Who affects whom?

Who can deny that Fashion has a huge impact on our culture as well as on our everyday life.

Fashion has a very strong impact on social culture. As a matter of fact, as the fashion industry is changing, it also influences the frame and code of our thoughts inside the society we live in. It also influences how we communicate or how we determine the most popular trends. It shapes the way we combine fabrics, colors, the way we travel, the way we communicate or work. Fashion in the long term is forming the way we live, in the most unexpected details.

Today I bought a new mobile phone, a golden iPhone. When I got home and open the box, then it hit me. How did I end up with this particular gold phone, although I dislike anything in a gold shade? And, to be clear, no one will ever refer to me as a true fashionista, quite the opposite may I add.

So why I made this choice?

Because fashion affects every single minute of our life even if someone is screaming that he/she is not following fashion. We individuals think we can wear whatever we want, without outside influence. But it is certain that someone has already created a line and a sophisticated marketing plan for the I-do-not-follow-fashion-people target group and has gone for this look which you (think that you) have created.

10 days earlier I was at my niece’s birthday party and all teenagers around her (and their moms too) had the exact same iPhone. I thought it was cute to see so many young people, surfing the internet via the “goldy-super-in-iPhone” or as my niece called it The Oscar. She told me that “if you have it, you are in.” Apparently, that is very important for young people’s social skills.

The Fashion Effect

The effect of Fashion in our life gives us the benefit of trying something new. Through fashion, we are able to re-establish new options for ourselves. A very good example are celebrities. They collaborate with famous fashion designers in order to build their personal sense of style. They pay a lot of money to have the best result and they aim very high. Celebrities want to be recognized as fashion icons and they invest time & energy so they can close better marketing or business deals later on.

After my niece’s birthday party, the gold iPhone never crossed my mind as an option… or so I thought. 5 days after the party I saw my favorite actor in a movie and she was carrying the gold iPhone. Her computer in the one hand and her iPhone in the other hand. It clicked. That was it. I want it also.

The latest trends show that not only teenagers are following the style of celebrities, but all adults around them. They want the look, the IN feeling, the cool zone status, and the social media envy. Teenagers put on clothes that are put on by celebrities. Their parents want to come close, so they try to be as close as possible to the NEW LOOKS. Believe me, so do all aunts, uncles, godmothers, friends, and co-workers. We all try to imitate their styles and that becomes the latest trends of fashion.

The well-known designers are the inspiring brains of hitting or adopting it. The designers are fully responsible for what we have right now in our closets, homes, offices, and our work occupation. They have the power to stress out what the industry needs to make life easier, functional, and state-of-the-art IN.

Social Media are IN

Digital technology and social media are IN. Designers made them IN. Speed is IN. The now is IN. So social media became the new way to witness reality with the illusion that individuals can influence global trends.

Think twice

You just upload a photo of this magnificent corner of your city. You added a description, location and hashtags. Many hashtags! And you wait for likes, hearts, saves, shares, comments, followers, haters, etc. You wait for the attention effect. But why?

You captured the photo according to the latest Instagram trends and social media guidelines. You chose the perfect corner according to content marketing tips and you added the best hashtags according to digital marketing experts. You even picked that corner because in the magazine you read yesterday, they called it a must-see-corner. And you thought it was all your spontaneous inspiration and idea, right?

Now look yourself at the mirror. Most probably you are wearing the latest outfit that is the perfect combination for an early evening walk downtown. That is the invisible hand of fashion in our life. At the moment you have at least one computer online and you are about to respond to all messages in your inbox or to check out your social media accounts. That is happening due to fashion’s need to instantly interact with us.

So Design, Fashion, and Technology have an endless and ongoing relationship that shapes the way we live.

How social media is transforming fashion industry

BBC News published an excellent article about how social media is transforming the fashion industry.  For fashion firms, social media are cheaper and they look more personal and authentic.

“You don’t want to be a commercial photographer unless you’re famous,” says Scott Galloway, clinical professor of marketing at the NYU Stern School of Business in New York, and founder of “digital benchmarking” firm L2.

This is a new reality: the choice of Brooklyn as a photographer was less about how well-connected famous people can get their kids into competitive professions than a reflection of just how much social media has shaken up the fashion industry. It’s now the number of followers on Instagram, Pinterest, Facebook and Twitter, rather than your experience necessarily, that can secure you a top job.  (source BBC News)

Model behaviour

The influence of social media has also rapidly changed how models are chosen.

Kendall Jenner, who shot to fame thanks to the Keeping Up with the Kardashians reality TV show, has been dubbed the “ultimate Instagirl” for her huge social media fan base: 48 million followers on Instagram and 15.3 million on Twitter.  (source BBC News)

Fashion firms

The case of Burberry: Behind-the-scenes pictures and videos shared on its Instagram and Snapchat feeds of the Brooklyn shoot had some 15 million impressions in the eight hours the shoot was live.  (source BBC News)

Online Fashion Seminar

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The content of this post is not sponsored directly or indirectly.  The views and opinions expressed in this article reflect the opinion of the author