Fashion blog

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Fashion blogs are blogs that cover the fashion industry, clothing, and lifestyle related topics.

Contents

Definition

A fashion blog can cover many topics, such as specific items of clothing and accessories, beauty tips, trends in various apparel markets (haute couture, prêt-à-porter , etc.), celebrity fashion choices, and street fashion trends. [1] [2] They cover fashion at all levels, from the largest fashion design houses to the smallest independent designers. [2]

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. It relies heavily on media and advertising to communicate the producer's preferences and goals, and to influence public perception through various types of promotion. Fashion can be influenced by social change and countertrends outside the producer, retailer, or advertiser's control. As fashion is driven by trends both inside and outside the fashion industry, fashion blogs and other "new media" outside the control of traditional establishments represent a disruptive innovation to the social dynamics of mass media and fashion consumption in modern consumer society. The blogosphere will likely have a considerable long-term influence on the industry, as the number of fashion-based blogs continues to grow with increasing numbers of consumers able to create and modify the media that they consume, and traditional producers and advertisers adapting their practices to avoid dilution of their influence.[ citation needed ]

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, were interviewed by Imran Ahmed, founder and editor of The Business of Fashion website. 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, and how fashion blog posts affect 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 for three or four days to hear a review on their line, but now the feedback comes almost instantly. When asked about how the blogs directly affect their own designs, they explained that 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. [3]

Founder of Independent Fashion Blogger (IFB) Jennine Jacob stated how thrilled she was to get validation from high-end fashion designers such as Proenza Schouler. Imran Amed stated that there will always be designers and editors who will never fully wrap their heads around 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 the fashion world to reap the full benefits. [3]

The New York Times "Style" section writer, 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 writes 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 the millions of fashion bloggers around the world. Cutrone later states 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. [4]

From a reader’s standpoint

The blogosphere has opened up many doors for the fashion industry, one of which is allowing the ordinary people to partake in the "elite" fashion world and discuss their likes and dislikes on the way fashion is presented in the media. [5] 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 written in Harper's 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". [6] A similar statement was said by Constance White, the style director for eBay 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. [7]

Unlike fashion-focused magazines and television shows, fashion blogs are able to be updated more frequently, keeping up to date with the new and up-and-coming fashion trends. [8]

From an advertising standpoint

Many of these fashion blogs also serve as a source of advertisement for both designers and fashion retail stores. These 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. Many of the top fashion bloggers are said to have received free samples of the designer pieces that they have mentioned in their blogs and some top fashion bloggers got paid for wearing and publishing a brand name product on their Instagram account. [9] [10]

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 magazines and newspaper articles, such as Coutorture and New York Magazine, these fashion blogs provided a larger viewing and reading audience for the fashion week. [11]

In the past years, American Express has become increasingly involved in New York City Fashion Week. In 2010 American Express sponsored Evolving Influence, the first international bloggers' conference in New York City, during which many surveys and studies took place about the usefulness and tactics used in fashion blogs. Through 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. [11]

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 27 million 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.) [12]

This figure is likely inflated by many personal blogs that mention fashion, as opposed to those 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". [13] Lara Zamiatin estimated in November 2006 that there are now "several hundred fashion blogs". [14]

In March 2019, UK-based communications technology company Vuelio released a blogging industry report white paper containing longitudinal survey data (collected annually 2016-2018) and subsequent analysis. The top five blog categories were identified as: Fashion & Beauty, Lifestyle, Parenting, Food & Drink and Travel. In fact, these five "supersectors" collectively on average accounted for two-thirds of all blogs. A key finding was a marked decrease in Fashion & Beauty category blogs over this three-year period. As a percentage of all blogs, Fashion & Beauty was reported at the following levels per year: 22% in 2016, 13% in 2017, and 8% in 2018. [15]

“[Fashion & Beauty] has seen the biggest drop in number of blogs from 2016, and as this category is most likely to attract between 1,000 – 10,000 unique visitors per month (medium size), it suggests that the market for this topic is in decline.” [15]

Types of fashion blogs

By writer's expertise

Fashion blogs may be written by insiders, outsiders, or aspiring insiders. [1]

Insiders are people who work or have previously worked in the fashion industry or for the traditional fashion media. In addition, some fashion insiders write occasionally as guest bloggers on larger sites. For example, the fashion designer Nanette Lepore has contributed to Glam.com. [12]

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.

By ownership

Fashion blogs may be owned either by individuals or by companies.

The types of individuals running fashion blogs are listed above.

The types of companies now running fashion blogs include large mainstream media organizations and fashion retailers. Condé Nast Publications is a mainstream media organization with fashion blogs. Fashion retailers with blogs include Bluefly, Queen of Suburbia, and Splendora. [13]

History

Fashion blogs first appeared in the blogosphere prior to 2002. [16] 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 the fashion bloggers were the two main themes in the coverage of fashion blogs.

