Rubrique

Something that both surprised and interested me this year in class was learning that the success of the knockoff industry is largely due to the fact that fashion designs are not protected under copyright law in the United States.

Image source here.

After further investigation into the subject, I found out that in September of 2012, New York Sen. Chuck Schumer proposed the Innovative Design Protection Act of 2012. This bill would grant copyright protection to fashion designs in the U.S., because at the moment, designs in the fashion world are unprotected by copyright law–unlike work created by composers or novelists. 

According to an article for Bustle, original prints, patterns, color arrangements, and “novel combinations of elements” are currently protected. If it had passed, the law would protect designs for three years if they “(i) are the result of a designer’s own creative endeavor; and (ii) provide a unique, distinguishable, non-trivial and non-utilitarian variation over prior designs for similar types of articles.”

The fact that fashion designs were not protected by copyright laws already perplexed me. The reason behind it is that fashion is considered utilitarian before it is considered artistic.

Image source here.

While some people in the industry regard knock-offs as the bane of the fashion world, Kal Raustiala, coauthor of The Knockoff Economy: How Imitation Sparks Innovation argues that knockoffs are a “turbocharger that spins the fashion cycle faster, so things come into fashion fast, they go out of fashion faster faster, and that makes fashion designers want to come up with something new because we want something new.” 

While it is true that knockoffs ignite the fashion cycle, it is important to consider the cost of artistic integrity. If we continue to support fast-fashion institutions like Forever 21 and discourage true craftsmanship, fashion will truly be diluted to a utilitarian condition.

Sources:

In retail, the strategy of brand extension can make or break a company. When extending a brand, a company is essentially using a previously successful brand name to launch a new product or line. When done properly, companies save money by avoiding the cost of promoting a completely new brand name, while at the same time diversifying its product line. In less successful situations, awkward or far-reaching brand extensions can leave consumers puzzled. There is no doubt, however, that this business strategy is used everywhere–not just in the business of fashion, but in the food, transportation, and media industries as well.

According to Dr. Edward Tauber, a research associate for the brand extension agency Parham Santana, there are three essential rules that companies must abide by in order to successfully extend their brands:

Image edited from a post by @poshs 

Many apparel companies find great success when extending into homeware. H&M first extended its apparel brand into home decor and furniture with the launch of H&M Home in 2009. Since then, the company has made its home merchandise available in stores and online in Europe, the United States and Malaysia. A handful of stand-alone H&M Home stores are located in Scandinavia, the UK and the Netherlands. 

Image source here.

Profits of the H&M homeware line seem to parallel Tauber’s rules of brand extension success.  “Our concept is fashion for your home,” says Evelina Kravaev Söderberg, global head of design for H&M Home. “As we are H&M, of course we get a lot of inspiration from the garment side when it comes to colours, fabrics and prints, but there are differences as well, as not all fashion trends are suitable for the home interior.”

Image source here.

Like most things, it seems brand extension is all about balance– a symbiotic relationship between familiarity and edge that when done properly, results in happy companies and happy consumers.

Additional Sources:

WGSN: Fashion to Furniture

As our society continues to navigate its relationship with the Internet and modern technologies, consumers and retailers alike must ask: What is the future of retailing?

Image source here.

According to Puneet Mehta, contributor to Entrepreneur magazine, the mainstays of future retail include:

A focus on “personal shopping” apps. “In-store beacons will automatically wake up consumers’ apps to deliver highly relevant and personal content.”

In-store mapping will become fine-tuned, guaranteeing better design layouts and flow within the store.

To combat one of the most exhausting parts of the brick-and-mortar shopping experiences, retailers will implement a “self checkout 2.0,” following Apple’s lead with its EasyPay self-mobile checkout service.

A more personalized relationship between customer and sales associate. “Through point-of-service applications or mobile or tablet devices, sales associates will instantly and automatically access a shopper’s profile, customer preferences and buying history to provide a better and efficient experience.”

“The power of tribes.” Communities have sprung up around common interests like gaming, veganism, and CrossFit. Retailers are taking notice of these communities, and are rebranding to accommodate and cater to them.

