Fashion journalism in the digital age.
Can it survive?
Technology is evolving at an unprecedented rate, with new phenomenon’s being discovered every day, it is ultimately changing the way we live. But I question, can fashion journalism survive in the digital age? I sat down with founder and host of fashion originators, Stephanie Irwin, to find out more.
“Fashion is, first and foremost, a reflection of the times we live in, a visual representation of emerging themes and moods that are reverberating through society” — Rohma Theunissen
Social media has introduced a whole new ball game to the journalism industry and has arguably put a lot more pressure on those reporting fashion. This strain is caused particularly through the rise of the influencer; this idea of an ordinary person, now renown celebrity all thanks to the power of social media. Brands have had to overcome and adapt to fulfil the media hungry public and open the floor for a collaborate community. Fashion shows moved online, influencers are given more scope and normal, everyday people are given more opportunities for opinions within the fashion community.
According to Business insider, brands are set to spend 15 billion dollars on influencer marketing by 2022. Exactly as they should be if they want any chance of survival in this technological world we live in. As I discussed in my previous post, social media and in particular Instagram, has allowed for the essence of multimodality to shine. But not only that, fashion is become more digital and interactive than ever before.
So, how is the fashion journalist going to survive?
I found a fitting place to start with Stephanie Irwin was with digital fashion week. While on the surface it seemed like an ample opportunity for big houses to cease and showcase their designs in line with the times; many failed to do so. Here’s what Stephanie said:
“Digital fashion week was a joke- while the first one was forgivable in that they didn’t have much time to prepare, the subsequent “video” fashion weeks highlight how unwilling the majority of fashion’s top players are to innovate at all.”
Traditionalism can not survive in a global pandemic. Plain and simple. Brands failure to adapt to the times and overcome obstacles causes reactions exactly like this, and as they should. While Shanghai fashion week teamed up with Tmall, Asian business to consumer platform, which allowed for an easier purchase point for consumers; it was still predominantly live streamed and seemed very unimaginative. That is compared to probably the only good thing to come from digital fashion week, which was Hanifa’s virtual runway show. Stephanie says brands like Hanifa “are they ones giving me hope.”
While it is all well and good highlighting the downfalls and un-successful evolution from fashion brands, it seems fit to steer direction towards the competitors that actual fashion journalists are facing.
Influencers.
We’ve already established that big companies are forking out huge sums to support this newly found popularity, however some will not. Stephanie says that “People want to feel like they are being guided by a friend, rather than told by some random editor how to dress.” Seems fair, right. Despite every effort, journalists still often portray an in-personal feel towards their readers, and who wants that? As harsh as it sounds journalists need to take a back seat and allow room for those with a talent of communication; who can praise, pout, photograph and post- visually. This comes from the influencer and is what it’s all about really.
Stephanie passed comment that “the career of fashion journalism within the context of working for a magazine is dying. I don't think journalists are valued- influencers are valued.” This also seems to be reflected in the pay gap between fashion editor and fashion influencer. On average, fashion editors are earning £36,000 base pay, whereas fashion influencers, such as Kylie Jenner, are charging £750,000 per post.
Yes, per post.
While this is probably the most extreme of example’s, it still shows with the right following and the fame produced by social outlets, big bucks can be made.
In light of this I asked Stephanie how relevant she thought traditional forms of fashion journalism are. She said:
“ I think traditional fashion journalism has become incredibly irrelevant, and the only people worth listening to are The Fashion Archive and Hautelemode. These are influencers who are actually educated, engaging and stylish themselves. Editors are far too attached to clout and the old way of doing things, whereas these make fashion history and events engaging to the digital consumer.”
Kate Rockwood wrote a very interesting article detailing 6 psychological tricks to influence a sales.
- Find common ground.
- Know your opening gambit.
- Spotlight your best feature.
- Draw strength from your drawbacks.
- Nix competitors from your pitch.
- Scarcity sells.
Let me tell you, all seem to work in favour of the influencer and not the editor. The ability to “find common ground” and “spotlight your best feature” are all best done visually and in a personal manner. Exactly how The Fashion archive and Hautelemode do via their YouTube videos, and something which is posed more difficult for editors through mere, singular written formats.
Editors are too interested in pleasing others and writing in line with their publication, whereas influencers are free to discuss and give opinion to whatever they please.
That is what people want.
However, I feel it is fair to point out the impact the global pandemic has had on journalism industry, with fashion at the heart of it. I asked Stephanie what struggles she thought fashion journalists have faced and how she thought they have coped, especially due to COVID-19.
“I think they are doing the best they can, but as more and more continue to lose their jobs, I question how much longer these publications can even stick around in their current form. The problem isn’t journalism, the problem is that the business models for these magazines are incredibly outdated.”
I wholeheartedly agree with Stephanie here, the NY times estimated in April 2020 that nearly 36,000 journalists lost their jobs. I can only imagine the huge amounts of those who were fashion journalists. But not only that, many companies are failing to adapt to the new found popularity of digital journalistic reading and still continue to throw thousands into print; when really we can all conclude that it is slowly a dying form.
Stephanie concluded by saying “I think the pandemic has really highlighted the areas of fashion that are completely backwards- especially in editorial.”
I think we can all agree that she is right. Without fashion houses acknowledging the evolution of the way people read journalism and look for current trends, fashion journalism in its traditional form will eventually cease to exist. New models need to be created and need to highlight the influencer.
It is the only way they will survive.
Check out Stephanie Irwin’s podcast Fashion originators and be sure to follow her on Instagram.
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