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As a mobile-only platform, Instagram is far smaller than Facebook, Twitter, or Pinterest, but it's growing exponentially. Forbes reports the company has jumped from 15 million users in early 2012 to 80 million in July, which is an increase of more than 400% in the last seven months. Also, like Pinterest, it's got a high number of female users: around 70% according to Forbes, which, of course, bodes well for fashion brands jumping on the Instagram bandwagon.
In fact, according to numbers Forbes picked up from Simply Measured, of the top 10 brands currently using Instagram, five of them are apparel or fashion based. Check them out after the jump.
MTV and Starbucks take the top two slots, with GE, Audi, and McDonalds also scattered in the top ten. Here's who tops out the list when it comes to fashion:
5. Hermes: 51,136 followers
4. Tiffany & Co.: 103,365 followers
3. Gucci: 119,492 followers
2. Nike: 322,721 followers
1. Burberry: 454,233 followers
Forbes doesn't speculate on why four out of five of those are luxury brands, but we will: The dreamy quality of Instagram pics play perfectly into the aspirational aesthetic luxury brands have been cultivating since the dawn of time. Now everyone can get a piece of Buberry on their iPhone (or Android, now), and apparently nearly 500,000 people already have.
Any of these brands surprise you? Let us know who you follow in the comments.
· More Brands Joining Instagram And With Good Reason [Forbes]
· 8 Fashion Brands Creating the Best Online Content [Racked]
· Surprisingly, These Are the Top Five Retailers on Pinterest [Racked]