Can fashion bloggers become brands?

Nordstrom this year has come out with three standalone collections completely tied to star social influencers.

In April, Nordstrom partnered with Julia Engel, creator of the style blog, Gal Meets Glam, on a dress range under her blog name. Ms. Engel has 1.2 million Instagram followers.

In mid-September, the department store retailer introduced the Chriselle Lim Collection, named for the founder of The Chriselle Factor blog which counts 1.1. million Instagram followers and 760,000 YouTube subscribers.

On September 24, Nordstrom launched a women’s collection under the name of Something Navy, the style blog created by Arielle Charnasm, which has 1.1 million Instragram followers.

The launch of Chriselle Lim Collection and Something Navy both earned profiles in People, US Weekly and a number of fashion magazines. But Ms. Charnas’ collection earned the most attention. On launch day, the collection pulled in between $4 million to $5 million and Nordstrom’s website crashed briefly, according to Business of Fashion.

This blazer & these leather pants are two of my fall closet staples. I'm sharing a number of neutral fall styles available now on GMG today! https://t.co/EEjjtyxTU3

— Julia Engel (@GalMeetsGlam) October 18, 2018

As was the case with Ms. Engel and Ms. Lim, Ms. Charnas helped design Something Navy and is supporting the line on her social channels and via in-store appearances. All the brands are exclusive to Nordstrom.

"With Something Navy, we are able to give our customers an exclusive new brand based on Arielle's unique aesthetic,” said Jennifer Jackson Brown, president of Nordstrom Product Group, in a statement. “The brand will expand into additional categories each season, reinforcing our commitment to introduce exciting new product regularly."

The launch of Something Navy followed a collaboration last fall between Ms. Charnas and Nordstrom’s in-house label, Treasure & Bond, that sold over $1 million in just 24 hours.

Such collaborations are becoming more common. Bloomingdale’s, for instance, just partnered with one blogger to design a capsule for its private label line, Aqua. In another exclusive range, the retailer partnered with denim brand Seven for All Mankind and contemporary apparel maker Splendid.

• Nordstrom Announces Partnership With Influencer Arielle Charnas To Introduce SOMETHING NAVY Brand – Nordstrom
• Is Arielle Charnas the Future of Fashion? – Business Of Fashion
• Bloomingdale’s Nabs Happily Grey Blogger for an Aqua Capsule Collection – Women’s Wear Daily
• The Something Navy Fashion Collection Just Launched at Nordstrom and It’s Already Selling Out! – US Weekly
• Something Navy Crashes Site, Beats Expectations at Nordstrom – Women’s Wear Daily
• Something Navy's Nordstrom Clothing Line Launch Goes Awry, Leaving Shoppers Furious – People
• The 5 Things Chriselle Lim Loves Most from Her Just-Launched Nordstrom Collection (and It's All Under $200!) – People
• Influence Peddler: Julia Engel Creates Line of Dresses at Nordstrom – Women’s Wear Daily
• The Affluencers – The Cut
• How OG fashion blogger Jane Aldridge of Sea of Shoes is evolving her brand – Glossy
• Are Influencer Brands The Key To Bringing Millennials To Department Stores? – Fashionista