Royals are the new fashion influencers

The most important influencers of the year are the members of the royal families. This is revealed in the Lyst Royal Fashion Report 2020 which, based on a new algorithm considering their social posts and media appearances, analyzed their impact on fashion research and sales from January onwards. Certainly not news. Just think about Lady Diana who, many years after her death, continues to be a beloved fashion icon or Kate Middleton. Everything she wears becomes sold out in a second. The "Kate effect" hit again last June when the most popular among the British new royals chose a simple flower dress for a charity event. Within a few hours the number of people who typed on Google "Faithfull the brand" and "Catherine Duchess of Cambridge" was so high to crown that wrap dress the most sought-after dress of 2020. The price? 203 euros. Slightly less than Charo Ruiz's white cotton dress worn by Letizia of Spain during her visit to Ibiza that with its boho style has increased the searches of the brand by 353%. 

Once left behind diadems and dream dresses, contemporary ladies prefer a wardrobe similar to that of other women. Due to pandemic and lockdown, never as this year, the role of royalty changed so much.  Many ceremonials and protocols have been modified to adapt to the times, so much so that Queen Mathilde of Belgium has become highly skilled at matching masks to her looks and even Elizabeth II has adapted by speaking to the people on Zoom. What remained almost intact was their ability to influence consumption and fashion research. Some examples? The green outfit of the English monarch has increased the research of this color by 52%, as well as those for the yellow perfecto worn by Charlene of Monaco for the opening of the Tour de France, for the fuchsia blouse with white polka dots of Off-White published by Rania of Jordan on her Instagram account or for the striped top of the JoosTricot brand with which Kate Middledon appeared on a BBC show.

Color, low-cost and sustainability are the new keywords entering the royals vocabulary. If Victoria of Sweden opted for an H&M dress for her tenth wedding anniversary (increasing by 57% the research dedicated to the giant's dresses), Letizia of Spain is the best at matching couture and low-cost pieces. The interest in Zara's dresses has jumped dramatically after she wore one paid less than 20 euros in June. Princess Beatrice of York, instead, gave us the best example of circular fashion by borrowing a dress from her grandmother, Queen Elizabeth II, for her wedding with Edoardo Mapelli Mozzi.  In the next 48 hours, the research on Lyst for "vintage wedding dresses" increased by 297%. 

Lyst's report also reveals the names of royalties with the highest number of followers. The first place, with over 10 million followers, goes to the Prince of Dubai Hamdan Al Maktum (Fazza), followed by Rania of Jordan, always considered an icon of style, and Princess Maria-Olympia of Greece. Among the most popular of Instagram are also Princess Keisha Omilana of Nigeria with her daughter Adediora "Dior" and Lady Amelia Windsor who, with her 85 thousand followers, has also won the attention of Dolce & Gabbana. One of her favorite jewelry brands is the British brand Missoma and, after wearing one of their pieces in April, global research on Lyst immediately increased by 34%.