Fashion Bloggers: Are They Destroying The Fashion Industry?

We’ve seen the rise of fashion bloggers that’s parallel to the rapid growth of the Internet. Not only are they “instant journalists” taking over the media industry by storm, they have also increasingly become the very source of muse and artistry in the fashion world, so much so that they’re winning the fame game of “the most coveted”.

Gone were the days when only fashion experts and professionals could grace the front rows of a fashion show. These days, leading bloggers of today would find a deserving spot next to Anna Wintour as they, like the world’s most prominent editor-in-chief, take note of what high fashion has to offer in the next 6 to 12 months to come.

A click or two shows hundreds of supportive comments towards a blogger’s latest post that ideally helps give civilians an insight into the strange and oftentimes flamboyant realm of high fashion. And with just a swift act of “following”, snippets of the blogger’s daily canoodling with jolie laide items would pepper our feeds on Twitter, Instagram and Facebook – thus indirectly informing us the industry’s current trends and news, especially around the dawn of fashion weeks worldwide.

However, arguments have arise stating that fashion bloggers are ruining the industry. According to writer Courtney Iseman, the hypothesis boils down to the factor of lifestyle cost and high maintenance of these fashion-forward leaders among us.

“Thanks to the now-commonplace role of ‘fashion blogger’ it’s the daily routine of some to share their enviable experiences in the industry, from the parties and shows they attend to the gifts they receive from designers,” she explains to shopping and style website Rack National.

Much of the events, she says, are shared via social platforms such as Instagram by these bloggers to “perfectly arrange” insight into their constantly “photo-ready lives”, all of which seems too much like an unattainable fantasy to most people.

“The gap between the costs of luxury fashion and what most of the people propelling that industry forward earn can be overwhelmingly wide,” says Iseman further in the article.

It also doesn’t help that the “watchdog” status these bloggers have attained are overriding the journalistic integrity of actual fashion reporters and writers, which then cheapens the media industry’s credibility. Unlike the bloggers whose pockets are fattened by appearance fees, product endorsements and free gifts, fashion journalists who study, research and monitor the industry to a much greater extent are getting little pay in return.

“Seeing someone on Instagram get much closer to that elite part of fashion — meeting those designers, jet setting around to be photographed in those clothes — can be frustrating when you know you have the drive and the skill set to get there, but feel like you might not be obtaining the same opportunities because of your nine-to-five or nine-to-nine responsibilities,” continues Iseman in explaining the rationale.

Iseman is not the only person to tread on the cons of fashion bloggers. Fashion heavyweight Oscar de la Renta famously expressed his dissatisfaction over the increasing disconnection between attendees of fashion shows and the art being displayed on the runways.

The 81-year-old fashion mogul once told Women’s Wear Daily (WWD) website that he is sick and tired of witnessing fashion shows being piled by celebrated people “with no direct connection to the clothes”. He also added that New York Fashion Week for instance has turned into “a highly chaotic circus” where relevant attendees find it hard and tiring to get through with the constant mobbing of celebrities and bloggers by fascinated photographers and civilians alike. The acquired view reportedly prompted him to cut down invites, leaving them to be received only by those “with a legitimate professional purpose”.

So, is fashion blogging a channel for destructing the fashion industry after all? It may not entirely so, as writer Jessica Wilkins of Style Blazer website would contend.

“To credit our predecessor’s knowledge and efforts, I do believe that a more well-informed blogger is able to write more in depth pieces – but not every reader is looking for an in depth analysis of the inspiration behind Versace’s Resort collection,” says Wilkins in an article defending fashion bloggers. “For this reason there is room for both traditional and non-traditional fashion media.”

The writer also adds that “there will always be exclusivity” in the industry’s upper echelons, but admittance should be granted if a blogger has real interests and skills to address fashion. So is a lack of filtering attendees and their skill sets the real issue at hand?

This is possible, or so according to Robert Burke. In an interview with Edward Helmore of The Guardian, the fashion consultant expresses the need for “balance” at fashion events, despite the importance that celebrities and bloggers pose to the fashion industry.

“Sometimes you can hardly see the show because people are jumping up to photograph each other,” says Burke. “Designers want to bring the focus back to the clothing.”

The conclusion thus revolves around the inevitable impact of technology on the landscape of fashion. Designers like Tom Ford would preview their clothes to selected parties and forbid photography during their presentations, reports Helmore further. However, such actions may still not suffice, thus rendering a strict process of reorganising the rules surrounding publicity channels an imperative step, which the likes of de la Renta have recognised.

“With fashion’s global audience accustomed to instant pictures and streaming, Ford’s approach may not be the answer either. Business is business and, without orders, the fashion show would cease to exist.”