If you’ve been reading this blog for any time at all, you know I love fashion. Fashion Week is one of my favorite times of the year: I love seeing what all the best designers have been working on. But this year, I’m a little surprised at myself. One of my very favorite looks from Fashion Week isn’t from a couture house. Instead – it’s from Instagram.

[Tweet “One of my favorite looks from #NYFW isn’t from a couture house – it’s from Instagram.”]

Instagram has updated its messaging feature, which is called Instagram Direct. DKNY is making use of this feature to selectively share exclusive, behind the scenes content with some of the brand’s followers. This content includes interviews with the designers, and a sketch-to-garment video feature. Only followers who use the #DKNYSS16 and the Instagram Direct feature to reach out to the brand are able to see this content – and even then, the brand is being fairly selective about who they’re granting access to.

In a world where we’re always crying about limited social media reach, keeping people from viewing your content seems counterintuitive. But for some brands, this strategy makes sense. A large part of DKNY’s cachet is their exclusivity. Limiting access to fashion influencers – those individuals who make a living or at least a reputation on their fashion choices – gives these people a valuable form of social currency. They now have information not everyone else does; by allowing them to roll out what they know on their own schedule, DKNY adds a layer of impact to their content that’s greater than if the entire world could see it at the same time.

As social media continues to develop and change, making strategic decisions about who can see content, and when they can see it, is something more and more brands will have to do. The time is now to think about how this idea might apply to your business. Timing really is everything.