’ in Scandinavian countries is not generally the case in other markets. It’s imperative to look at the history of design over the years as well” Willow explains.   

”In America, the basis of design came from its colonial days, with a strong traditional influence from England. You see this in the pillar-like architecture of homes, the dark brown hues and tones, the ornamental furniture and so on! So a ”minimal” home in Los Angeles is going to differ greatly from that in a Nordic country, Denmark, for instance. Although you will still find elements in the design styles, just in another variation.”
   

How will Minimalism Evolve in the Future?

As our minimalistic insiders have explained; minimalism is more than a mere trend, but rather a philosophy and way of life. Perhaps this is a result of the ongoing environmental crisis, and people seeking to simplify their lives. But there is another aspect to minimalism; the look of it.

Willow describes how the traditional sense of minimalism, with its stark white walls and charcoal grayscale furniture pieces, is subject to change. At least visually.

”If fast forward to today, we are seeing warm beiges, taupes, and muted grays. The colors may change, decor pieces may evolve, but the root of the minimalistic ’less is more’ approach remains the same.”

”I think people nowadays have taken a step further in their minimalistic decorating, by adding more objects and mixing in colors and materials to add a warmer feeling. A ’traditional’ minimalistic home can look a little empty and cold, but by adding some warm colors you can add more personality,” Fredrik explains.

”When living somehow got complicated, it was refreshing to think of coming home to a minimal and simple interior.”

”Today I do see people minimizing their lifestyles; decluttering their homes, attempting to live more simply and so on. I’d hope that more and more will catch on to this ’trend’ of living. It’s quite liberating, to say the least,” says Willow.

”Minimalism can be a more than a trend and is for me a way of life. I sincerely hope that more people will embrace this trend of ridding themselves of things not necessary around us,” Yasmina says.

Minimalism is not only a style but a mindset that is not only exclusive to one market or one walk of life. Minimalism is ever changing and will continue to follow us throughout the future of design innovations and help inspire us as humans to live a simpler life.
     

Psst? Make sure you don’t miss out on Denmark’s Annual Design Event 3 days of Design. Find out more about the event, and how it could benefit your brand here!

VOCAST’s Swedish Curator Linnea Litsberger grew up in Shanghai, but is now based in slightly smaller Malmö. With a BA in Strategic Communication, Linnea divides her time between her great passion for communication and expression, modern dance and her little Westie.

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Asia is a vastly diverse continent full of supreme trendsetters that consistently push style boundaries and aren’t afraid to step out in extravagant, fresh off-the-runway looks. As the biggest social media market in the world, we recommend that you don’t miss out on working with Asian influencers and bloggers in your next brand collaboration. Join us in this blogpost for a sneak-peak into the world of Asian influencers. 

Asia: The largest social media market

Do crazy rich Asians = crazy huge impact?

Each country in Asia has its own approach to influencer marketing and relationship building between the influencer and the consumer. What are these differences when it come to SoMe behavior? We took a closer look.

✔ A study in Vietnam showed that 50 percent of users are influenced by the fashion choices of influencers. Even more, 60 percent are ready to learn from their life experiences.

✔ In China, influencers are referred to as Key Opinion Leaders (KOL’s) and are known to have a deep bond with their followers. As a result, they share intimate parts of their life online frequenting Chinese social media platforms such as Weibo and Wechat. Weibo alone has 431 million active monthly users. So, before you think a Chinese influencer is Micro on platforms like Instagram, be sure to check their Weibo account.

✔ If you’ve seen the movie Crazy Rich Asians you know all too well that Singapore is home to the elite influencers of the world, who post their uber-luxurious lifestyles to millions of followers.

✔ In Thailand, Facebook is certainly the primary social media platform of choice, with 70 percent of the population having a Facebook account.

Why social media marketing in Asia is important for Scandinavian brands

Q&A With Asian Influencers

Originally from Chicago, VOCAST’s International Researcher, Agnes, is happy to call Copenhagen her home. When not curating lists or writing content, Agnes can be found socializing around town, completing her Master’s in International Business Communication or also attempting to operate her miniature sewing machine.

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For the last couple of years, social media influencers have held the spotlight.
Some say that these achingly cool, influential people hold more power than celebrities – at least when it comes to social media marketing. Today, influencer marketing is an established and preferred strategy when it comes to social media. We reached out to menswear brand, NN07 and men’s fashion influencer, Aaron Wester to dig a little deeper.

So, Where are all the Male Influencers?

The industry has, for the most part, an unbalanced proportion of women in relation to men.

However, this now seems to be changing. According to statista.com,as of January 2019, male users exceed female users by 1% in several age categories. Suddenly, men’s fashion influencers are popping up and promoting their favorite men’s fashion, sharing their personal style and expressing themselves via their platform.

