What is fashion if not a constant examination of “What’s next?”
Our celebration of Influencers in Aotearoa wouldn’t be complete without a look at “Who’s next?”, including some of the faces who are beginning to permeate the all-too-often impenetrable wall of the Fashion Industry and make their mark with content and new ideas.
Aotearoa lacks many social media fashion superstars with 1 Million+ followers, so often the power of our local KOLs comes from a ‘strength in numbers’ approach. Especially with the below Up-and-Comers from our 2024 Power List, this mob-mentality benefits from small creators with extremely loyal fan bases who offer brands real and tangible ROI on their investments.
Read below about our pick of the six new faces setting a new standard for fashion & beauty content in 2024.
Connie Lang-Brown
IG @connielangbrown
Connie is a ray of sunshine and is another creator who brings energy and optimism to an industry that often thinks it’s cool to look sad. With a background in retail with young, willing and eager brands like Ruby and Caitlin Crisp, Connie brings a relaxed style to her fashion content, and always keeps it hyper-local. The daughter of another infamous Kiwi, chef Al Brown, Connie has her work cut out for her to surpass her Dad’s social media following, but we can’t wait to see her evolve and grow into another creative Kiwi force.
Dennise Palpal-latoc
IG @asianbellahadid
One could say that, unlike many of fashion’s incumbant leaders, these Up-and-Comers share the enviable characteristic of not taking themselves too seriously. No one could be more worthy of praise for this characteristic than Dennise Palpal-latoc (a.k.a @asianbellahadid), a young female fashion influencer who balances her regular social media content and event attendance with her studies in the field of Chemistry (if you’re really keen, you can read Dennise’s paper here entitled The Total Chemical Synthesis and Biological Evaluation of the Cationic Antimicrobial Peptides, Laterocidine and Brevicidine). Dennise is a quiet and chic guest at any event, and constantly over-delivers for brands when it comes to content. Her energy and enthusiasm is incredibly refreshing, balancing out some of the industry’s inherent cynicism.
Marco Stander
IG @marco.stander
Leading men in New Zealand are all-too-often related to sports or politics, so we’re blessed to have South Africa-born fashion creator Marco Stander gracing our shores.
With a background in retail management alongside full-time study, Marco is another creator who’s on the cusp of moving with more authority in New Zealand fashion. His Euro-chic sense of style mixed with confidence and kindness also makes him one of the most charming fashion influencers in our industry, so it’s easy to see why people want him to do well.
If you haven’t already checked out Marco on IG, add him to your Following list now!
Randy Sjafrie
IG @randysjafrie_
Only one of the most stylish men in New Zealand, you may know him best for gracing the airwaves at Mai FM. But we think he’s leading the next generation of fashion creators on social (he’s a self-confessed “radio guy that loves a bit of fashion”).
Whether he’s entertaining you on air, in the club (yup he’s a booked and busy DJ too), or online Randy always brings a infectious energy, entertainment and individual style to everything he does – and did we mention his envious Dr. Martens and vintage streetwear collection?
Sophie de Renzy
IG @sophiederenzy
2024 is Sophie’s second year on the Power List, and she has increased her value for brands over the last 12 months, seeing her once again make the cut in 2024. Sophie is another of the industry’s young slashies, balancing life as a part-time content creator with a role at The Diamond Shop, managing Marketing and Events under the guidance of Sera Cruickshank.
Sophie’s minimal aesthetic and penchant for a black & white portrait is a change from the all-too-hectic feeds of regular influencers – she instead opts for a ‘less is more’ brand image, and it seems to be working. Sophie has featured in brand collabs this year with the likes of Mi Piaci, adidas Taekwondo, Levi’s, Max, Bared Footwear, Status Anxiety, Karen Walker Eyewear and others.
Troi Atkins
IG @troiatkins
Walking for Zambesi at New Zealand Fashion Week and partnering with Puma would usually be aspirations achieved by Influencers far more established than Troi, but her fast rise as a creator has positioned her as someone with a unique image and real clout.
Having only amassed fewer than 3k followers on IG, Troi is a perfect example of a Micro Influencer. New Zealand is one of the few regions where a following this modest could garner real brand equity, but Troi is playing her cards right, continuing to show up both literally and figuratively for the industry.
Troi joins our Creators Power List for the first time in 2024 and we’re excited to see how she evolves in 2025!