Concept: fashion blog
A few years ago, the concept of “fashion blogger” was a big trend in the online world. Not only because of its numeric value – it was estimated around 2012 that there were more than 2 million fashion blogs worldwide, but also because of the bloggers’ influence on style and culture.
There were of course some major breakout stars who made a whole career out of sharing their style tips and photos of their outfits and millions followed in their footsteps with scaled-down versions of that model.
Marketing and management
Soon enough, advertisers realized that there is a lot of commercial potential in fashion blogging, which is a very true statement and many brands and companies decided to follow it. The business model was simple and apparently one that was tested and that worked very well at a higher level, namely with household names in terms of fashion publications. The label sends over clothing which the bloggers wears and then they share the pictures on their blog, Facebook and Instagram pages in the hope that others will follow. Discovering that “it is so easy” – it obviously is not – many people got on board with blogs, ending up at a point where it seemed that every other person had a blog. This is when the keyword “influencer” was at its max, as influencers seemed to dominate the blogosphere.
However, one thing was not taken into account by the people involved in this scenario. Namely, the fact that most bloggers don’t have a marketing or management background and that their level of taste is sometimes questionable. Now, when it comes to taste, it is said that beauty is in the eye of the beholder, but in the end, the taste of the blogger promoting the brand is reflecting the level of taste of the brand itself. In other words, if a brand chooses to advertise with a blogger who is not very sophisticated aesthetically, they automatically are drawn to the level of the blogger. It’s a question of being business smart in a way.
Inflation in influence
The bigger problem that appeared though, was the one caused by the lack of marketing and public relations skills these many bloggers have. A year or so ago, around 2015-16, the website Independent Fashion Bloggers decided to redefine itself. Over the years, the website had become a platform where fashion bloggers from all over the world created profiles. Its messaging and forums features were destined for bloggers to connect and engage in conversation about their influencers careers.
However, in March 2013, the website decided to close down its forums, as these had become a place of real-person spamming. The founder of the website explained in her announcement that “In my efforts to create a rich community, I opened the forums in 2009. At first it was great, the community was small, and we all talked about the issues that concerned bloggers. However over the years the forums have become a vehicle for <Follow my blog> posts, and regardless of our efforts to fight this trend it has become overwhelming.”
We did notice on the website that most dialogues between members, both on the forums and on messages were “copy – paste” messages trying to promote their blogs. Regardless of what one would write to a blogger, there was a very high chance of receiving message saying “Girl, I love your outfits, make sure you click my website.” In other words, the lack of marketing and management connaissance had transformed thousands of people into spammers. The reasons are evident: it seemed easy to be an influencer, so everyone, with no game plan, embarked.
In May 2016, the website had over 60,000 members. However, they published an announcement saying that they will shut down the members area. At first, it seems mindblowing that a website with over 60,000 members would delete their profiles and give up on that potential. However, the post explained what had become to us as members at least, obvious for the last few years: “over the past few years, it’s become less of a place of true connections, and more of an odd mix of self-promotion and friend-requests, and honestly, a ton of spam. Gigabytes of spam in fact.”
The website also had another feature, where a theme was given out and bloggers interpreted it through their clothes, but it got shut down early on because of disengagement. Their Links a la Mode feature, selecting the best 20 fashion articles of the week (where we’ve been featured over 100 times), has reduced its number of picks from 20 to 9.
The website is still featuring tips for bloggers, sending out helpful newsletters and working on engaging with their audience. However, it definitely is a struggle and, while we are big fans of IFB, we don’t really know how they can come up on top.
This inflation in fashion bloggers has definitely led to an increase in their power. In an online society where everyone is trying to make it, people are rapidly absorbed by the flow of content. Vice published in September 2014 an article called “I Dressed Like an Idiot at Fashion Week to See How Easy It Is to Get Street-Snapped”. Hannah Ewens, the author, claimed that “The whole experience was nauseatingly self-indulgent but very fun all the same; it’s no wonder so many people want in. For most, of course, it’s a pretend job. Anyone with pants and a smartphone can be a fashion blogger. Put some clothes on, take a photo of yourself, upload it to Instagram (tagged with #OOTD for easy clarification), and follow it up with a picture of some ladybug nail art or a bottle of aloe vera juice.”
What the author had observed was also the lack of style and marketing skills many bloggers have. Dressing up just to grab attention and blatantly promoting a brand is a no-no.
No wonder that due to this unprofessional image, in the autumn of 2016, Vogue got into a beef with fashion bloggers, calling on the women who change three times a day just to get photographed “desperate” and “pathetic”.
This story was definitely a very interesting one and deserves to be seen from both sides. On the one hand, bloggers have all the right to promote themselves and do whatever they can to be noticed. On the other hand, the naïve expectation that you are just going to be photographed and pulled into stardom is cringeworthy as it is very unrealistic. At the same time, Vogue was probably aggressive because they themselves had opened the doors for many fashion bloggers a few years before. However, given that the scene had changed so much, the wanted to make sure they keep their image intact and not associate with a level of professionalism that is below their standards.
Who’s done it right
In this plethora of negative information about fashion bloggers, it may seem that a career as a fashion blogger is completely irrelevant and doomed. However, that is not the case.
In fact, it can be argued that just the opposite is the case. Digital influencers are a thing of the future. Getting recommendations from people you follow is a key thing in the years to come. However, as in any creative endeavor, one needs to be more than just an in-your-face seller.
There are many people out there who are getting it right. For example, when a blogger is showing in a video how she is doing her makeup, the names of the products she uses is what everyone wants to know.
It’s absurd to try to create media content without names. One of the most annoying things about mainstream news for example is when the story is about “a fashion chain” or a “grooming products label”, without calling their names. People are confronted with shopping decisions daily, so they want to know exactly what is a good product and what is not, what the possibilities of a product are. And that’s why fashion bloggers are and will be so relevant. Faced with a multitude of options, having a go-to source for “testing” or recommendations is extremely important.
It’s all about being conscious.
Bloggers are definitely among the movers and shakers of today’s society, but they have to work a lot at it.
Future directions
Lidewij Edelkoort mentioned in one of her recent talks that the blogger is the next editor of Vogue, in the sense that worlds can intertwine, but only if they are on the same level.
In the December 2016 issue of our InCompany by Attire Club magazine, which focused on fashion bloggers, we also wrote that the world of style is influenced by those who work consciously from their computers and who help inspire society beyond the computer, phone or tablet screen.
It cannot be denied that fashion bloggers, big or small are a part of the media landscape that is relevant and cannot be ignored. They have redefined the ways we consume fashion and many have become true cultural figures, with an impact that cannot be denied.
The future definitely belongs to those in the digital publishing world that will do it right. The web is an amazing place, as it allows you to start from blank and go to incredible heights, which is something unprecedented in history. However, given that everyone has access to the same tools, the way in which one uses these is the key to success. Working extremely hard, with dedication and always stepping your game up is the way to go.
Fraquoh and Franchomme
P.S. We want to hear from you! What do you think is the state of the fashion blogging scene? Do you follow fashion bloggers? Why? Share your feedback, questions or thoughts in the comments below! For more articles on style, fashion tips and cultural insights, you can subscribe to Attire Club via e-mail or follow us on Facebook, Twitter or Instagram!
