Tuesday, January 17, 2012

Social Media As a Platform for Fashion

  • It's a fact - social media is booming. Players in the social networking world include; Facebook, Twitter and Pinterest to name a few. With more people connecting to share ideas and opinions, it is clear that these sites are perfect for launching new business - something that the fashion industry has picked up on.

    So how are the players in the fashion world using social media? Many of the trendy insiders have realised the importance of social media, as it allows them a platform in which to generate interest quickly. Another major change is that the dialog between designers, bloggers and social media gurus has opened up. Designers understand their customers are consuming media at mach-5 speeds. Likewise, magazines realise it's not about printing information three months after fashion weekends.

    The integration of social media with fashion has come at a time where content is instantly accessible for consumers wherever and whenever they want it. Consumers are more tech savvy now; often using dual and in some cases triple screens. The boom in mobile phone technology means that every consumer wants to be seen with the latest gadgets.

    Fashion and phones are a natural fit; especially now that manufacturers have collaborated with high end fashion houses to produce beautiful and trendy handsets (think of the new line of LG phones). Every fashion conscious consumer wants the latest and most fashionable phone available - especially if it enhances their lifestyle and makes connecting with others easier.

    Almost every phone on the market now will allow a consumer to voice their opinion via a social medium and businesses realise this. Diesel integrated social media into one of their latest campaigns by setting up QR codes in their stores for different products. Consumers who entered the stores were invited to "like" the items on Facebook using their mobiles so they could let their friends know what they were looking at. This campaign has been praised for its ingenuity and proves the link between phones, fashion and social media is here to stay.

    Whether you are interested in fashion or not, it is difficult to escape the constant bombardment of information on the latest fashions and trends that we receive through social media and the internet. From the fashion blogs, to the live streaming of catwalk shows from the main fashion weeks, to photo shoots and the social shopping where we get all sorts of opinions on different pieces of clothing through Facebook, Twitter and even retailers own websites.

    The fashion industry is definitely becoming more accessible to the general public. Brands and retailers are not only using social media as a way of communicating with their customers but also a way of listening to them. Marc Jacobs is known to have set up his plus sized range based on feedback received through social media.

    In the last few months, the latest craze amongst fashion enthusiasts and bloggers is voting and participating on a new social site called The Shopping Forecast, which also allows user to make outfits and enter fashion competitions. The interesting difference of this site is the voters opinion really counts. The information collected on the site will be used to help fashion industry buyers make more informed decisions on what to stock for the season ahead.

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