Kendall.

            The youngest daughter of Kris & Caitlyn Jenner, Kendall Jenner made her international television debut in 2007 at the age of 10 on the family’s reality mega-series, Keeping Up With The Kardashians. Broadcast in 160 countries across the globe, the aspiring model grew up in front of the world. Jenner was signed by famed Willhelmina Models by age 14, was featured in Teen Vogue two years later and made her professional runway debut at Mercedes-Benz New York Fashion week by 2011.  Ranked as the most popular model on social media in 2018, as one of the most beautiful people in the world by People Magazine in 2014 and ranked by FORBES as the highest paid model in history in 2017 & 2018, there’s no doubt surrounding Kendall’s beauty. However, is her beauty alone worth the premium price luxury labels are shelling out for her? If so, to what end?

In the crowded and competitive fashion industry, luxury labels that have relied on their heritage, customer loyalty, and network effects for decades are now, more than ever, facing increasing competition for market share in a shifting landscape. While models-turned-celebrity or celebrity-turned-models are no stranger to the runways, never before have they come with such a strategically and measured fan-base as the likes of Kendall Jenner. Highly contested for during every fashion week, Kendall participated in over thirty-five shows in the first five years of her career alone. She has been a regular figure on the runways of Givenchy, Oscar de la Renta, Fendi, Diane von Furstenberg, Chanel, Marc Jacobs, and Dolce & Gabbana for years, often closing out their shows. At the age of 22, Jenner earned a total of $22 million for her work as a model. Her premium price might be considered ludicrous if being paid for her beauty alone. Yet, her built-in audience of over 119 million Instagram followers would suggest it is not just her beauty but instead, a combination of iconography and a targeted audience of impressionable millennials with current and future buying power, ripe for being influenced.

Women have always looked to female icons and celebrated personalities for tips and inspiration. Kendall has taken her influence to an entirely different level, leveraging her followers, turning them into customers, and taking her profits to the bank. With that kind of power, who can compete or deny a superstar who’s sharing her unique thoughts about products with millions of potential customers? After numerous collaborations with the young model and entrepreneur, Calvin Klein certainly could not. According to Phillips-Van Heusen Corporation, the parent company of Calvin Klein, their collaboration proved to be a profitable one given a well correlated 13% increase in Net Sales.  

Vogue has seen first-hand the ripple effect of Jenner’s influence. “[Her] adeptness at connecting with Millennials online has given her access to a large demographic market, with the ability to segment her fanbase and find ideal clients. Kendal's fashion choices can have massive impact, as seen by now cult fashion brand Rat & Boa who saw an enormous boost to sales when Jenner wore a pair of their shorts at the Coachella festival.” Kendall Jenner’s value goes far beyond the dynamic physical beauty she brings to the runway. Her greatest value is as an extremely strategic social media marketing tool that yields associated brands a targeted audience who responds at her ready.