Fashion Nova: How Influencer Marketing Built A Billion-Dollar Brand

Fashion Nova leveraged influencer marketing to become a billion dollar empire—shaping the way we shop, style, and connect in the digital age. Its meteoric rise from a LA boutique to a fashion empire lies in its combination of current, affordable size-inclusive designs and a dedicated community of 25 million followers on Instagram. The e-retailer is redefining fast fashion—one look, one post, and one hashtag at a time.

Fashion Nova provides the newest styles at affordable prices with a dedicated social media following to match. The brand continues to cater to diverse body types that are largely ignored by retailers who stock limited sizes and silhouettes. Over the last decade, Fashion Nova has become a household name, with over 25 million followers across social media. 'We stay ahead of the fashion curve and the competition by engaging with our community every day…'

The Rise of Fashion Nova

Founded in 2006, Fashion Nova was privately owned and operated by CEO Richard Saghian, who envisioned a fashion brand that would offer on-trend, size-inclusive womenswear at affordable prices. With a strong business acumen, Saghian identified a missing segment of the womenswear market and quickly brought glamorous club-wear and jeans to the forefront of the affordable, size-inclusive fashion segment.

Initially, Fashion Nova operated as a chain of five brick-and-mortar stores in Southern California and quickly attracted a loyal following for its stylish, size-friendly designs. The next step was leveraging Instagram as a platform to connect and relate to customers. 'We've revolutionised fashion by making our customers part of the conversation from concept to delivery. We stay ahead of the fashion curve and the competition by engaging with our community every day to ensure we deliver what they need', said Saghian.

Recognising the potential of e-commerce, Saghian transitioned Fashion Nova into an online retail platform in 2013. This strategic shift allowed the brand to reach a broader consumer base of men, women and kids worldwide. What truly set Fashion Nova apart was its ability to replicate the latest runway trends and celebrity styles at a fraction of the cost, earning it the nickname 'Instagram's favourite brand.'

Per Forbes, 'He wanted to take fast fashion and make it even faster, so he tasked manufacturers in his backyard of Los Angeles with quickly stitching together clothing. Rather than opening and stocking stores, he went straight online with new styles and asked celebrities and influencers to post photos wearing the clothing on social media. In 2018, Fashion Nova was the most Googled fashion brand, beating out the likes of Louis Vuitton, Versace and Gucci.'

Influencer Marketing: The Core of Fashion Nova's Growth

Influencer marketing involves partnering with individuals who have a strong online presence and a dedicated following to promote products or brands. In the fashion retail space, fashion bloggers, stylists or celebrities use Instagram, TikTok, and YouTube to showcase products to their audiences. By leveraging the influencer's credibility and reach, brands engage with target consumers in an authentic manner, driving awareness, engagement and sales. This form of marketing works well in fashion due to the visual nature of the industry and the influence of personal style and recommendations.

Fashion Nova's marketing strategy heavily relies on influencer collaborations. While fashion brands spend millions on photoshoots and celebrity campaigns, Fashion Nova built their empire through a brilliant strategy— the company partnered with thousands of micro and macro influencers on Instagram, TikTok, and YouTube worldwide to post photographs wearing Fashion Nova pieces, creating a stream of fresh, authentic content that the brand repurposes across their website, social media, advertisements and email campaigns. This approach saved them millions in marketing costs and created social proof and customer engagement.

'We've built a strong rapport with a diverse group of individuals, all of whom embody and represent our brand. Each one of our Fashion Nova Partners engage the market with their one-of-a-kind personalities. You'll find them getting millions of likes on the 'Gram, dancing to their own rhythm on TikTok, and styling their favourite Fashion Nova 'fits to perfection' on YouTube. They push boundaries, challenge style norms, and are leaders in the world of fashion', per the website.

