Fashion blogs are blogs that cover the fashion industry, clothing,
and personal style.
A fashion blog can cover many things
such as specific items of clothing and accessories, trends in various
apparel markets (haute couture, prêt-à-porter, etc.), celebrity fashion
choices and street fashion trends. They cover fashion at all levels from the
biggest names to the smallest indie designers.
Many fashion blogs could also be categorised as shopping blogs, since
"most of the conversation is shopping advice, liberally laced with consumer
recommendations". This is very similar to the content of fashion magazines.
Some retailers in the fashion industry have even started blogs of their own
to promote their products.
Blogs that only occasionally mention fashion are not categorised as
fashion blogs, although they may be labeled by the blogger as such.
Impact on
the fashion industry
Fashion is a multi-billion-dollar industry that has considerable impact
on the way ordinary people dress and present themselves. But there is more
to fashion than the different articles of clothing, fashion is made up of
designers, buyers, retailers, editors, and columnists. While all parties
work together to create an image, all of these parties can simultaneously be
affected by outside forces, especially blogs. Fashion is trend-driven and
fashion blogs provide a new way to follow and oversee these fast-paced
trends, it is likely that the blogoshepere will have a considerable
long-term influence on the industry, as the number of fashion based blogs
continue to grow.
From the industry's standpoint
During the 2011 New York City Fashion Week, top-tier fashion designers,
Lazaro Hernandez and Jack McCollough (owners and designers of Proenza
Schouler), took the time out of their ‘hectic schedules' during fashion week
to help promote the work of fashion bloggers. The two were interviewed by
Imran Amed, founder and editor of The Business of Fashion website. In the
5:15 minute long interview, the two fashion designers were asked various
questions from an audience of fashion bloggers, including their personal
opinions on the effects of fashion blog writing, how it influences the
fashion industry as a whole, and how fashion blog posts affects their
designing and selling process. When asked about their thoughts on the
overall effect of the fashion blogs, McCollough stated, "Blogs posting
things about us, going viral, spreading throughout the internet… it has an
extraordinary impact on the business". They also stated how in the past,
they would have to wait three, four days to hear a review on their line, but
now the feedback comes almost instant. When asked about how the blogs
directly affect their own designs, they explained while they do read
numerous blogs daily, they try to take each criticism (positive or negative)
with a grain of salt, "We try not to obsess over it" stated McCollough.
Founder of Independent Fashion Blogger (IFB), Jennine Jacob, stated how
thrilled she was to get the validation from high-end fashion designers (such
as Proenza Schouler) that fashion blogging has an incredible impact on the
fashion world. Imran Amed stated that there will always be designers and
editors that will never fully wrap their head on the huge impact fashion
blogging and social media has on the industry, but on the other side of the
spectrum, there are numerous designers, editors, branders and writers that
do understand and are "coming on board". He also states that this is a
fairly new phenomenon that will take time for fashion world to reap the full
benefits.
New York Times Style section write, Eric Wilson did an extensive study on
the impact of fashion bloggers on the fashion industry for one of his style
columns. Wilson wrote that these bloggers have ascended ‘from the nosebleed
seats to the front row' in the past year and that the divide between the
‘high code' editors with a professional opinion and the ‘amateur' fashion
bloggers is beginning to disintegrate. Wilson interviewed prominent
publicists, editors and designers. Publicist Kelly Cutrone stated that over
the past two years, there has been a complete change in who is writing about
fashion. Not only does Cutrone say she needs to keep a watch on the editors
of mainstream writings, such as Vogue and Elle, but now she needs to monitor
on the millions of fashion bloggers around the world. Cutrone goes on the
later state that once these bloggers post anything on the internet, it never
comes off, and it now becomes the first thing that the designers will see.
From a
reader's standpoint
The blogosphere has indeed opened up many doors for the fashion industry,
one of which is allowing the ordinary people to partake in the 'elite'
fashion world. In 2008, the Pulitzer Prize winning fashion writer and former
blogger Robin Givhan, claimed that fashion blogs had democratized the
fashion industry. Givhan had also wrote in Harpers Bazaar that 'The rise of
the fashion blogger has evolved [fashion] from an aristocratic business
dominated by omnipotent designers into a democratic one in which everyone
has access to stylistic clothes...the average people, too often estranged
from fashion, is not taking ownership of it'. A similar statement was said
by Constance White, the style director for E-bay and former fashion
journalist, saying that the impact of the fashion blogosphere has allowed
the whole population to take ownership of the fashion world, including
people of all different races, genders, and social standings. The Daily
Mail writer Karen Kay suggested once in an interview that blogs allow
anyone to both critique and praise designers, regardless of the often
‘needed' professional opinion, with the help fashion blogs, the consumers
are helping to set the trends.
