Why fashion is behind the social curve
Today’s post is by SmartBrief Sales Associate Mary Kate Slattery.
For an industry that survives by championing what’s out, what to have now and what’s next, fashion has proved a slow-moving, Chanel-clad beast when it comes to the adoption of social-media tactics.
In last week’s “Fashion Goes Social” panel at Social Media Week, panelists on the cutting edge of technology and fashion spoke about the woes facing the industry, how social media can help and their thoughts on the next steps.
Why is the industry slow to adapt?
- Sandals in the snow are not an easy sell. In a few days, fashion’s elite will descend on Manhattan for New York Fashion Week, where editors and buyers alike will look forward to fall. What happened to spring? Those clothes debuted in September, and therein lies a crippling disconnect between brands, retailers and consumers. When retailers are reliant on this backwards schedule, they have less room to be nimble and innovate.
- Industry leaders aren’t taking charge. Vogue, famously technophobic Conde Nast’s behemoth print publication, still stands as the fashion industry’s great power. It has the media, the resources and the personalities to make a big move towards mainstreaming social media for fashion. While the company’s dabbled in digital, it has yet to roll out a compelling plan to push fashion beyond the pages of magazines.
- The problem of luxury. The success of some fashion labels is due, in some part, to their exclusivity. Opening up to the crowd through social media threatens this exclusivity. How does the fashion industry balance the need to stay exclusive with the goal of giving the consumer greater access?
What’s next?
- A radical restructure. Focus on getting clothes from runways to retailers and matching up production schedules with actual seasons. It’s a tall order, but the Council of Fashion Designers of America actually met on this issue last year. A move such as this would be a huge nod to consumers and would open all channels for dialogue.
- The rise of the blogger class. Bloggers have stepped up to become the bridge between runway fashion and everyday clothing. They have the power of instant access to consumers that magazines lack, and blogs provides a more dynamic platform than straight print.
- Brands have the chance to establish a unique voice. Panelist Yuli Ziv cited DKNY’s Twitter presence as a success story. “DKNY PR Girl” handles — you guessed it — PR for DKNY, providing backstage peeks into cool events and runway shows while capturing the youthful urban spirit of the brand. Consumers get a dose of insider knowledge, and DKNY maintains a clear brand presence.
The challenge for fashion is that clothing itself doesn’t translate well to digital. A pair of pants is not a song, and it’s hard to replicate the feeling of a fabric or the fit of a shirt online.
What can the online experience of fashion provide that is unique for consumers, retailers and brands?
Image credit, alvarez, via iStock
Posted by uberVU - social comments on February 11th, 2010 at 1:24 pm
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This post was mentioned on Twitter by sbosm: Why #fashion is behind the social curvehttp://ow.ly/16rNn…
Posted by ilikemystyle on February 11th, 2010 at 8:12 pm
Actually we're experiencing the break through right now. Blogs and other people generated fashion networks are getting a lot of attention. Big brands are investing more and more, and this is just the beginning.
Posted by The Working Reading List | TheWorkingWardrobe.com on February 12th, 2010 at 4:25 pm
[...] * SmartBlogs on Social Media – Why fashion is behind the social curve [...]
Posted by Emily on February 12th, 2010 at 9:01 pm
This makes total sense. That being said, I actually just received a link in my inbox to http://news.style.com/, “The Fashion Feed”, which looks to be taking a stab at capturing the Fashion Buzz and trying to engage consumers. I wonder how this venture will do given the challenges outlined in this blog.
Posted by Laura Winkleblack on February 13th, 2010 at 11:48 pm
I handle social media for apparelnews.net, an industry trade publication. We have seen the traffic to the site increase significantly . Facebook and Twitter are now in the top 5 of all traffic sources to the site. We use social media to promote latest issues, content, classifieds.
http://facebook.apparelnews
@apparelnews
Posted by The Fashion Industry is Testing the Waters « Isabella's Blog on February 18th, 2010 at 12:55 pm
[...] to take the plunge into the water. On SmartBrief’s Blog, blogger Jesse Stanchak talks about “Why fashion is behind the social curve”. He mentions that the panelists in “Fashion Goes Social” during Social Media week [...]
Posted by Poll: Which Social Network is Best for Fashion? | FashionStake Blog on July 1st, 2010 at 11:55 am
[...] in some form if they are to move into the future with the rest of the business world. According to some, the fashion industry was slow to this realization but the buzz is building faster than ever in the [...]
Posted by gwen2bfreedom on August 11th, 2010 at 7:53 pm
It makes sense. Every industry is being effected by the internet and blogging. The whole world of advertising and reaching people is changing the same way it changed when television started to become popular for advertising on a large scale. People are relying more and more on an online social network and what they see, read about and discuss in places just like this. Some industries are ahead of the curve and some are having to catch up.
Posted by Sophi on September 29th, 2010 at 2:21 pm
Woo power to the people! I get the vast majority of my insight into what is happening in the fashion world from other bloggers. To be fair I trust their opinion much more then high fashion magazines and it is on their advice that i will go out and buy new clothes.
My recent post Running Jackets
Posted by wholesale korean fashion on October 16th, 2010 at 11:54 pm
It makes sense. Actually we’re experiencing the break through right now.
Posted by Phil on October 29th, 2010 at 1:09 pm
The biggest problem with fashion is that a very few people are at the top telling people what is fashionable, which invariably directly connected to their own pockets.
If it makes them no money then it will not be fashionable, shouldn't the point be to become your own trendsetter?
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Posted by TJ McDowell on December 17th, 2010 at 9:35 am
Magazines have been a great medium for fashion. In my opinion, the industry leaders would have to be the ones to step up to the social media plate. Every time a big company has tried to make social media work, I've been less than impressed. If the experts were sharing the reasons behind the trends, that would be something I think a lot of people would connect with, and that's an easy message to deliver with social media. Don't you think?
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