In a world where the average user checks their phone 110 times on average per day (according to a study carried out by the daily mail in 2013,) technology and social media are now more relevant than ever. The fashion industry is one of the many to have really taken advantage of the huge benefits and opportunities at hand when using social media as a marketing outlet.
So let's start off with the biggest benefit of all, accessibility. Not everyone can afford a
£13,000 Chanel suit, but does that mean that they shouldn't have access to one? With the new wave of social media and internet, anyone, anywhere can view and share anything at any time with an audience which is almost limitless. Word of mouth has had a cyber upgrade and now passes at an uncontrollable rate. Huge fashion houses can now reach out and broadcast to an audience bigger than ever, through a variety of social media outlets. Now anyone can be front row at the leading fashion houses exclusive catwalk shows, from the comfort of their own home. Demand for the product has reached an all time high as we consume fashion at a fractious rate.
It's not only big corporate fashion brands that have benefited from this media makeover. Aspiring fashionistas also have the ability to utilize this huge platform, a voice which, if projected right, will be heard. Fashion has always been as much about bubbling up as trickling down. Power to the people, the people who really know what the everyday consumer wants because they are one. Whats even more interesting is how this new generation of up and coming fashionistas has been able to turn these opportunities into a real money making, business ideas. New ways of making serious money have been generated from the use of social media. Bloggers, trend forecasters, and influencers are just the beginning of an endless list of jobs being created from social media.
Fashion brands have the ability to cater advertising to exact demographics with data collected from sites like Facebook and Instagram. Not forgetting that anyone can access anything, so consumers who the business is not trying so hard to advertise to, are still being lured in using the indirect method of temptation. It's almost cheating, companies can appeal to both audiences at the same time resulting in a mass amount of consumption. More sales mean more money which allows the craftsman to reinvest and better the craft the next time round, growing better over time. This is what consumers desire, brands to better the product every season, to suppress our consumption needs. Needs which wouldn't be so impulsive without the presence of social media.
Concluding that social media has not only affected our connection and bond with brands but how we communicate and consume. Helping the already established industry to grow whilst giving the opportunity to the up and coming, on a level playing field. The use of social media within the fashion industry has really broken boundaries, knocked down walls and unlocked keyholes within the fashion industry. Fashion is becoming a more important part of modern day lifestyle by the day, a buzz which Is only going to grow with time.
Concluding that social media has not only affected our connection and bond with brands but how we communicate and consume. Helping the already established industry to grow whilst giving the opportunity to the up and coming, on a level playing field. The use of social media within the fashion industry has really broken boundaries, knocked down walls and unlocked keyholes within the fashion industry. Fashion is becoming a more important part of modern day lifestyle by the day, a buzz which Is only going to grow with time.
But is this always going to be such a positive effect? Demand is one thing but at this rate, there will be nothing left. Some may even go as far to ask how can anything remain original with such limitless access? But then has fashion not always been an industry of mass competition?
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