With over 16.2 million Instagram followers, fashion’s top influencer, Milan-native Chiara Ferragni makes about US$8 million a year. The top influencer in China, which accounts for one-third of luxury spending worldwide, is reputed to earn roughly 55 million yuan (US$8.18 million) a year.

Louis Vuitton, Gucci, and Saint Laurent have all turned to Fan, who has almost 5 million Weibo followers, for help in reaching Chinese consumers