In 2009, CNN wrote about a blogger, Rumi Neely of Fashion Toast, who went from a small website to the runway for a popular label. [17]

Early fashion blogs

Fashion blogs first appeared in the blogosphere prior to 2002, [16] and Kathryn Finney, founder of Budget Fashionista, was invited to New York Fashion Week as early as September 2003. [12] A short time later, Fashiontribes.com was being seated fourth row at shows like Bill Blass. Paris-based American fashion blogger Diane Pernet, founder of A Shaded View on Fashion, [18] has been called "the original style blogger [19] " by The New York Times and has been a fashion blogger since 2005. [20]

In 2004, Bryan Grey-Yambao founded his namesake blog Bryanboy. He helped set the standards for designer “gifting” and disclosure of the same in the fashion blogosphere; an area where it is currently considered acceptable for a blogger to take international airfare, accommodation, designer goods and sometimes even celebrity-style appearance fees from the major brands they cover. [21]

By 2008, Tina Craig and Kelly Cook of Bag Snob.com were seated second row at shows like Diane von Furstenberg and Oscar de la Renta. [22]

In 2004, Michelle Madhok introduced SheFinds.com, "an online shopping publication". By 2005, the site earned $300,000 per year, although most of that revenue went towards running expenses and Madhok paid herself just $40,000 per year. [23]

Mainstream media acceptance of fashion blogging

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. [22] Large advertisers like H&M and Gap have bought advertising on fashion blogs, [22] and other large companies like the underwear-maker Jockey are targeting fashion blogs in their PR efforts. [13]

Many big media organizations have started fashion blogs and the best fashion bloggers are now also being offered mainstream media positions.

Fashion blogging is also now regarded as worthy of mainstream media coverage. The reference list below shows the media publications that have written about fashion blogs. These publications include The Wall Street Journal , The New York Times, Fast Company and The Sydney Morning Herald .

Commercialization of fashion blogging

Fashion blogging is rapidly becoming a highly profitable new media business, with a mixture of independent blogs and well-funded fashion blog networks competing to dominate the space.

Other commercially successful independent fashion blogs include Budget Fashionista, which reportedly brings in $600,000 a year in revenue [24] and The Bag Snob, which "generates a six-figure income, mainly from advertising". By 2008 SheFinds.com was generating $400,000 in revenue per year. [25] Personal style blogger Aimee Song from SongofStyle.com has told WWD that she gets paid anywhere from a couple thousand to $50,000 for hosting an event or Instagramming a brand. [26]

There have also been a series of business deals that have brought serious investor money into the fashion blogging space. These include:

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Blog</span> Discussion or informational site published on the internet

A blog is an informational website consisting of discrete, often informal diary-style text entries (posts). Posts are typically displayed in reverse chronological order so that the most recent post appears first, at the top of the web page. In the 2000s, blogs were often the work of a single individual, occasionally of a small group, and often covered a single subject or topic. In the 2010s, "multi-author blogs" (MABs) emerged, featuring the writing of multiple authors and sometimes professionally edited. MABs from newspapers, other media outlets, universities, think tanks, advocacy groups, and similar institutions account for an increasing quantity of blog traffic. The rise of Twitter and other "microblogging" systems helps integrate MABs and single-author blogs into the news media. Blog can also be used as a verb, meaning to maintain or add content to a blog.

The blogosphere is made up of all blogs and their interconnections. The term implies that blogs exist together as a connected community or as a social networking service in which everyday authors can publish their opinions and views.

Following a crackdown on Iranian media beginning in 2000, many Iranians turned to weblogging to provide and find political news. The first Persian language blog is thought to have been created by Hossein Derakhshan,, in 2001. Derakhshan also provided readers with a simple instruction manual in Persian on how to start a blog. In 2004, a census of blogs around the world by the NITLE found 64,000 Persian language blogs. In that year the Islamic government also began to arrest and charge bloggers as political dissidents and by 2005 dozens of bloggers had been arrested.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Jason Kottke</span> American blogger and designer (born 1973)

Jason Kottke is an American blogger, graphic designer, and web designer known for his blog Kottke.org. He won a Lifetime Achievement Award as a blogger. As of July 2013, his blog is ranked #66 overall and #20 in Science on the Technorati Top 100.

The Mormon blogosphere is a segment of the blogosphere focused on issues related to the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Steve Rubel</span>

Steve Rubel is a public relations executive and professional blogger. While with the firm CooperKatz & Co., he advised clients on using blogs in their business strategy and started his own blog, Micro Persuasion, in 2004. The focus of his blog is the effect of blogging on the public relations industry.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Proenza Schouler</span> Womenswear and accessories brand

Proenza Schouler is a womenswear and accessories brand founded in New York City in 2002 by designers Jack McCollough and Lazaro Hernandez. In October 2024 Proenza Schouler appointed Shira Suveyke Snyder as chief executive officer, succeeding Kay Hong who had been in the role since 2018.

