The Instagram accounts of designers who don't use Instagram

If there is something that Daniel Lee has taught us is that the relationship between the fashion world and social networks is not always as idyllic as we might think. If on the one hand a brand, but also a designer, lives in the continuous need to "sell" their work, on the other hand not everyone wants to constantly expose themselves in the public square of Instagram, thus causing a social contraction that very often ends up in empty feeds or in a fragmented communication that does not match with our voyeuristic hunger for silent and diligent study of the personal habits of our idols. It is also for this reason that for years now there have existed on Instagram what we could call "the accounts of designers who don't have an account", a modern evolution of fan clubs designed to fill the void left by all those personalities in the fashion world who are far from the social dimension. Some don't use them, others do so sporadically that they need a little help from those who, in many cases, just want to show their passion for the designer on duty.

This is the case of Demnagram, Gvasaliaga before the "name change" of the creative director of Balenciaga, the Instagram account that daily tells the work of Demna through interviews and other material in a constant chronicle of the work of the Georgian designer at Balenciaga. "There are several reasons why I decided to open this account," its creator told us. "First of all, I wanted to pay homage to what Demna is doing right now at Balenciaga. His vision for the brand is unprecedented. Demna and his era at Balenciaga have changed my perception of the fashion industry." The work of accounts like Demnagram goes far beyond gossip or paparazzi photos, but serves in many cases to open an otherwise closed door on the work of the designer in question. Something similar to what has been done by Philo Diary, a meeting place for all those nostalgic for Céline who hope for the return of the English designer, or What Miuccia wore, an account with over 34 thousand followers that scientifically analyzes the outfits of the head designer of Prada. When it's not about the designers, the Instagram accounts manage to take the place of those brands (few, of course) that decide to reset their social activity. This is the case of New Bottega, the historic Instagram profile now become "unofficial" for all fans of the brand now literally disappeared from social networks.

"Replacing is a big word," Demnagram's founder told us when talking about the possibility of seeing these pages as replacements for the official ones. "I don't see my page that way, but I think it has its own importance. It helps amplify Demna's voice to his fans, especially since Balenciaga's social strategy is different from other brands." The brand's Instagram account acts in an unusual way for what social communication is, often sharing posts without captioning and archiving those from older collections. "This is why Demnagram is important not only for the fans, but also for the brand," said its founder, revealing the reality of the facts, namely the dependence of a brand or a designer on a social dimension from which it is impossible to escape. If someone can be fascinated by an account made of elusive and hermetic posts, hiding is never the best strategy to reach the general public of buyers. But beyond sales, what fascinates us most about accounts like Demnagram, or Donda's Place to cite an example of the other "creative half" of the Yeezy/Balenciaga deal, is the possibility to spy on and follow a designer as if he were a celebrity in a bizarre meeting point where Miuccia Prada and Kim Kardashian have the same kind of social veneration.