Amazon.com’s first brick-and-mortar store in Seattle, WA. Image source here.

All that being said, is the bricks-and-mortar store in danger of becoming extinct altogether?

Let’s talk about the pros and cons first. The advantages that come with the brick-and-mortar experience include the ability to feel the fabric, try it on your own body, and make sure there aren’t any problems with the garment itself before making the purchase. Disadvantages include the hassle of making the trek to the store, navigating the intimidatingly vast selection, and receiving awkward and sometimes inaccurate customer service—We’ve all had the social anxiety-inducing experience of politely nodding and affirming a selection made by a benevolently misguided sales associate. 

The age of tech shopping is here, and will stay here for good in whatever shape it takes form. However, in an article for Bplans, a website owned by Palo Alto Software, Candice Landau explains why in-store shopping is unlikely to die. Landau argues that shopping is often a social experience, bonding time shared amongst friends and family, as well as a visceral experience. Our ability to touch, smell, and taste products in physical stores is something that online shopping can’t recreate (yet.) There's no shipping delay, no need to worry about mailing anything back, and the instant gratification that comes with immediately taking home a new purchase.

Despite all this, is online shopping still the future?

Urban Outfitters’ app provides customers with additional deals and exclusive features. Image source here.

Through algorithms and collected data, consumers are able to receive custom selections in accordance with their shopping and searching history. This means a highly-personalized shopping experience that many find beneficial. However, online shopping has its downsides, too. There can often be discontinuities for online shoppers between the picture and the real product. 

What is omni-channel retailing?

Image source here.

Omni-channel retailing is defined by HubSpot as a “multi-channel sales approach that provides the customer with an integrated shopping experience. The customer can be shopping online from a desktop or mobile device, or by telephone, or in a bricks and mortar store and the experience would be seamless.” It’s important to note that while all omni-channel experiences use multiple channels, not all multi-channel experiences are omni-channel. The key to this type of retailing is that each method the retailer uses works seamlessly together, be it social media campaigns, a crisp website, or mobile marketing.

One retail company that recently entered the omni-channel game is Piperlime. The online retailer started in 2006 with a focus on shoes and handbags, eventually expanding to include apparel and then menswear in 2011. In the fall of 2012, Piperlime officially moved into physical retailing with the opening of a brick-and-mortar store in New York.

Image source here.

Terry J. Lundgren, president and CEO of Macy’s Inc., believes omni-channel retailing is the key to reaching the Millenial consumer, predicting that “This will be the single-biggest purchasing group, bigger than the Baby Boomers.…”

As for the future of retail: Instead of regarding traditional and progressive retail methods as combating entities, a marriage between the two will mean prosperous companies and satisfied consumers.

Sources:

Entrepreneur: Why the Future of Retail Will Blow Your Mind

WWD: Piperlime Joins Rush to Omni-channel World

HubSpot: 7 Inspiring Examples of Omni-Channel User Experiences

Image source edited from here.

In early February, India’s prime minister, Narendra Modi launched the “Make in India” week. This event was created as part of the Indian government’s new initiative to invigorate the country’s economy. Over 1,000 companies and delegates from over 60 countries were estimated to have participated.  

Image source here.

In an article for The Business of Fashion, reporter Bandana Tewari explains, “By opening up to outside investment, partnerships, expertise and efficiencies, the government aims to usher in an era where India will not only produce for the world, but also feed a growing consumer base.”

India has been receiving a significant number of accolades, causing global business leaders around the world to pay attention. The country has been ranked No.1 investment destination by Ernst & Young, No.1 in the Growth, Innovation and Leadership Index by Frost and Sullivan, No.1 in the Baseline Profitability Index by Foreign Policy magazine, and the world’s fastest growing large economy by the IMF.

Image source here.

India is the world’s second largest textile manufacturer, and the industry could be one of the biggest success stories from the “Make in India” campaign. According to a 2015 report by Corporate Catalyst India, the textiles industry is expected to reach $141 billion by 2021 (from around $108 billion today), and could potentially reach the $500 billion mark over the next ten years.

