Fashion Discussion Groups by Apparel Search - Terms of Interest to the Fashion Industry

Fashion discussion groups are the organized conversations of fashion: forums, message boards, mailing lists and social groups where consumers and industry members ask questions, share sightings, trade sourcing leads and argue about trends. They are the internet's version of the fashion club, open to anyone who joins the thread.

Fashion Discussion Groups by Apparel Search - Terms of Interest to the Fashion Industry

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Fashion Discussion Groups

With the internet in full swing, we have seen many new terms pop up that did not exist in years past. For example, "Fashion Discussion Groups", "Fashion Forums", "Fashion Networks", "Fashion Message Boards" etc. If you ask an old time garmento, they would very possibly be confused by any of the terms that I have just listed. Anyway, on this page we will try to explain the meaning of a fashion industry discussion group.

Fashion Discussion Groups - On the internet a discussion group or discussion forum is a method for group members to communicate regarding a particular subject. In the case of a fashion discussion group, the subject of discussion is obviously "fashion". To test the theory of a discussion group, we have created a few fashion industry discussion groups by utilizing the Google Groups system.

Fashion Industry Discussion Group

Clothing Wholesaler Discussion Group

Clothing Store Discussion Group

Fashion Industry News Discussion Group

Fashion Industry Careers Discussion Group

You are welcome to test out the discussion group concept from the fashion industry discussion groups listed above. Please keep discussions relevant to fashion. Actually, please try to stay on topic based on the group name. For example, in the "Clothing Store Discussion Group", please keep discussions regarding retail issues.

Fashion Industry Message Boards are very similar in purpose and in function to the discussion group websites. In all honesty, I am not really sure the difference between a discussion group and a message board. Actually, now that I think about it, weren't these systems previously called "Chat Rooms". In my view this type of system has evolved as follows: Chat Rooms >> Message Boards >> Discussion Groups >> Social Networks.

Note: I am a garmento and not a expert on the internet.. I may have the above all backwards. This is only based on my own personal recollection of internet history...

In my opinion, as of now (the year 2007), the best method of communication for the fashion industry is via a social network site. In fact, the Apparel Search company is one of the very first companies to convert a "social network" framework into a "business to business" network. You can see what we have done by visiting the Fashion Industry Network. We did not actually create the code or technology running the network, but we did use our creative juices to tweak the existing code into a "business" network for the fashion industry. If you work in the fashion industry, you can check out the Fashion Industry Network and join the fashion discussion groups.

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What is a Fashion Network?

From Usenet to Social Groups

Online fashion talk is older than the social web: Usenet groups and early web forums carried fashion discussion in the 1990s, followed by dedicated message boards for denim, sneakers, tailoring and every other niche, and then by groups inside the large social platforms. Each migration made the conversation faster and more visual, but the structure is unchanged — a question, an experienced answer, and an archive the next searcher can find.

Communities as Industry Infrastructure

Professionals use closed groups the way earlier generations used trade associations: job leads, factory recommendations and warnings travel through them daily. That is why discussion groups sit in this directory between clubs and divas — they are one of the social mechanisms, along with fashion clubs, by which fashion knowledge actually moves.

Common Questions

What are fashion discussion groups?

Online or in-person forums dedicated to fashion topics, where members post questions and answers about style, garments, careers, sourcing and the industry.

How do discussion groups help the fashion industry?

They circulate practical knowledge — where to source a fabric, how a brand sizes, which trade show is worth attending — and they give companies an unfiltered listen to what customers actually think.

How do discussion groups differ from fashion blogs?

Blogs are one voice publishing to many readers; discussion groups are many voices talking to each other. Bloggers, covered in this directory, often moderate or anchor groups of their own readers.

Fashion Discussion Groups