In an industry rooted in creativity, ingenuity and innovation, in many ways fashion has become marked with an assembly-line structure of profitability and traditional communication strategies. In effect, a business model has been superimposed on the creative model. The result? A symbiotic and mutually beneficial relationship where creativity empowers business and business sustains creativity.
In another sense, however, we’ve stifled the very thing that propels our industry forward and ignites a spark within the individuals and teams hard at work; free thinking. The business extension has evolved into a mechanism that, though profitable, places confines on creativity and mandates that passion be largely relegated to the neat organizational structures, marketing models and tried and true design approaches that have come to define our industry. It is this model that has bred the elitist and authoritarian demeanor many brands and high profile editors assume, while also fostering a line of thinking that is very much inside the box.
Thankfully, fashion renegades do exist, and they come in the form of innovators across a variety of different platforms. Comprised mainly of individuals and independent companies, it is the tribes of style bloggers, technologists, experimental marketers and unconventional designers that pave the way for creativity and are bringing forth a new reality, at times ousting established authorities in the process. Alone, they are creative individuals to be noticed and commended; when enabled by business, they become a force powerful enough to shake the elitists from their highly perched seats and enact real change in our industry.
Style bloggers in particular harness their enthusiasm, interest and passion for this industry to tirelessly work at crafting their online persona. Posting a stream of content with an immediacy and point of view that is otherwise unheard, they are exposed with every thought, opinion, outfit, photograph or caption they publish.
To this, the global online community has responded emphatically, ultimately creating a phenomenon. Users become dedicated readers, and shoppers now look for style expertise from an unassuming individual, often who has no formal fashion training or experience and can be based anywhere in the world. Fashion buyers look to style blogs as a source of trend forecasting to better inform the merchandise they will ultimately stock. Even fashion journalists feel the nagging need to consult the very blogs that pose a potential threat in order to remain aware. The industry has changed
With this unyielding power now placed in the hands of the creative independents, the business model inadvertently awakens, and companies are hungry to figure out how to harness this newfound influence in order to extend the reach of their brands. This has the potential to develop into a mutually beneficial, symbiotic relationship where brands help to sustain style bloggers, reaping financial and experiential rewards in the process. Unfortunately, more common has been the misguided approach where brands attempt to use the blogger as a cheap trick to boost the brand without any regard for the very things that make a blogger successful: their point of view, their interests and their style. It would seem that oftentimes, the business individuals don’t even read the blogs of the people they reach out to, they merely see a quantifiable and impressive number of followers or hear from an executive that their daughter reads “so-and-so”.
We hope that these faulty approaches are simply the growing pains where the business extensions are struggling to keep up with the creative individuals. We are confident that improvements will be made and the passion that these style bloggers bring will not be lost on the “take and take” mentality of big name brands.
Ultimately, the injection of energy, raw passion and tenacity that the leading style bloggers bring to the table is something to be nurtured, cultivated and applauded. The community has responded in this way, now its time for business to follow suit.
In tomorrow’s article, we will cover the impressive stance one brand has created in leading our industry in this new frontier.
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