What does this all mean for the U.S. market?

Already, many big international apparel and manufacturing names have invested in India. These include fashion brands like Zara, Mango, Benetton, Esprit, Levi’s and Forever 21, as well as textile machinery manufactures Rieter and Trutzschler.

Image source here.

According to Tewari, “Affordable raw material and labour, great strides in textile technology and the ‘Make in India’ policy reforms could together make India not only a preferred but a formidable destination for foreign investment in the textile and garment business.”

To learn more about the Make in India campaign go here.

Sources:

It seems that for Millennials, and even more so for the bright-eyed and bushy-tailed youth of Generation Z, ethical and eco-friendly fashion has assumed a role of high value. Natural fibers, ethical manufacturing, and sustainable raw materials are used as marketing ploys to lure these new conscious consumers.  Smaller brands like Reformation pride themselves on sustainability-focused materials— even H&M, the notorious fast-fashion company, has released a “Conscious Collection” in recent years.

Personal morals and shared ethics are increasingly becoming interwoven into each segment of the fashion industry. Because of this, I and many others are wondering, where does that leave fur? 

Image source here

The world fur market was established in the early modern period, after the late Middle Ages. The material served as a crucial survival tool for inhabitants of boreal and tundra environments.  Beginning in the medieval era, it was also used to signify wealth and social standing, with royalty such as King George III sporting opulent ermine robes. Today, fur is still used as a survival tool for many. However, in the Western world, luxury trumps necessity, and this luxury is especially controversial. 

Image source here

For so long it has been acknowledged that in order to access this material, an animal must be killed and skinned by man. Some designers are finding a way around this process by a principle called “sustainable use.” A mother fox, for example, will produce more young than nature can support into adulthood. These foxes die from hunger, disease, or predatory attack. Using this particular surplus, some fur advocates argue, would eliminate a reduction in wildlife populations and do away with the inhumane killings that many fur trader perform. 

One example of this sustainable practice is Petite Mort, a brand started by former global sustainability consultant Pamela Paquin that is comprised of furs collected from—to put in simply— roadkill. If you think supplies would be scarce, think again. Approximately one million animals per day are killed on the streets of the U.S. or 365 million per year. In an interview with Modern Farmer, Paquin said, “Fur is a very sensual and luxurious product that has been shamed and shameful for a very very long time. This is a shameless fur. This is champagne all night and no hangover.”

Image source here

While the sustainable use of fur is a great loophole to this ethical dilemma, there are still many problematic fur farms, where animals are bred from infancy specifically to be killed and skinned, and are often forced to live in horrible conditions until their demise. Fur farming accounts for 85% of the global fur trade. PETA is obviously a strong advocate against any and all fur manufacturers, citing electrocution and suffocation as two cruel tactics for harvesting furs.

Image source here

As for a high fashion perspective, Karl Lagerfeld discussed his role in designing fur garments for houses like Fendi and Chloé in an interview for WWD. When asked about his thoughts on the recent popularity of fur in haute couture fashion he said, “You know, trends come and go, so there are no rules. For the moment, people like fur, but they like fur as a fantasy, not as a status symbol.”

Here’s another excerpt from the interview:

WWD: Is the scarcity of fine fur that serious?

K.L.: They’re rarer and rarer. That means the activists don’t have to be too angry because there is less and less and it becomes more and more expensive.

Image source here

As for me, I’m still on the fence about fur. I have been increasingly interested in sustainable fashion and wholeheartedly believe there is a crucial need for reform in the fur industry. At the same time, I can’t deny how badass a fur jacket can look with high-waisted jeans and bed-head hair. And for some people, faux fur just won’t cut it. Maybe the work that Pamela Paquin and others are doing can take us into a new, guilt-free chapter of fur.

Sources

Women’s Wear Daily: Karl Lagerfeld on Fur, Fendi and Couture

Elle: Why do I Have to Defend My Decision to Wear Fur?