It’s hard to say why this sudden surge of male influencers on the fashion scene. Perhaps parallels can be drawn between current societal trends and growing acceptance. But one thing is clear – the more inclusive the influencer trade becomes, the more room for diversity there seems to be.

The male influencer market is still small enough to be considered niche, and sometimes you need a little inspiration on how to make it work for your brand. To help out, we have asked NN07, a men’s fashion brand, and the New York-based influencer Aaron Wester, more commonly known as the Modern Otter, to give us some valuable insight into what brands and influencers look for in each other to spark those magic collaborations.

The Importance of Authenticity, according to NN07

In Copenhagen, the menswear brand NN07, has built their brand around the Japanese concept of focusing on details. They identify with the idea of having no nationality and find inspiration within all cultures.

We had the privilege of speaking with Andreas Herring, the head of marketing at NN07, and enjoyed picking his brain on the influencer marketing world. For Andreas and NN07, influencer marketing needs to feel genuinely authentic to be interesting.

“When the influencer thing started, it was another way to reach the customer in a more authentic way. Because you know there’s a real person sharing their real life,” Andreas says, “But now influencers are being pushed in a more corporate direction. Maybe then the authenticity is lost.”

NN07 strive for realness in all aspects of their brand, from street casting models for campaigns to traveling the world in search of inspiration. That same mindset affects the way they work with influencers.

“When we work with influencers we have a rule that we want to work with creative, inspiring men. We want them to want to work with us as well. So when we do those kinds of collaborations, it’s all about finding someone who likes what we do enough to want to shoot some photos themselves, so it feels authentic. We want to make it as open of a conversation as possible.”

‘Authenticity’ is key for Andreas. “The influencer industry can be very closed around itself. Influencers are maybe friends within the same circle because they see themselves as small individual brands. And that’s where it gets unreal, and the love is gone,” he says and continues, “Sometimes we forget to think about the reality, that there is a guy out there that should be inspired. That’s important.”

The importance for how authenticity resonates and the social space for the influencer is a point to be seen – a sense of authentic freedom. How come male influencers are only just now making themselves known?

“There’s definitively culture differences that play a part in how male influencers are seen,” Andreas says, on the topic of a boom in the male influencer market.

“Maybe some thought that it was a bit uncool to stand out as much as a male influencer in the southern parts of Europe and the US as in Scandinavia. And maybe male influencers had a harder time and experienced a sort of mockery that female influencers didn’t suffer through in the same way. But now people are getting more used to it, so it’s more accepted, and many male influencers thrive.”

Aaron Wester, also known as The Modern Otter, is a New York-based influencer.

So, if you’re on the other side then?

We spoke with New York-based influencer, Aaron Wester,  a visual storyteller with a background in theatre and costume design. With almost fifty-thousand followers on Instagram alone, Aaron uses his channels as creative outlets.

On the subject of a male influencer market on the rise, Aaron points out how influencers are viewed as trusted advisors. Their recommendations come across as more substantive than traditional marketing:

“I do think the male influencer market is on the rise. More and more men are interested in fashion, home decor and taking care of their bodies. Men look to their peers for advice on how to elevate their routine,” Aaron says and continues, “So when a follower sees an influencer they trust talk about a product, it creates a personal connection with that brand.”

However, it seems that the male influencer market operates independently from the female segment.

”We operate pretty independent within the PR world. I would say there are fewer of us, so in that respect, we are a bit of a niche market.”

As an influencer, there’s a fine line to balance between staying true to your own brand and appealing to other brands.

“Authenticity is vital. Followers will call you out if you do something they believe isn’t authentic. It’s easy to lose people’s trust, so you have to establish your boundaries and stick to them,” Aaron says.

“I find the most effective campaigns are the ones where the brand and the influencer identify the areas where their aesthetics overlap. We aren’t models but stylists and advisors. So our readers expect us to put our own spin on the products we’re promoting. It can still be true to the brand’s vision and evolve out of the collaboration process without sacrificing either one’s brand.”

Authenticity is a key theme seen from both perspectives.

As a brand, you search for pieces of your brand essence in the people you wish to use your products. Whereas as an influencer, you look for pieces of yourself in the brand. Bearing this in mind, we understand the importance of there being a diverse representation of influencers in the industry. Consumers should find bits and pieces of themselves in both brands and influencers. With male influencers on the rise, men’s fashion brands will thrive and reach new markets.

VOCAST’s Swedish Curator Linnea Litsberger grew up in Shanghai, but is now based in slightly smaller Malmö. With a BA in Strategic Communication, Linnea divides her time between her great passion for communication and expression, modern dance and her little Westie.

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