Social Media and Fashion Week

Social media has transformed fashion week into an event for all to watch, not just the elite. With live blog, YouTube, Twitter and Facebook updates during shows, those at home can keep up with events with a just as close, if not better, view of the action.

It all started in 2005 and 2006 when bloggers began to give same-day photos and updates from the shows. While top fashion websites and magazines were taking 24 to 48 hours to update on runway shows, fashion bloggers were dominating the search engines.

One of those early pioneers, Julie Fredrickson, co-founder of fashion blogging network Coutorture (acquired by Sugar Inc. in 2007) and now manager of social and digital marketing at Ann Taylor, says that back then brands had little idea of who fashion bloggers were, but were “willing to roll with you so long as you were related to some sort of tenuous publication.”

Since then the use of social media has grown tremendously. This year, more than 20 labels, including Marc Jacobs, Calvin Klein, Vera Wang and Oscar de la Renta, hosted live streams on their websites, often accompanied by widgets that allowed viewers to comment on the looks on Facebook, Twitter or on-site with each other in real time.

From live streaming and crowd sourced coverage, to debuting and selling collections immediately online, Fashion Week is shifting from an event for media and buyers to a spectacle for consumers.

I think the instant access to fashion, like all things, can be a good thing and a bad thing. If there are any mishaps during the shows, designers will have no time to do any preliminary damage control. On the other hand, all of the backstage access will give viewers a better understanding of the chaos behind the scenes and the hard work that goes into each runway show.

Social media also forces designers to build a relationship with the media's top players as well as the up-and-coming. There is no telling which story, video, or tweet could go viral, so it is important for designers to be on good terms with all media outlets.

The use of social media is a great way to broaden the once closed circle of the fashion-elite. It also gives a chance for anyone who is passionate about fashion instant and unedited access to the excitement and chaos that is fashion week.

Designers Utilizing Bloggers

Designers and retail chains are teaming up with fashion bloggers to promote their products. Not only is this great for the bloggers who are extremely passionate about fashion, but also for the brands themselves.

One of the biggest fashion communities is on the blogging site Tumblr. According to Mashable,”The blogging platform recently hired Rich Tong, the founder of social fashion site Weardrobe (acquired by Google in mid-2010), to serve as fashion director. His first big project? Sending more than 20 bloggers to New York Fashion Week next month. Eight bloggers are already stationed in New York; the rest will be flown in for the nine-day series of shows and parties, which run from February 9 to 17. Tumblr is fronting the costs for all participants, including flights, hotel accommodations, transportation, meals, etc., and handling all of the invites to fashion shows.”

Tumblr’s goal?  “More than anything, this is just to build awareness around the fashion community on Tumblr because it’s one of those communities that we [at Tumblr] have noticed but not everyone in the [fashion] industry has,” he explained.

This will give bloggers a chance to showcase their work and prove their credibility as legitimate reporters. Tumblr’s initiative is also a great way to raise the designers’ awareness on the benefits of inviting bloggers to their shows.

By creating a blog, fashion designers can also showcase their work in a more interactive format. Not only can users comment with their thoughts and opinions but the designers can instantly upload photos and videos, giving fans a sneak peak at their latest products and designs.

Kate Spade, Oscar de la Renta, Alexander McQueen, and Ann Taylor have already established a presence in the blogging world. “We wanted to be blogging because we knew it was relevant; that’s what smart, stylish woman do these days: they blog or read blogs,” Julie Fredrickson, Ann Taylor’s digital marketing manager, says of the latter project. “We wanted to get our voice out there in a way that wasn’t contrived, that was as natural and beautiful as we are as a brand. Tumblr has been good for telling the holistic story of who Ann Taylor is,” she says.

According to Tumblr founder and CEO David Karp, approximately 180 of the top 1,000 Tumblr blogs are fashion-related. And fashion-related Tumblr posts are re-blogged on a much greater scale than general Tumblr posts, Tumblr Fashion Director Rich Tong says, suggesting that “there’s a huge capacity for fashion content to go viral on Tumblr.”

Using blogs to highlight fashion merchandise and trends is a step in the right direction. People interested in fashion look to the internet for the latest tips and advice, rather than waiting for a monthly magazine to hit newsstands. By providing an instant look at what’s new and “hot,” designers can get ahead of the competition by building a reputation as a trendsetter.