Modern Farmer: One Woman Is Revolutionizing the Fur Industry. By Using Roadkill.

College is a strange time. Groundbreaking, I know. 

7% of the world’s population receives a college degree. I recognize the luck and subsequent responsibility I have to take advantage of this opportunity. It is still quite the culture shock, however- especially for someone transitioning from thirteen years at a small all-girls school to a massive research university. 

Source

But, I have already learned and experienced so much this past semester. This blog was supposed to be an ongoing project for my Survey of the Fashion Industry class. It’s funny to think that in creating it, I have figured out what I’d like to do, which is to write. I feel like I’ve only scratched the surface when it comes to this realization, and considering I just used a cliché, clearly I have much more to learn. 

I’ve learned that fashion is cyclical. It is utilitarian, and no amount of marketing and promotion can truly determine the direction in which it moves. Most importantly, though, I’ve discovered the deep symbiotic relationship fashion has with all other aspects of life. Clothing can be affected by drastic social change. And social change, in turn, can be accelerated by fashion.

Affected by America’s economy, the prosperity of the 1920s meant to-the-knee skirts and unrestricted waists. When the Depression hit the ‘30s, skirts and incomes dropped. // Sources: left, right

I want to continue to appreciate and explore the fashion world while at the same time delving into new topics that I find compelling: technology, art, culture, and social issues. This class project has manifested into an opportunity to be a part of a greater conversation. Hopefully, you’ll enjoy what comes next.

“I went to the woods because I wished to live deliberately...” - Henry David Thoreau, Walden

When it comes to symbols of Americana, a cabin in a pine-riddled forest seems more than fitting- and Thoreau would most certainly agree. Today, however, the simplistic lifestyle that attracted 19th century robber barons to the Adirondacks, Depression-era Airstream owners to open roads, and mid-century beatniks to hippie havens has morphed into something quite modern. According to New York Times contributor Walter Kirn, this 21st century movement “mingles a hunger for the primitive with fashionable, Silicon-era savvy. "

Source

Zach Klein is a co-founder of Vimeo, partner at CollegeHumor, professor of entrepreneurship at the School of Visual Arts, and a former Eagle scout. But in 2010, Klein acted upon a desire for something more tangible.

‘‘I’d spent six years in the city building online communities, and now I wanted to build one offline. Specifically, a place for a bunch of friends to be outdoors, somewhere we could be less preoccupied by our professions and more reliant on each other.’’

So he did, in Sullivan County, N.Y.

Klein bought 50 acres of forest containing an old shack devoid of electricity or plumbing. There was also a small separate porch for sleeping, perched on a hill that overlooked an abundant stream called Beaver Brook.

Source

Courtney Klein, a digital strategist and entrepreneur, said her husband’s pitch was simple: “It was, ‘Let’s get a piece of land and we could bring all our friends together and have a good time.’”

Mr. and Mrs. Klein in the Bunkhouse // Source

What started out as a weekend commune for friends and family has now become a folk school, an artists’ residency, and a welcoming community. The shack was renovated to include modern appliances and renamed Scott’s Cabin. A massive wooden tub was built outdoors. The Klein’s friends, Grace Kapin and Brian Jacobs, built a stunning contemporary cabin of their own that juts out from the side of the hill. 

Ms. Kapin’s and Mr. Jacobs’ cabin, named Clydeshead after their dog Clyde // Source

Across the brook and accessible by suspension bridge, they built the Bunkhouse, which includes electricity and a well. Bunkers pay $150 a month for a guaranteed bed in the Bunkhouse, while campers pay $75 a month for a spot to pitch their tents across the brook.

Source

The original group of eight friends turned into about twenty, including five children. Visitors continue to include tech-startup founders, app creators, animators, musicians, and filmmakers.

Source

The young creatives at Beaver Brook have made a short film, a gorgeous album of photos, and have even brought in artisans to hold annual weeklong workshops for paying students. One such artisan is Tom Bonamici, a product designer who specializes in woodworking. After teaching a few workshops, Bonamici became an official Beaver Brook resident.