Unlike fashion-focused magazines and television shows, fashion blogs are
able to be updated more frequently, keeping up to date with the with new and
up-and-coming fashion trends. Not only are fashion blogs easier to access,
many fashion blog readers (interviewed in Swedish fashion management study)
stated that fashion blogs are far more personable and are more 'up to date'
on both local and foreign trends. These blogs are granting unlimited access
to the fashion world to anyone that has a connection to a computer. Karen
Kay also stated that, "These days, before a designer's runway show has even
finished, you can bet your bottom dollar that someone in the audience, or
better still, backstage, has recorded every silhouette, signature shoe,
styling detail and sulking supermodel, then uploaded it onto the internet
for style watchers across the globe to enjoy". The interviewed Swedish
fashion blog readers, stated above, had also stated that fashion blogs had
helped share and promote new trends to a much greater extent than other
fashion mediums. Unlike mainstream magazines and newspapers, which are
constricted to what they write, blogs have the ease of writing about
anything that interests author(s), allowing for a more broad spectrum of
focused fashion trends.
From an
advertising standpoint
Many of these fashion blogs also serve as a free source of advertisement
to both designers and fashion retail stores. These free advertisements have
had a heavy influence on fashion designers of various standings, helping to
give a name to small up-and-coming designers as well as bringing high-end
designers back to life. While the majority of the independent bloggers do
not get paid to mention or critique designers' products, many of the top
fashion bloggers are said to have received free samples of the designer
pieces that they have mentioned in their blogs.
In a study conducted through the Biz360 Community, it was found that over
53% of the New York City Fashion Week converge had come from online articles
and fashion blogs. While a vast portion of what was written in these blogs
came from various mainstream fashion resource magazine and newspaper
articles, such as Coutorture and New York Magazine, these fashion blogs
provided a larger viewing and reading audience for the fashion week.
In the past years, American Express has become increasingly involved in
New York City Fashion Week, and in 2010 American Express sponsored Evolving
Influence, the first international bloggers conference in New York City.
During the conference, many surveys and studies took place about the
usefulness and tactics used in fashion blogs. During the study it was found
that bloggers are more comfortable reporting in real-time and incorporating
social tools in their opinions of runway trends and designers. After Fashion
Week, it was found that 6.37% of all articles written about or related to
Fashion Week had mentioned the Evolving Influence main sponsor, American
Express. These blogs were not directly paid to mention American Express, so
they served as a free source of advertisement for American Express.
These are some of the things fashion journalists have said about fashion
blogs and the impact they are having on the industry:
"These days, to have one finger on the fashion pulse, you need to
have the other one on your computer mouse, reading (or writing) the
latest blogs."
"Before a designer's runway show has even finished, you can bet your
bottom dollar that someone in the audience – or better still, backstage
– has recorded every silhouette, signature
A fashion blog is solely or primarily
dedicated to coverage of fashions in clothing
and accessories. This includes blogs about:
runway trends
fashion items, e.g. shoes, handbags
celebrity fashion
street style outfits worn by regular
people. (Corcoran, 2006b; Weil, 2006)
There are blogs covering fashion at all
levels, from big labels and indie designers
(Weil, 2006) to
clothing found on the street.
Many fashion blogs could also be categorised
as shopping blogs as "most of the conversation
is shopping advice, liberally laced with
consumer recommendations", and some
fashion retailers have now started blogs
of their own to promote their products.
Blogs that occasionally mention fashion,
such as many "personal diaries of teenagers",
are not categorised as fashion blogs.
Impact on the fashion industry
Fashion is a multi-billion-dollar
industry that has considerable
impact on the way ordinary
people clothe themselves.
As fashion is trend-driven
and fashion blogs provide
a new way to follow these
trends, it is likely they
will have a considerable
long-term influence on the
industry.
These are some of the
things fashion journalists
have said about fashion
blogs and the impact they
are having on the industry:
"These days,
to have one finger on
the fashion pulse, you
need to have the other
one on your computer
mouse, reading (or writing)
the latest blogs."
"Before a designer's
runway show has even
finished, you can bet
your bottom dollar that
someone in the audience
or better still, backstage
has recorded every silhouette,
signature shoe, styling
detail and sulking supermodel,
then uploaded it onto
the internet for style
watchers across the
globe to enjoy."
Number of fashion blogs
There is considerable
disagreement regarding the
number of fashion blogs
in existence.
In a February, 2006 Women's
Wear Daily article, Corcoran
stated:
There is an enormous,
and growing, number
of fashion and shopping-related
blogs: about 2 million,
according to Technorati
Inc., [...] or slightly
less than 10 percent
of the 2.7 billion blogs
the company tracks.
(That number includes
blogs in languages that
use the Roman alphabet
and that contain anything
fashion-related, including
sites such as Pink Is
the New Blog, which
focuses on celebrities.)
It is likely that this
figure is inflated by a
substantial number of personal
blogs that mention fashion.
These are not considered
fashion blogs using the
criteria above.
All other estimates of
the popularity of fashion
blogs are considerably lower.
In September 2005, La
Ferla stated that "as
little as a year ago, the
number of [fashion bloggers]
could be counted in the
dozens. Today there are
hundreds". Zamiatin (2006)
agrees that there are now "several
hundred fashion blogs".
Types of fashion blogs
Fashion blogs can be
categorised in a number
of ways.
