Text: Dariga Masenova INFLUENTIAL AND AUTHORITATED PEOPLE IN SOCIAL NETWORKS, SO CALLED INFLUENERS, DO NOT NEED INFORMATION. THEY ARE CREATING NEWS AND ARE TRENDERS.
The category of people who are higher than any press, fashion blogger and even "celebrity" is called influencers - from the English word influence, which means "influence". There are several basic criteria by which such a person can be identified: commercial and financial success, reputation, quality of contacts and, of course, personal charisma. Today, thanks to social networks - a powerful advertising platform - any Internet user can become an influential person in the field of their interests.
Influencers are either enthusiastic users, eventually growing to become specialists in their field, or professionals who widely use the resources of the Web in their work. In essence, this is modern marketing, tax-free and not entirely transparent, to promote a brand, organization, or to achieve personal gain. Influencers are creative in creating relevant, exclusive content and generate active discussions, thereby exerting a significant influence on the behavior of other users.
Often, professional journalists may not notice unusual ideas until they “shoot.” The press is looking for stories, influencers are constantly looking for a fresh look or a completely new phenomenon that could become a universal trend. They trust their opinion, and their messages are most often commented and forwarded to each other on different media platforms. To understand how important the authority of such informants is, we offer a rating of Middle Eastern influencers who have become the center of attention in their field.
Huda kattan
"Superstar-influencer" in the field of beauty
@Hudabeauty statistics: Twitter 29.2K / Facebook 426K / Insta 7.3M
Sisters Kattan, an American of Iraqi descent, are called "local Kardashians" in Dubai. They have achieved tremendous success as bloggers not only in the field of beauty, but also in business. Huda Kattan, who has achieved the status of a star makeup artist and beauty consultant, has launched her own brand Huda Beauty in the UAE, which is distributed in prestigious beauty salons and the Sephora chain. Today hudabeauty.com is the most influential beauty portal with photos and video reviews of Huda herself about the latest industry news.
Mona monica kattan
"Superstar-influencer" in the field of beauty
@Monakattan statistics: Twitter 15.4 K / Facebook 70K / Insta 975K
The second of the Cattan sisters, Mona, has a more modest army of followers - just under 1 million on Instagram. An ambitious girl who calls herself Glamorour has already managed to help her sister with the Huda Beauty project, she also founded the PR agency Agency MasterMind PR, the women's clothing line The Puppet Show and opened the beauty salon The Dollhouse. In between business meetings, shows and photo shoots, Mona manages to pay attention to her own blog on fashion and show business AdventuresInMonaland.com.
Nadia hassan
Top Influencer in Women's Fashion
@Thefierce_nay statistics: Twitter 29.3K / Facebook 10.3K / Insta 118K
Emirate young beauty Nadia Hassan is one of the very first fashion influencers in the Middle East. She skillfully combines in her wardrobe both luxury brands and niche brands, resulting in an image that combines the elegance of the 40s and 50s with the chic of a street style. Nadia has created an excellent network of authoritative contacts, and industry giants such as Christian Louboutin, Ralph Lauren and Tommy Hilfiger are among its subscribers. Each of her posts - a kind of "travel note" about a favorite accessory, a new fashionable place or a cruise - is always wildly popular.
Mr. Mouds
"Top influencer" in the field of men's fashion
@Mrmoudz statistics: Twitter 460 / Facebook 340 / Insta 60.5K
Known in the world of haute couture more as Mr. Moods, blogger Mahmoud Sidani began his career as the region’s youngest buyer in the multi-brand store Level Shoe District, thereby gaining access to the most advanced people in the fashion industry. Mr. Mudz was one of the first to cultivate street style in the Middle East, and this year opened Mr. Consulting Agency. Moudz Fashion Consultancy.
Desert mannequin
Celebrity-influencer in the field of art and fashion
@Desertmannequin statistics: Insta 24.5k
Desert Mannequin is a fashion blogger from Qatar, living between Doha, Dubai and New York. Her real name is Anum Bashir, she perfectly feels fashion trends and achieves everything herself. She is entrusted with the choice of collections by such popular stores as Per Lei Couture and Alef20, located in Doha, so Anum is a regular guest at Fashion Weeks. Her Instagram page, in addition to fashion, covers art news. No wonder - after all, a talented blogger goes, like all ordinary mortals, to work in the cultural center of Qatar Museums.
Ascia_AKF
Celebrity Influencer in Fashion
Stats @ Ascia_AKF: Twitter 20.5K / Insta 1.5M
Kuwaiti bloggers Askia and her husband Ahmad are a stellar couple writing about fashion and lifestyle in the Middle East and beyond. The founder of thehybridheadpiece.com lifestyle blog shares her comments not only about “hijab” fashion, but also about motherhood and her son Adam. It-girl is half American, so she travels across the ocean quite often, which she remembers to write exciting reports.
Jessica kahawaty
Top Influencer in lifestyle
Stats @ jessicakahawaty: Twitter 1.7K / Facebook 58K / Insta 144K
Jessica Kahauati, an Australian model of Lebanese descent, holds the 2012 Miss Australia and Miss World titles. She is now the face and host of YAHOO Maktoob's omg talk show! The girl is very popular among both women and men, and each of her posts gets at least 3,000 likes.
Tala samman
Celebrity Influencer in lifestyle
Stats @ myfashdiary: Twitter 26.7K / Facebook 16K / Insta 77K
Tala Samman, creator of myfashdiary.com's fashion and style blog, graduated from London's prestigious College of Fashion. She often appears with her mother Lina Samman, a socialite, in public, and both of them have fashionista status. The girl admits that she was always fond of fashion. Successful collaborations include her collaboration with retailers such as Net-APorter, ASOS, Tom Ford and Halston. The girl also works as a DJ at local fashion parties.
Diala Makki
Top influencer in show business
@Dialamakki statistics: Twitter 2.5K / Facebook 3289 / Insta 162K
The mega-popular Dubai TV presenter and producer, originally from Tehran, is among the top most influential personalities in the Middle East according to Arabian Business. Basically, she updates her personal blog dialasdiaries.com daily, where she posts exclusive content, such as a conversation with Karl Lagerfeld behind the scenes of the Chanel show, as well as interesting notes on collaboration with Dior, Bulgari and other luxury brands.
Ali Al Saloom
"Top influencer" in the field of culture
@AskAli statistics: Twitter 55K / Facebook 227K / Insta 32K
Readers of the magazine probably remember Ali Al Saloum, the most popular comedian in the region and the local educator. Together with the film crew, he travels around the world, and in 2014 went to Moscow, Kazan and Dagestan. About his adventures, Ali Al Salum shot two separate episodes for the author’s television project Duroob.
Sultan Sooud Al Qassemi
Top Influencer in Politics
@SultanAlQassemi statistics: Twitter 90.4K / Insta 11.3K
Sultan Saud Al Kassimi is a recognized expert and commentator in the field of Arab relations. He also became the founder of the Barjeel Art Foundation in Sharjah and a columnist in a number of media outlets, including The National, Foreign Policy, The Guardian, The Independent, and CNN.