Fashion Nova has also collaborated with celebrities to enhance its appeal. Rapper Cardi B partnered with the brand in 2018 to launch 'Cardi B x Fashion Nova' collection, which reportedly sold out within minutes of its release and generated massive revenue. Cardi B's influence played a pivotal role, as her fanbase eagerly embraced the affordable, stylish and size-inclusive collection, making it one of the most successful celebrity collaborations in recent history.

Kylie Jenner's posts featuring Fashion Nova pieces significantly boosted sales. The most notable instance was when she wore a body-hugging Fashion Nova dress in a post shared with 180 million Instagram followers in 2018. The post got three million likes and led to a surge in traffic on the brand's website. Fashion Nova capitalised on this by creating exclusive collections with Jenner and in 2019, it was reported that the collaboration helped Fashion Nova reach an estimated $1 billion in annual sales!

Fashion Nova X Megan The Stallion

Influencers like Ariana Grande and Sofia Richie also played a pivotal role in increasing Fashion Nova's followers on social media. Ariana Grande frequently showcased Fashion Nova looks in her posts, particularly during her "Sweetener" album era, which introduced the fashion brand to her followers. Similarly, Sofia Richie became one of Fashion Nova's key ambassadors, regularly posting photographs wearing the brand's stylish, affordable pieces. Their authentic promotion helped Fashion Nova cultivate a loyal fanbase and establish itself as a go-to fashion brand for everyday, affordable glamour for everyone.

Per BoF: 'Fashion Nova has perfected the art of instant gratification for a very specific customer: young women, often minorities, who live on Instagram, know their angles and take their style cues from celebrities like the Kardashians and Jenners rather than fashion magazines or designer runways… Once hooked, customers often become evangelists.'

Hashtag Taxonomy And Tik Tok Challenges

A key component of this strategy was the brand's structured hashtag taxonomy. Hashtags like #NovaSwim, #NovaCurve and #NovaBeauty segmented content into specific product categories, making it easier for consumers to discover and shop items that matched their interests. These hashtags serve as organised community spaces on platforms such as Instagram, where influencers and customers shared content related to swimwear, plus-size fashion, and beauty products, respectively. For instance, the #NovaSwim hashtag showcases swimwear styles, including the "Nova Swim Waterproof Bikini Swim Bag". Similarly, #NovaCurve highlights stylish plus-size apparel, such as the "Green With Envy Satin Jumpsuit".

The implementation of these structured hashtags streamlined content discovery and fostered a sense of community among consumers. By encouraging users to use specific hashtags, Fashion Nova cultivated a repository of user-generated content that serves as authentic social proof, influencing purchasing decisions and enhancing brand credibility. This approach aligns with the brand's marketing strategy, which leverages influencer collaborations and social media engagement to drive brand awareness and customer loyalty. The consistent use of these hashtags across platforms has also contributed to Fashion Nova's strong online presence, with the brand maintaining a high level of engagement through daily posts.

Fashion Nova has also effectively harnessed TikTok's dynamic, trend-driven culture to amplify its brand presence and engage with Gen Z audiences. The #NovaBabe challenge exemplifies this strategy, encouraging users to showcase their Fashion Nova outfits, fostering a sense of community and inclusivity. This user-generated content promotes the brand organically and aligns with TikTok culture of rapid trend cycles and viral challenges. By tapping into this ecosystem, Fashion Nova has maintained relevance and visibility among its target demographic.

Stellar Financial Results

Fashion Nova's success story underscores the pivotal role of influencer marketing in modern retail. By embracing both celebrity endorsements and grassroots influencer collaborations, the brand has created a dynamic, scalable marketing model that continues to influence the fashion industry's approach to consumer engagement. 

In fact, the brand's commitment to size inclusivity and affordable prices, its ability to introduce new styles rapidly—a thousand new designs each week—and its extensive influencer network work together to strengthen its market position. In 2024, the company generated an estimated revenue revenue of $1.011 billion with projections indicating a 0–5% increase in 2025.

Fashion Nova