The growth of social media has been one of the great phenomena of the 21st century. In the past decade alone, social media has managed to quickly revolutionize virtually every industry in the world and its evolution has affected virtually every aspect of our lives.
The fashion industry has unquestionably been one of the great beneficiaries of this evolution. In the fashion world, social media has brought connectedness, innovation, and diversity to the industry. Also, it created fashion icons, heavily influencing fashion trends. Instagram, for example, serves as a live magazine, always updating itself with the best, most current trends while allowing users to participate in fashion rather than just watch from afar. Here’s how.
Tagging Brands
Remember when you would watch a commercial and wish that you could have the item instantly? Well, Social media has brought us closer to this idea. On Instagram, users often tag the brands that they are wearing so that other users can find it and order it with ease from retail agencies and stores all over the world.
Hash Tag
Who knew the pound symbol could be so powerful? By using hashtag, users are able to find virtually whatever trend they want with the click of a button. If someone wants to find out what hats people are wearing this summer, they don’t wait until the newest edition of Vogue to hit the racks, they type #summerhats into the Instagram search. Also, if you want to show people what you are wearing, then just hashtag any and every topic you could think of that relates to your image, brand, and style. For example, #summerhats #millennials #ammansummer #summerfashion.
Fashion Hacks
They say that teenagers nowadays look much less awkward than they used to. This is in part because pre-teens have more examples of how to be fashionable and are given access to hacks that teach them that they don’t have to be rich to have style. While the youth before the 21st century anxiously waited for their magazines to arrive in the mail or drop in the market to have a look on what’s trendy, today that is certainly not the case. Social media is full of little tricks and tips on how to stay fashionable in an affordable way.
These tricks and tips however can show itself in an uglier form just like it did with the #KylieJennerChallenge where preteens everywhere were trying to suction cup their lips to a bigger size.
Consumers Are Contributors
Fashion is now a two-way street, where consumers can also be contributors so new ideas get circulated much quicker and inevitably change faster. Snapchat, for example, gives consumers a chance to have a front row seat at the highest levels of fashion events like the MET Gala, red carpets, and various fashion weeks all over the world.
Celebrity Endorsements
Before social media, celebrity endorsements happened in a few limited ways: commercials, interviews, and public stunts. All very effective, but limited nonetheless. These days, celebrities are able to endorse products on their Facebook pages, Instagram profiles, and Snapchat stories. The fashion industry knows that if they want to sell something fast, they don’t make a broadcast television commercial, they get a Kardashian to post about it ASAP.
Diversity
More than anything, social media has brought diversity to the industry. People who have felt unrepresented in traditional forms of fashion media now have the opportunity to take matters into their own hands. They get to follow who they want to follow and it is much easier to find people who they relate to in terms of body image and lifestyle. In specific, people of color and plus-sized who have had trouble spotting trends that fit them in mainstream magazines are able to find online communities through social media.
Social media definitely provided increased accessibility. It doesn’t cost anything for brands to set up their feeds, and it doesn’t cost people anything to follow. It has also transformed the shopping processes. From research to brand interactions to actual purchasing processes, the entire situation has seen a significant change. And everybody seems to absolutely love it.
By: Hala AlZoubi