By writer's expertise
Fashion blogs may be
written by insiders, outsiders
or aspiring insiders. (Corcoran,
2006b)
Insiders are people
who work (or have previously
worked) in the fashion industry
or for the traditional
fashion media. Some
examples of notable fashion
blogs written by insiders
include:
Kristopher Dukes,
by the eponymous freelance
fashion writer (Corcoran,
2006b)
In addition, some fashion
insiders blog occasionally
as guest on larger sites.
For example, the fashion
designer Nanette Lepore
has contributed to Glam.com.
(Corcoran, 2006a)
Outsiders are
people who know a lot (or
at least have strong opinions)
about fashion, usually by
virtue of being very dedicated
consumers of fashion.
Aspiring insiders
are people who want to work
in the fashion industry
or media and believe their
blog may provide a
back door
entry into a mainstream
fashion writing job. Examples
of people who have been
employed within the fashion
industry on the strength
of their blogs include:
Scott Schuman of
The Sartorialist,
who has been hired by
Style.com
The Budget Fashionista,
Kathryn Finney, wrote
a book called "How
To Be a Budget Fashionista"
that was published by
Ballantine Books. (Corcoran,
2006a)
By ownership
Fashion blogs may be
owned either by individuals
or by companies.
The types of individuals
running fashion blogs are
listed above.
Most successful fashion
blogs follow a particular
theme or angle. Some narrow
their field to one type
of fashion item e.g. shoes,
handbags or denim. Some
specialise in a particular
price point: usually either
very high-end or very budget
conscious. Some cover celebrity
fashion exclusively, while
others cover street style.
Some cover a mix of two
or more of these topics.
History
Fashion blogs are a relatively
new phenomenon, so no detailed
published accounts of their
history exist yet.
Fashion
blogs first appeared in
the
blogosphere prior to
2002. Both the number
of fashion blogs and the
number of media mentions
of fashion blogs has grown
considerably since then.
Published accounts of the
growing number of fashion
blogs are mentioned above,
and a Facteva search reveals
that media articles mentioning "fashion
blogs" grew from one
in 2002 to over 100 in 2006.
In 2006, the commercial
success and growing profile
of fashion bloggers have
been the two main themes
in coverage of fashion blogs.
More
Recent developments
Recent media reports
state that some fashion
blogs have become highly
profitable, and that the
influence of fashion blogs
within the industry is growing.
Manolo's Shoe Blog is
currently the most profitable
fashion blog, "rumoured
to be [earning] around $700,000
a year" (Grant, 2006).
Manolo has confirmed he
earns six-figure salary. Another commercially
successful fashion blog
is The Bag Snob, which "generates
a five-figure income, mainly
from advertising" (Grant,
2006).
Fashion blogs are increasingly
becoming a part of the mainstream
fashion press. An increasing
number of fashion bloggers
were invited to designers'
fashion shows in 2006 compared
to previous years. Large advertisers
like H&M and Gap have
bought advertising on fashion
blogs, and other large
companies like the underwear-maker
Jockey are targeting fashion
blogs in their PR efforts.
The best fashion
bloggers are now also being
offered mainstream media
positions, as mentioned
above.
More examples of fashion
blogs' commercial success
and growing influence can
be found in the references
at the end of this article.
(Indeed, the calibre of
publications writing about
fashion blogging could be
said to give an indication
of their perceived importance
in the media.)
Fashion blogs around the
world
The majority of notable
fashion blogs are U.S.-based.
Fashion blogging in other
countries appears to have
started later, but is also
experiencing strong growth.
The non-U.S. fashion blogs
that have attracted the
most media attention follow.
Australia
Two Australian blogs
that have attracted media
attention are SASSYBELLA.com
and The Bargain Queen. Sassybella
is an online fashion magazine
that allows anyone to "find
information about the latest
It bags, see what It girls
are wearing, as well as
what's going on in the industry"
with an emphasis on the
latest fashion and beauty
news. The Bargain Queen
blog is "dedicated
to sharing information on
how to sniff out a bargain
and save money on food,
fashion, furniture, gardening,
decorating and life's little
luxuries".
Hong Kong
A popular Hong Kong fashion
blog is the satirical Spirit
Fingers. It "attacks
Laura Ashley, monogrammed
handbags and ill-advised
outfits at Paris and Ukraine
fashion weeks, while relishing
products such as breast-enhancing
chewing gum".
United Kingdom
In December 2006, it
was stated that "Britain
still lags behind the US
in developing the fashion
blogosphere, but things
are picking up" (Grant,
2006). Grant mentions Catwalk
Queen as an example of a
UK fashion blog. The London
fashion blog Style Bubble
has also attracted media
attention with their "guide
to trends, designers and
shopping hot spots in Britain's
capital city".
Many fashion blogs use
blogger.com, a free blogging site to create
their blogs. Others have their own site.
An article about
fashion
blogs appeared
on the
New York Times. Because of the vast
audience of these blogs, they can have a
tremendous influence on trends. It's also
a blogging group that promotes healthy cooperation
and sharing.