A timber-framed treehouse built by Bonamici and his students in 2014 // Source

Beaver Brook has simple rules. Essentially, everyone has free range to do whatever they want, as long as it doesn’t permanently alter the environment around them. New visitors are given nicknames after their third night following a nighttime post-sauna dip in the brook. And, there’s even an annual talent show held every New Year’s Eve.  Newcomers are also expected to help out with the laboring that sustains the commune. Everyone, however, finds this manual tasks worthwhile. Those trying to escape hectic lives of consumption and excess find an authentic sense of purpose within the small community.

Source

The emergence and success of Beaver Brook shows America’s shifting definition of home.  This back-to-basics ethos is in no way new, but millennials have certainly given it a tech-laden edge. With the emergence of the Tiny House movement and wilderness residencies like Beaver Brook, it is clear that younger generations are rejecting superfluous consumerism for new-age minimalism, and (what’s even better) a genuine impulse for human connection.

If you’d like to learn more about Beaver Brook click here.

For Klein’s popular Tumblr, a collection of cabins from around the world entitled Cabin Porn, click here.

Additional Sources

Where Tiny Houses and Big Dreams Grow

Cabins, the New American Dream

The hostility between the baby boomer and the millennial has long been established. If you peruse the internet long enough, odds are you’ll stumble upon an article criticizing millennials (also known as Generation Y and which currently consists of 18 to 34 year olds) for their flagrant entitlement and ungratefulness. This trend of animosity towards the new could be applied to any generation- a recurring societal norm if looked at on a larger scale.  But what could bond these two opposing parties is a mutual skepticism towards the fast-paced and unapologetic Generation Z.

This demographic, largely accepted as those born between 1995 and 2012, is relatively young; yet it has already established itself predominantly in the fashion industry. Called “the next big retail disrupter” by Marcie Merriman for Women’s Wear Daily, Generation Z has already caused powerful changes in the business strategies of long-established corporations, while at the same time giving rise to a new type of market.

So what does a member of Gen Z look like?

The one word that could encompass them all is, ironically, diverse. No generation before has been more ethnically varied, making many of its members strive for what Lucie Greene, worldwide director of J. Walter Thompson Intelligence Innovation Group, calls “hyper-individualism.” The people of Generation Z uphold values of self-empowerment, self-esteem, and authenticity as important attributes to one’s character.

A still from from the movie Dope, which debuted at the 2015 Sundance Film Festival. “‘Dope’ is a little bit about technology, a little bit about race, a little bit about being a geek and a little bit about college admissions. But mostly, it’s about perception.” Source

This idea of hyper-individualism makes big businesses worry. Profits are down for long-established retailers like American Eagle and Abercrombie & Fitch, forcing their teams to seek more innovative business strategies to reach a generation that thrives off of the unconventional. Forbes writer Walter Loeb explains the problems A&F faces. “Teens are choosing to prioritize electronic gear when spending their money. While they still like to shop for fashion, they are showing a preference for new specialized concepts that create fashion excitement by changing assortments quickly.” 

Not only that, but young people are more inclined to create small businesses of their own, observing seemingly overnight successes like Mark Zuckerberg and Tavi Gevinson, founder and editor-in-chief of Rookie magazine.

Rob Callender, director of youth insights at the Futures Company says, “Young people feel much more emboldened to express their own sense of style rather than mimicking a peer-accepted uniform or dress code compared to previous generations. In short, there’s a strong ‘you do you’ ethos among teens today.”

This is very true- but it is important to note that at the same time, the idea that clothes are a symbol of status remains commonplace in 2015. The surge of style blogs, Youtube lifestyle channels, and Instagram hashtags dedicated to fashion reinforce this idea in a contemporary way.

Nowadays, it takes more to be a style icon than just calculated posing and envy-inducing clear skin. To keep the attention of their followers, Gen Z stars must also be mavericks of creative innovation and social change.