Nicolas Caito is a French patternmaker who works in New York City. According to Elle magazine, he is "New York's most in-demand patternmaker" and is often credited with increasing the level of technical craftsmanship in American fashion to a level formerly seen only in Milan and Paris.

While the term "blog" was not coined until the late 1990s, the history of blogging starts with several digital precursors to it. Before "blogging" became popular, digital communities took many forms, including Usenet, commercial online services such as GEnie, BiX and the early CompuServe, e-mail lists and Bulletin Board Systems (BBS). In the 1990s, Internet forum software, such as WebEx, created running conversations with "threads". Threads are topical connections between messages on a metaphorical "corkboard". Some have likened blogging to the Mass-Observation project of the mid-20th century.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Street style</span> Fashion movement based on individualism

Street style is fashion that is considered to have emerged not from studios, but from the population at large. Street fashion is generally associated with youth culture, and is most often seen in major urban centers. Magazines and newspapers commonly feature candid photographs of individuals wearing urban, stylish clothing. Mainstream fashion often appropriates street fashion trends as influences. Most major youth subcultures have had an associated street fashion. Street style is different all around the globe.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Bryanboy</span> Swedish fashion blogger and socialite

Bryan Grey Yambao, also known as Bryanboy, is a Filipino-born Swedish fashion blogger and socialite. A former web developer, he started blogging at age 24 from his parents' Manila home.

The Hindi blogosphere is the online community of Hindi-language weblogs that are a part of the larger Indian blogosphere.

Blogging in New Zealand is dominated by a community of around 600 blogs that comment largely on New Zealand politics, society and occurrences. One list of over 200 "author-operated, public discourse" blogs in New Zealand suggests New Zealand blogs cover a wide range of ideological positions but lack female contributors. Blogging is an active part of the media of New Zealand.

A feminist blog presents the issues of feminism through a blog. These websites emerged in the late 1990s and early 2000s, and focus on issues such as gender equality, women's rights, and social justice, among other topics related to feminism. These platforms offer unique perspectives and insights, providing a voice for feminist discourse and activism in the digital age.

The Canadian political blogosphere includes political commentary using any social media technology. Its culture differs from that of Europe or the US. The term 'blogosphere' was first formed colloquially in 1999, and has since evolved to mean "the cultural or intellectual environment in which blogs are written and read."

Blogging is increasingly used in many countries around the globe, including those with oppressive and authoritarian regimes. In many Arab countries with oppressive and authoritarian regimes, where the government conventionally has controlled print and broadcast media, blogs and other forms of new media provide a new public sphere where citizens can obtain information they are interested in and exchange their personal opinion concerning several topics, including politics, economics, culture, love, life and religion.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Malini Agarwal</span> Indian blogger

Malini Agarwal, also known as MissMalini, is an Indian digital influencer, TV host, entrepreneur, and author. She began her career as a radio jockey at Radio One in Mumbai, India, and later served as the head of digital content for Channel [v] India. In 2008, she established her blog, MissMalini.com, where she covers topics related to Bollywood, Indian television, fashion, beauty, and lifestyle. Aside from radio and her blog, she has also guest anchored several television shows, including CNN-IBN's Tech Toyz and UTV Bindass' Style Police, as well as several seasons of her own show, MissMalini's World on TLC, Inside Access with MissMalini on Vh1 Kya Scene Hai on Zoom, Feet Up With the Stars on Voot.

Susanna Lau is a Chinese-British journalist and blogger. She got her start as a fashion blogger.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Cailli and Sam Beckerman</span> Canadian identical twin influencers

Caillianne Beckerman and Samantha Beckerman, also known as the Beckerman sisters or Beckerman twins, are Canadian, identical twin fashion bloggers and two of the top social influencers in Canada, according to Cision. They are known for their appearances and blogging from New York Fashion Week.

A personal styleblogger is an individual who manages an online platform that covers several aspects of fashion. These blogs, often produced independently, post pictures of the blogger to show their outfits and lifestyle to a number of followers. They influence consumer taste and preferences, often functioning as an intermediary between businesses and consumer. From a company perspective, the blogger is perceived as a promotional tool. From the consumer side, high-reputation bloggers are considered opinion leaders. This often results in material benefits, rewards, branded fashion clothing and paid sponsorship, as well as status in the field of fashion.

