The Fashion Reels on Instagram: The Trend of the Invisible Transition

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As Instagram makes a significant turn in its history, with a focus on videos, content creators are blooming many new trends. Especially playing with video effects, transitions are particularly appreciated and worked on, especially in relation to fashion. Do you dream of changing outfits in 1 second? They do it through fashion reels posted on Instagram! Discover a trend with a cute spirit!

The Power of Fashion Reels on Instagram

Reels on Insta, the new means of creation

Social networks are in constant evolution, in order to ride the trends and stand out from competitors. And this even if it means changing their A.D.N.

Originally designed for sharing spontaneous photos, Instagram has gradually “professionalized” itself. By adjusting its algorithms, the platform has given more importance and visibility to quality content. As a result, we have seen many trends emerge in recent years, centered around creating aesthetics that speak to niche targets, like the Parisian style. Indeed, Instagram is now predominantly used as a powerful communication and marketing tool, to build an audience and grow it to aim for financial returns. And for this system to be sustainable, one must know how to seize trends and handle them perfectly.

Recently, Adam Mosseri revealed the new challenges for Instagram, particularly the importance that will be given, more than ever, to video content. Following this announcement, we have noticed, without great surprise, a shift in the content of creators, who have turned to video creation to maintain their visibility and audience. After allowing creators to express themselves through IGTV, which consisted of simple videos exceeding the 1-minute maximum of the feed, Instagram popularized the use of reels, encouraging greater creativity and competing with TikTok.

Fashion Filmed in 9/16

This new format has allowed creators’ imaginations to generate new trends in video creation, particularly in their editing. To make these videos much more dynamic, innovative, and catchy (which attracts views), creators have notably started to work on transitions. And these transitions have flooded a particularly niche audience: fashion.

Indeed, fashion reels have become some of the most present and fruitful on the network. And for good reason, creators already immersed in the fashion world have transposed their content into fashion reels, and alongside them, new faces have appeared who have embraced the game of outfit transitions posted in reels. With Instagram’s new strategies, creators in this niche have found a new way to express themselves and transport their photo look books into fashion reels displaying thousands or even millions of views. And the returns encourage them to continue.

Challenging creators and their imagination, the use of transitions in their fashion reels serves to show different outfits, with various locations as the backdrop. With the main idea: to make the transition disappear. Yes, this is where the challenge lies. We forget the simple cut edit between two outfits; here we play with movements and postures to create a wow factor with outfits that change as if by magic thanks to invisible transitions. Jumping or not in the city, arm movements, leg movements, head turns, accessories… Everything is good to hide a transition and switch from a work look to an evening look in a split second.

Playing on the element of surprise, these fashion reels accumulate numerous views and allow accounts to be propelled just as quickly as the transitions in their reels. Like Leeloo, @dressingleeloo on Instagram with 176,000 followers, and Marta Sierra @marta_sierra on Instagram with 1.1 million followers, to name just two. We have seen a real change in Leeloo’s content recently, who, alongside her partner, both working in audiovisual production, are now primarily challenging themselves with this type of content, always trying to bring in variations to fuel their creativity.

With their creativity constantly challenged to stand out, these creators push transitions and editing effects further to let their imagination shine. Doubling and multiplying silhouettes are now added to outfit and backdrop changes.

Linked to trendy music to be more easily visible, it’s a clever mix of creativity and strategy that hides behind these fashion reels.

Accounts like that of Marta Sierra stand out notably for the quality of her fashion reels, but also for their tone. Her very pop looks and “overacting” attitude have allowed her to truly distinguish herself, to the point of receiving the Award Premios Idolo in March, recognizing the best fashion content creator, and having fashion reels attracting an average of a million views, one of which has over 11 million.

Fashion Reels, the New Fashion Show for Brands?

The strong point of these fashion reels, as opposed to photo look books, is to show looks being worn, from different angles, and especially in motion. This not only adds a very dynamic aspect to the video but also provides a precise and concrete image of what the look can look like once worn.

Moreover, these videos can showcase, like Leeloo’s content, both women’s, men’s, and children’s looks. These fashion reels also offer several combinations of pieces to inspire potential clients of the highlighted brands. And also couples’ outfit pairings.

These fashion reels can also present viewers with “daring” outfits due to their cuts, colors, etc. And allow people to create looks that are a bit different from their usual habits. Additionally, they can introduce brands to an audience that may not have considered purchasing from them.

Indeed, brands have understood that these fashion reels are an incredible marketing tool for them. Having a showcase on Instagram today is even more powerful than a storefront on 5th Avenue! Creators with a strong community enable brands to reach people who may not necessarily be part of their own target audience. By being worn by trend-following creators, their pieces shine in a different way, and new targets are “influenced”; this is where the term takes on its meaning, as they are encouraged to purchase outfits featured in the fashion reels after seeing them worn.

These fashion reels are thus new trend accelerators and can both showcase how to wear overalls and highlight beach bags that will be in vogue soon.

Thus, we now see many fashion reels created in partnership with brands or fashion groups. Taking Leeloo as an example, we’ve discovered various creative partnerships with brands like Karl Lagerfeld, American Vintage, Tara Jarmon, Calzedonia, as well as major retailers linked to ready-to-wear like Galeries Lafayette or Le Bon Marché Rive Gauche.

It’s thus a way for brands to propose runway shows in a different format through fashion reels.

What Do We Think?

From our perspective, our opinion is in two parts, much like the Parisian style. We enjoy discovering new outfit ideas and fashion trends. Seeing a piece of clothing worn and in motion truly reassures before making a purchase, and even highlights a piece that might not have captivated us on a hanger.

Regarding the format itself, we love its dynamic and creative aspect, which makes the presentation of looks more appealing. With situational setups in different backdrops and varied transitions, there’s a playful and surprising element that keeps us engaged with the content.

However, like any trend, we often find the same effects repeated, and although the outfits change, we can experience a sense of déjà vu, thus reducing the element of surprise regarding the format. That’s why we appreciate when creators challenge themselves and add a little extra that sets them apart!