Op-Ed : Instantly Famous - The Advent of Social Media in Fashion

“Ah, fame! Or, more accurately in the fashion world, the celebrity circus of people who are famous for being famous.”, once lamented Suzy Menkes in her infamous article ‘The Circus of Fashion’ published in 2013. ‘Fame’, indeed, is a fickle term and defining it has only resulted in its eventual blurring in today’s social media convolution.

If there are two people that know the power of social media in the fashion forum, it’s Eva Chen and Olivier Rousteing. It’s only fit to refer to the pair as the King and Queen of Instagram (Chen is Head of Fashion Partnerships and Rousteing, Creative Director of Balmain, is its most ardent fashion-designer advocate). Chen and Rousting recently came together to the Condé Nast International Luxury Conference in Seoul, to debate the impact social media has on the industry.

“Fashion has always been about the future, it’s always moved quickly, and yes — it has been accelerated by social media,” said Chen. “It’s such an interesting time, with enormous opportunity. The velvet ropes have come down in fashion – the future of fashion is democracy and the ability to adapt with the consumer.” -[1]

In the span of the last two years, virtual portals has made fashion accessible to everyone with a smart phone. ‘Well, this is great!’, one would believe. Gone are the times where fashion events were keenly guarded and networking played an important role in being able to be seated in the most happening collection showcase of the season. As it is with fashion, finding out what trends are in has become easier than one could imagine. We are exposed to immediate information; thanks, to the very peacocks that Menkes described in her piece.

Fashion Editor and Blogger, Anna dello Russo

Presumably, fashion has since stepped away from its luxurious standpoint and has adapted to a more loose and conversational perspective. In re-iteration, everybody is allowed a bite out of this immensely creative field. Has this reduced fashion from what it used to be? As many advantages there are in this overflow of couture related intel, social media portals such as Instagram, Twitter and Facebook has significantly created a rage that has catapulted careers and even made one question some.

Forbid, one disagrees with the likes of Anna dello Russo! Oh dear, how much backlash one should receive for that statement! But, of course, apart from her significant career as Editor-at-large for Vogue Nippon and her past work as eminent stylist for Vogue Italia, the celebrity is mostly known for her colorful street style fixture, extensive blogging career and also being known as the world’s “Most Photographed” woman. One finds that a tad bit heart-wrenching.

Maybe, designers have the best slice of social media. In many ways, it helps them reach a variety of consumers and it certainly provides a great platform to showcase their collection. Christopher Bailey from Burberry, Gucci and Alexander McQueen are only a few of many who have encouraged live public streaming of their shows. Let us not forget about the fashion bloggers who also let the public sneak a peak of the shows they attend seated in the front row, an opportunity amateurs once only dreamed about. Yet, somehow it is disappointing that social media has created a norm for designers and without it, ‘handicapped’ is what they are deemed as.

In L2's Digital IQ Index, which ranks fashion brands according to their website offerings, e-commerce, digital marketing and social media awareness, US women's clothing designer Tory Burch beats well-known global luxury brands such as Gucci, Hermes and Chanel. - [2]

It certainly is interesting to see how social media has shaped one’s career. Fashion has become somewhat of a high school memory. Popularity precedes all. Yet, isn’t that the case with fashion, in general? Eva Chen stated at the conference that Instagram is a community. “It can be a great ice-breaker”, she said.

Balmain’s Creative Director, Olivier Rousting with Kendal Jenner and Gigi Hadid

Designers are not only finding a way to publicize their work, but are now even hiring. It goes without saying that Olivier Rousteing is known for his high-profile friendships with the likes of Kendall Jenner and Gigi Hadid, the current Social Media Super-Models. Some would argue that the number of followers the models have on Instagram pose an effect in their careers in the fashion world. In an interview with Teen Vogue, earlier this April, Calvin Klein had some things to say about the state of social media and fashion. “Now, models are paid for how many followers they have. They're booked not because they represent the essence of the designer, which is what I tried to do — they're booked because of how many followers they have online. I don't think that, long-term, is going to work. I don't think that's a great formula for success for the product you're trying to sell.”

Creative Director at-large for Vogue, Grace Coddington also admits to being initially repulsed by the “KenGi” rage, but later emphasized that the pair were just as talented without their social media pages. As it is with creative opportunities, Instagram is littered with agencies hunting for potential models and raw talent. Recently, Brooklyn Beckham revealed on his Instagram feed that he would be photographing Burberry's latest fragrance ad campaign, the outrage was palpable. Even, Burberry’s boss Christopher Bailey suggested it might have been Brooklyn's 5.9 million Instagram followers, rather than his parents, that got him the gig. [3]

Nowadays, instead of turning to the pages of magazines, catwalks or films, Generations Y and Z now look to Instagram, Facebook and Twitter in search of their idols. Perhaps it’s a millennial thing. On the other hand, one must consider, that talent isn’t taken for granted with the rise of social media. It’s all a matter of ‘putting yourself out there’. The more followers you collect, it’s only logical that you are a suitable candidate to draw attention to a certain brand. It’s commercial ; It’s all business in the end. So, let’s forget about art schools for a moment - the places that hone careers for aspiring students, when all you need is an Instagram page, the passion for art and couple million followers.

Sources -

[2] & [3] Katie Hope, “How social media is transforming the fashion industry”, 5 Feb 2016, BBC News, Online, accessed 24 April 2016, http://www.bbc.com/news/business-35483480

[1] n.a, “#CNILux Day 1: Fashion and the power of social media”, 20 April 2016, GQ India, Online, accessed 24 April 2016, http://www.gqindia.com/get-smart/pop-culture/cnilux-day-1-fashion-and-the-power-of-social-media/#lauren-houldsworth

Heather Saul, “Instafamous: Meet the social media influencers redefining celebrity”, 27 March 2016, independent.co.uk, Online, accessed 24 April 2016, http://www.independent.co.uk/news/people/instagram-model-natasha-oakley-iskra-lawrence-kayla-itsines-kendall-jenner-jordyn-woods-a6907551.html#gallery

Jessica C. Andrews, “Grace Coddington Has Some Interesting Thoughts on Kendall and Gigi's Modeling Careers”, 22 April 2016, Teen Vogue, Online, accessed 24 April 2016, http://www.teenvogue.com/story/grace-coddington-kendall-jenner-gigi-hadid

Jessica C. Andrews, “Calvin Klein (The Designer) Has Some Things to Say About Kendall Jenner Appearing in the #MyCalvins Campaign”, 15 April 2016, Teen Vogue, Online, accessed 24 April 2016. http://www.teenvogue.com/story/kendall-jenner-calvin-klein-designer

Suzy Menkes, “The Circus Of Fashion”, 10 Feb 2016, NY Times, Online, accessed 24 April 2016, http://www.nytimes.com/2013/02/10/t-magazine/the-circus-of-fashion.html