# Virtual Fashion Influencers Miquela Sousa is Instagram's First Virtual Fashion Icon By Kalin Ned | Published 2018-02-06 | Fashion Source: Trend Hunter, https://www.trendhunter.com/trends/virtual-fashion-influencer References: [highsnobiety](https://www.highsnobiety.com/p/lil-miquela-virtual-influencer-instagram/) & [instagram](https://www.instagram.com/lilmiquela/) Miquela Sousa is a nineteen-year-old half-Brazillian, half-Spanish model and singer, whose presence is contained exclusively online on [Instagram](https://www.trendhunter.com/trends/mira) as she is the first virtual fashion influencer. Despite the privation of a corporeal self, Lil Miquela attends fashion events, advertises Prada, Chanel and Supreme and even releases her own music—her debut single 'Not Mine' hit number eight on [Spotify](https://www.trendhunter.com/trends/dialogue) Viral in August 2017. Based in L.A., the virtual avatar "held" an interview with Business of Fashion about her dreams, beliefs and future aspirations to be a model. Although virtual reality is not a new concept and bands like Gorillaz have created characters of themselves, it is exciting to think about what mark a virtual fashion influencer would have on the industry, the "ideal" image and Instagram's platform in general. Photo Credits: Instagram ## Trend Insights (Trend Hunter) - Score: 6.6/10 - Popularity: 92% | Activity: 97% | Freshness: 8% - Audience gender: 50% men, 50% women - Primary generations: Gen Z, Millennial - Top markets: North America, Europe ## Categories [Trend Hunter](https://www.trendhunter.com/trends) > [Fashion](https://www.trendhunter.com/fashion) > [Hip Fashion](https://www.trendhunter.com/hipfashion) ## Key Themes ### What's Driving This Trend - **Virtual Influencer Marketing:** Creating virtual influencers can change the influencer marketing landscape by allowing companies to use digital models for advertising. - **Virtual Pop Stars:** Virtual pop stars have the potential to disrupt the music industry by blurring the lines between reality and fantasy. - **Virtual Reality Runways:** Virtual reality runways may change the future of fashion events by making them more accessible to a wider audience. ### Who This Affects Most - **Fashion:** The fashion industry can harness the power of virtual influencers to reach younger audiences in a more innovative way. - **Music:** The music industry has the opportunity to use virtual pop stars to create new and exciting performances and merchandise. - **Marketing and Advertising:** The creation and use of virtual influencers can revolutionize the marketing and advertising industry by offering a more unique and technologically advanced approach to advertising. ## Related on Trend Hunter - [Virtual Influencer Metaverses](https://www.trendhunter.com/trends/villa-m.md) - [Virtual Department Store Influencers](https://www.trendhunter.com/trends/mira.md) - [Uplifting Virtual Influencer Collabs](https://www.trendhunter.com/trends/lennnie-x-dove.md) - [Virtual Modeling Metaverses](https://www.trendhunter.com/trends/modelverse.md) - [Virtual Influencer Creators](https://www.trendhunter.com/trends/optodolce.md) - [CGI-Created Fashion Campaigns](https://www.trendhunter.com/trends/find-your-courage.md) - [Virtual Awards Presenters](https://www.trendhunter.com/trends/face-of-innovation.md) - [AI-Powered Virtual Influencers](https://www.trendhunter.com/trends/virtual-influencers.md) - [AI CEO Humanoids](https://www.trendhunter.com/trends/mika.md)