Italians have well and truly embraced social media: every day a large portion of the country’s population spends hours on Instagram, WhatsApp, TikTok and Facebook. Many are attracted to the profiles of so-called 'influencers'.
But who are the biggest Italian influencers? Here are some names that you may or may not have heard: Mariano Di Vaio, Beatrice Valli and Chiara Biasi.
However, the biggest Italian influencer is undoubtedly Chiara Ferragni ― a globally recognised model, blogger and entrepreneur.
She has 28 million followers worldwide ― avid fans of her social media pages and her bilingual blog The Blonde Salad, which she founded in 2009.
Born in Cremona, Italy, she began her career as a model at the age of sixteen, deciding to quit after two years to focus on other aspirations.
Her eye for style and clever use of blogging platforms helped attract the attention of the high fashion world.
In 2015, she was named 'Blogger of the Year', and was also used as an example by Harvard Business School for the way she has been able to monetise her online presence.
In 2017, she had 10 million Instagram followers.
There is an old saying ― success attracts success: Chiara Ferragni is a perfect example.
She has created an empire on the Internet and in the real world by using her name to create an enticing fashion brand that sells shoes, clothes and other products.
Three-quarters of her followers are in Europe, mostly in Italy, but also in France and Spain. The rest of her followers are in Asia and the United States.
Ferragni moved to Los Angeles in 2013 to learn English, before returning to Milan in 2016.
This is why she so deftly mixes her Italian with English to create headlines such as: ‘Quali sono i miei best look?’ Or, ‘Bella Hadid infiamma le settimane della moda around the world’.
Chiara Ferragni is not only relying on business acumen and fashion sense to attract public attention.
There is a veritable 'Ferragni empire' that continues to expand.
She also promotes her family and private life: she has made her sisters Valentina and Francesca famous, as well as her mother, Marina. Between them, they have millions of followers.
Then of course, there is her husband, Fedez, the superstar rapper with a string of hits in Italy.
They are so famous and well-known together that they even have their own hashtag ‘#Ferragnez’ on Instagram.
Their three-day wedding in Sicily was followed by millions of people in Italy and elsewhere.
But in the end, will all this fame last? What will happen to Chiara Ferragni?
Who knows? For the moment, the world is her oyster.
