Why Cardi B (and every other celebrity on Instagram) loves Fashion Nova

The inexpensive, flashy brand has skyrocketed in popularity thanks to social media influencers.

Rapper Cardi B has launched a new clothing line with Fashion Nova. Rich Fury/Getty Images for Fashion Nova

Cardi B’s ode to Christian Louboutins, “Bodak Yellow,” was her breakthrough single. But last night, when she made her official foray into fashion, shoes were a non-factor. Instead, Cardi teamed up with the viral brand Fashion Nova to launch her first clothing collection. Featuring pleather, crushed velvet, and plaid suits inspired by Clueless, a film that everyone seems to be copying lately, the line didn’t go on sale until midnight Pacific time. Yet all 82 pieces sold out in minutes.

As beloved as Cardi B is, she doesn’t deserve all the credit for the line’s success. Fashion Nova, which retail veteran Richard Saghian started in 2016 in Los Angeles, has become a wildly sought-after brand in recent years thanks largely to Instagram. Influencers such as Teyana Taylor, Blac Chyna, Christina Milian, and Kylie Jenner are just a few of the long line of celebs who have posted images of themselves on social media wearing the fast-fashion brand — taking Fashion Nova from relative obscurity to massive popularity.

The retailer now has nearly 14 million followers on Instagram, making it the most popular fashion brand, by some estimates. Last year, Google reported that Fashion Nova fell into its five most-searched fashion brands, with Gucci, Louis Vuitton, Supreme, and Chanel rounding out the list. But Fashion Nova, Saghian told Women’s Wear Daily in February, made the accomplishment sans runway shows, traditional advertising, or SEO tricks. (Saghian also has a tendency to avoid press interviews, meaning social media has almost single-handedly propelled his company to fame.) And at Wednesday night’s launch of the Fashion Nova x Cardi Collection, plenty of rich and famous influencers turned out, including Khloe Kardashian, NeNe Leakes, Chanel Iman, Iggy Azalea, and Noah Cyrus.

The idea that Fashion Nova would have a Hollywood following likely seemed unimaginable when it began 12 years ago as a brick-and-mortar store in the Panorama Mall in working-class Panorama City, California. (The Fashion Nova website went live in 2013.) Today, the company has five brick-and-mortar stores in the Los Angeles area, but it has never really left behind its humble roots. It may count reality stars, beauty moguls, and actresses among its fans, but the prices remain in reach of the general public; most are under $50.

Cardi B in a Clueless-inspired suit at the Fashion Nova x Cardi B launch. Tommaso Boddi/Getty Images