Here’s a list of Centennials that are disrupting convention:

Amandla Stenberg

Stenberg, known for her role as Rue in The Hunger Games, has been a powerful voice in the discussion of cultural appropriation. She grabbed the attention of thousands with her Youtube video titled, “Don’t Cash Crop On My Corn Rows.” Source

Malala Yousafzai

Yousafzai is a powerful advocate for female education. After surviving multiple gunshot wounds on the bus ride to class, she continued to attend school and spoke out against her oppressors. She is the youngest-ever Nobel Prize laureate. Source

Bertie Gilbert

Gilbert began on Youtube in his tweens, and has garnered nearly 400,000 subscribers as a film director. Over the past couple of years Gilbert has written and directed seven short films, acquiring support from acclaimed director, Ron Howard. Such films include Blue Sushi, Rocks That Bleed, and Tick Where It Hurts. (all available on Youtube) Source

Tavi Gevinson

Gevinson is a writer, magazine editor, actress, and singer. She is best known for founding and editing Rookie magazine. Gevinson also starred alongside Michael Cera and Kieran Culkin in Kenneth Lonergan’s play “This Is Our Youth” last year. Source

Troye Sivan

Sivan has worked as an actor, singer, songwriter, and Youtuber. As of November 9th, 2015, the Australian 20-year-old has 3.6 million subscribers, and has released two major-label EPs: TRXYE and Wild. His debut studio album, Blue Neighborhood, is set to release December 4th, having already caught the attention of other artists and critics alike. Source

Additional Sources

Everything you need to know about Generation Z

How to Spot a Member of Generation Z

Think Tank: Generation Z, the Next Big Retail Disruptor

Generation Z ‘Me-tail’ Entrepreneurs, Growing Threat to Retailers

Gen Z Starts to Make a Mark

A couple years ago, I got to help style a student shoot for Parsons in collaboration with some great friends. I loved everything about the project- the garments, the location, and of course, the people I worked with.  Almost ended up with poison ivy whilst trekking (and trespassing) through someone’s overgrown backyard, but still worth it. Because we shot with film, the pictures took on a haunted, gossamer quality. 

Alternate title: The Art of the Sandwich Factory feat. George the Middle-Aged Nudist.

I’ve always had a fervent desire to study abroad sometime during my college career.  Since my first airplane ride as an impressionable prepubescent, I've loved every aspect of traveling, and a strong study abroad program was at the top of my list when looking at universities.  Only until recently, though, have I had an inexplicable need to go to London.  I’ve made somewhat of a weird pact with myself that at some point in my life, preferably soon, I’d become an inhabitant of the UK.  I know it’s not because of the food (someone told me what “black pudding” was and I genuinely considered veganism.) Perhaps it’s the rich history or the origins of punk and counter-culture that drew me in.  Or, maybe it’s just my lazy and selfish refusal to learn any other language but English.  I’d bet on that last one. 

PC: www.mosta2bal.com

My fascination with the city’s fashion industry flourished when I discovered the cutting-edge designers that occupy it.  These up-and-coming artists are now choosing unconventional routes to exhibit their work. British designers like Orla Kiely, and This Is The Uniform’s Jenna Young are showcasing their garments by having models perform unconventional tasks before an intrigued audience, blurring the lines between fashion show and performance art.  For Kiely’s RTW Spring 2016 show, models played miniature golf as they showed off her trademark patterned dresses. At This Is The Uniform, models casually sat at tables picking at fast food and playing ping pong, donning silk tennis dresses and net tops.

PC: Women’s Wear Daily

PC: Women’s Wear Daily

Molly Goddard, a graduate of the distinguished Central Saint Martins, is described in Alexa Chung’s web series “Future of Fashion” for British Vogue as “one of the most notable proponents of the new approach to presentation.” For her AW 2015 line, the models wore her intricate and ethereal babydoll dresses as they sketched at easels. Their subject? A middle-aged nude model named George. Brilliant. 

Buyers thought so too, and soon after, she landed a coveted installation in London’s famous Dover Street Market.  The year before, Goddard threw a party in her town hall and in lieu of models, got her close friends to wear her pieces.

