This September's Issue: How the Digital Age has Changed the Fashion Industry

          Strolling up to Lincoln Center, after changing from the most comfortable of ballet flats to the highest of heels, I reveled at the array of outfits in the sea of incredibly well dressed people around me. Two weeks off the plane from Texas, I was going to my first fashion show…and I was shaking in my grey suede wedge boots. Photographers were swarming outside Lincoln Center, the location of Mercedes Benz Fashion Week, snapping photos of anyone who exuded an edgy and original sense of style. Celebrities, Socialites, and Editors weren’t the only ones getting their trendy get up’s documented- well known bloggers posed for the cameras and were some of the best dressed attendees. Fashion Week is a chance for designers to showcase their collections for the upcoming season, and in the past was reserved only for the elite- the crème de la crème of the fashion world. Fashion Week is the pinnacle of the fashion industry; Think of it as a fashion junkie’s Birthday, Christmas and Thanksgiving all rolled in to one hectic week. Formerly, tickets to these shows were exclusive and only a select few were bestowed with the privilege to attend. However, now with the introduction of technology such as Smartphones, Blogging and the Internet, the hoi polloi can be fashionistas with the click of a few buttons.

Technology has made for the mass distribution of fashion culture: Designers are now making their runway shows available for live streaming, Websites like Pinterest allow anyone with internet access to create their own personal dream closet and inspiration board with images from fashion shows, stores, and street style, and anyone with a keen eye and artful writing can start a fashion blog in the hopes that it will pave their way to a high fashion career. As fashion is undoubtedly becoming more accessible, it is safe to question if the glamour and allure of the industry is somehow becoming lost?

Increasingly evident this past New York Fashion Week was the presence of smartphones and social media. As models graced the runways, social media addicts took pics with their iPhones and Androids to upload them on Instagram and Twitter. With a reported 100 million users, Instagram is one of the most popular smartphone apps out there and has become a way for publications, designers and bloggers to reach their fans. Designers like Rebecca Minkoff, Alice and Olivia, Rachel Zoe and Charlotte Ronson uploaded backstage photos of models getting their makeup done and sneak peaks of their collections to Instagram. For the first time in history those who worship at the altar of clothing get backstage access and front row seats without ever having to take a trip to Lincoln Center. Other notable fashion Instagram accounts include: nytimesfashion, nylonmag, and teenvogue. The veil of secrecy has been lifted and as pictures are posted instantly, the fashion world becomes increasingly accessible.

In 2010, fashion housessuch as Dolce & Gabanna, Louis Vuitton, and Oscar de la Renta beganstreaming their fashion shows live on Facebook and Livestream. For a world that previously adored its’ exclusivity and celebrity, allowing consumers to view collections at the same time as editors and buyers is a huge leap forward, and technology gets all the credit. Live streaming of shows means that bloggers have the same front row seats as the fashion critics for Vogue and Harper’s Bazaar. Instead of going to the New York Times style section to read the review for Diane Von Furstenberg’s Spring/Summer 2013 collection, a blogger can now watch the show live at home, write a personal review and upload it to their blog in no time. With almost unlimited accessibility, the fashion blog could now be considered as reliable as any review in Cosmopolitan. According to Uri Minkoff, CEO of Rebecca Minkoff, “The moment the designer or the brands shows their goods, not only do you have editors and buyers there, but through major platforms of Facebook, Twitter, Instagram and Pinterest you're getting real time critiques. You've added another layer on the editorial side.” Through blogging, information on trends can be dispersed at a speed like never before. In the pre-social media era, consumers would be forced to read a magazine to become aware of the trends before they hit stores. Because fashion shows are shown six months before a season, and therefore six months before the clothes in said fashion show will become available, knowledge of a certain seasons trends would be limited to only those who attended the show. Now that shows are being streamed, and photos of clothes are available instantly, consumers become aware of popular trends at the same time as those in attendance at shows.

I will be one to admit there is no other feeling than being in attendance at a fashion show, the lights dim and as the music blasts and the first model struts out onto the runway the lights come back up, energy can be felt buzzing throughout the room. However I am eternally grateful to the acceptance of social media by the fashion industry. The insider information made available to one simply by checking one’s Instagram and Twitter feeds is almost uncanny. By ‘pinning’ my favorite runway looks from recent shows I feel like Anna Wintour, choosing the best of Fashion Week. While I am attracted to the exclusivity of the industry, and I think that in some respects the fashion world will always be somewhat reserved for the insiders, the way that technology has bridged the gap and brought fashion week to the common man is commendable. I am still a fashion magazine connoisseur, but one must adapt to the rapidly changing ways of our digital society, and as the fashion world has showed us the embracing of technology is a great thing.

my personal Pinterest clothing inspiration

 Bibliography:

Cutler, Kim-Mai. "Zuckerberg On Instagram (Now 100M Users Strong): “No Agenda” Except Supporting App’s Growth." TechCrunch. 11 Sept. 2012. Web. 16 Sept. 2012. <http://techcrunch.com/2012/09/11/zuckerberg-instagram/>.

Indvik, Lauren. "Oscar De La Renta to Stream Runway Show Live on Facebook." Mashable. 7 June 2010. Web. 16 Sept. 2012. <http://mashable.com/2010/06/07/oscar-de-la-renta-live-facebook/>.

Grinberg, Emanuella. "Social Media Bring Fashion to the Masses - CNN.com." CNN. Cable News Network, 01 Jan. 1970. Web. 16 Sept. 2012. <http://www.cnn.com/2012/09/09/living/fashion-week-social-media-technology/index.html>.