References

  1. 1 2 Corcoran, Cate T. Blogging for bags, "Women's Wear Daily", October 23, 2006.
  2. 1 2 Weil, Jennifer with contributions from Corcoran, Cate T. and Moir, Jane. In their sites, "Women's Wear Daily", June 29, 2006.
  3. 1 2 Jacobs, Jennine. "Proenza Schouler Sees "Extraordinary Impact" of Fashion Bloggers". The Coveted. Archived from the original on 26 April 2012. Retrieved 5 December 2011.
  4. ↑ Wilson, Eric. "The New York Times Catches on to the Impact of Fashion Bloggers". The Fashion Bomb Blog. Archived from the original on 3 April 2015. Retrieved 5 December 2011.
  5. ↑ Leung, Linda (2008-01-01). Digital Experience Design: Ideas, Industries, Interaction. Intellect Books. ISBN   9781841502090.
  6. ↑ Pham, M.-H. T. (2011). "Blog Ambition: Fashion, Feelings, and the Political Economy of the Digital Raced Body". Camera Obscura: Feminism, Culture, and Media Studies. 26 (1 76): 1–37. doi:10.1215/02705346-2010-013 . Retrieved 13 October 2011.
  7. ↑ Corcoran, Cate (February 2006). "The Blogs That Took Over the Tents" (PDF). WWD: 30. Archived from the original (PDF) on 9 April 2011. Retrieved 13 October 2011.
  8. ↑ Hauge, Atle (January 2006). "Gatekeepers and knowledge diffusion in the fashion industry" (PDF): 9–16. Archived from the original (PDF) on 15 April 2012. Retrieved 13 October 2011.{{cite journal}}: Cite journal requires |journal= (help)
  9. ↑ Khodadad, Ghazaleh (May 2010). "FASHIONFEVER" (PDF): 21–29. Archived from the original (PDF) on 2012-04-25.{{cite journal}}: Cite journal requires |journal= (help)
  10. ↑ "Random Fashion Blogger from Utah Makes $1 Million a Year", June 12, 2014. Accessed October 4, 2014.
  11. 1 2 Wright, Marcala. "The Impact of Bloggers on New York Fashion Week". FFM. Archived from the original on 1 December 2011. Retrieved 5 December 2011.
  12. 1 2 3 Corcoran, Cate T. The blogs that took over the tents, "Women's Wear Daily", February 6, 2006.
  13. 1 2 3 La Ferla, Ruth. "Online, Feisty Critics", The New York Times, September 8, 2005. Accessed November 24, 2006.
  14. ↑ Zamiatin, Lara. Let slip the blogs of wore, "Sydney Morning Herald", July 27, 2006. Accessed November 24, 2006.
  15. 1 2 "UK Bloggers Survey 2019" (PDF). Vuelio. March 2019. Retrieved July 4, 2022.
  16. 1 2 Sinclair, Jenny. Fashion blogs, "The Age", October 17, 2002. Accessed November 18, 2006.
  17. ↑ "A fashion blog leads to the Paris runway". CNN . Retrieved 9 June 2015.
  18. ↑ "Home - Fashion Week" . Retrieved 2018-10-06.
  19. ↑ Murphy, Tim. "Q. and A. | Diane Pernet, the Original Style Blogger, on Fashion and Film". T Magazine. Retrieved 2018-10-06.
  20. ↑ "Diane Pernetis One of the 500 People Shaping the Global Fashion Industry". The Business of Fashion. Retrieved 2018-10-06.
  21. ↑ "How Fashion Blogger BryanBoy Became a Front-Row Fixture". The New York Observer . 8 February 2012.
  22. 1 2 3 Dodes, Rachel. "Bloggers get under the tent" [ permanent dead link ], The Wall Street Journal, September 12, 2006. Accessed November 18, 2006.
  23. ↑ Tahmincioglu, Eve. When the Boss Is Last in Line for a Paycheck, The New York Times, March 22, 2007. Accessed May 29, 2008.
  24. ↑ "13 Questions for a Fashion Blogger - Kathryn Finney", New York Daily News, October 17, 2007.
  25. ↑ "White Cat Media Tells You Where to Get a Bargain, Reality Checks Article". Inc.com. 1 March 2008.
  26. ↑ Price, Leslie (5 June 2012). "LA Blogger Aimee Song Makes Up to $50,000 On Brand Collabs". Racked LA.
  27. ↑ Arrington, Michael. "Sequoia Invests in Blog Network Sugar Publishing", TechCrunch, October 16, 2006. Accessed October 13, 2007.
  28. ↑ Schachter, Ken. "Glam Media Fashionistas Get $18.5M" Archived 2008-09-20 at the Wayback Machine , Red Herring, 14 December 2006. Accessed October 13, 2007.
  29. ↑ McCarthy, Caroline. "Sugar's shopping spree goes on with Coutorture buy", CNET news.com, October 9, 2007. Accessed October 13, 2007.
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