PC: i-D Magazine

The designer, promoting her line at Dover Street Market:

PC: i-D Magazine

When asked if her next show would be more conventional, Goddard said she would be sticking with her atypical ways. “We were thinking of...kind of a vegetable show.” 

Hold on- what...?

 “Like a horticultural show,” she explained. Ah yes, the ole horticultural fashion show. Right. But, when beginning plans on this next exhibition, Goddard and her team found it impossible to avoid an overly-cutesy garden vibe. So instead, for SS 2016 she opted for a sandwich factory, because of course. "The setting is quite clinical against the dresses and it moves the story on from last season, which was so rich. This is bleak in a way," the designer told i-D magazine. "Ultimately, it's one of those teenage summer jobs, the type you don't really want but have to do." Instead of walking down a long shiny runway, models stacked lettuce, cheese, and tomato atop bread as white as the set surrounding them. 

PC: New York Times

PC: New York Times 

Displays like this urge press and audience members alike to ask the simple yet loaded question, “Why?” Which, to be fair, is probably the point. With the rise and staying power of technology, the comfort of tradition and convention will have to be superseded. Have run-of-the-mill catwalks become obsolete? If so, are social media and the need for designers to present a line centered around shock value the catalysts? Let me know your opinions, questions, and general musings by clicking Ask over there →

Additional Sources:

Alexa Chung - Future of Fashion

London Designers Turn to Unlikely Presentation Spaces

Designer to Watch: Molly Goddard

molly goddard’s sandwiches, showers and summer softness for spring/summer 16

H&M’s video for their new campaign, Close the Loop. “The Garment Collecting Program is a global initiative through which H&M seeks out a sustainable future.”

I remember throwing a mild fit in the shoe section of Nordstrom at the ripe age of 11 when my mother made me choose Birkenstocks over ballet flats for an upcoming vacation. In retrospect, her choice was much more appropriate for the amount of walking we were going to do. Also, the thought of choosing ballet flats over sandals is slightly embarrassing to me now. Never in my life would I predict that the same shoes I so adamantly detested then would again appear in my closet seven years later.  

Who do I have to thank for this beautiful irony? Instagram. As much as it pains me to say it, I am a slave to this app. In fact, much of my fashion choices are because of social media’s role in my life.  My eleven-year-old self would probably say something along the lines of, “Why are you succumbing to the clunky Jesus-sandal that is the Birkenstock? Also what the heck is an app?” To her I’d say, “Whoa chill. In a few years, you’ll learn about the hashtag, a good filter, and the power of mob mentality. That reminds me-- stop wearing Silly Bandz.”

photo credit here

Since its launch in 2010, Instagram has developed a strong connection to the fashion world.  It offers a more democratic portal into an otherwise unattainable industry. In other words, it was and continues to be a platform for the sartorially-inclined masses. Instagram, with its plethora of lifestyle blogs, “Outfit of the Day”s, and niche brands out the wazoo, can seem like an upchuck of content.  When does an article of clothing-like a pair of Birkenstock sandals-become oversaturated by exposure in the media to the point that it is dull, lame, or dare I say... basic? 

Despite Instagram’s ability to spread fashion trends quicker than you can say “bralette,” it can do some commendable good for the industry as well. In a recent article for Women’s Wear Daily, Maghan McDowell reported that starting this Friday, Instagram is introducing a special section called “The Best of Fashion Week Updated Daily By @Instagram.” Users will be able to see a stream of content from New York Fashion Week through the app’s Explore page.

photo credit here

While small, this new feature is significant in exemplifying the deep relationship fashion and social media share.  “This is the first time that Instagram will provide a space for users to see daily updated, curated content from a specific event…” McDowell writes. What’s even better is this feature will not be based on a flurry of hashtags and likes. Instead, it is carefully chosen content from shows, behind the scenes, street style, and after parties. 

Instagram will continue to generate trends, ideas, and opinions. As a force that cannot be stopped, the fashion industry is smart to welcome it with open arms.

You can check out more about technology and fashion in WWD’s Media section here