Its really no secret that Crosby at PR Courture and Red Door Interactive knows her Fashion PR and is a fashion social media 
expert. Her opinoin on Fashion social media and the fashion industry is right on the nose. I cant agree with her more. I saw it all happen before my eyes at this past season’s New York Fashion Week. Fashion brands you better buckle your social media seat belt, because its going to be a bumpy ride, but a truly eye opening brand expansive experience.
Post Syndicated from PR Couture
As WWD noted last week, “Gucci is doing it. So are Oscar de la Renta, Donna Karan, Target, Urban Outfitters, Louis Vuitton and Rachel Roy.” Once content to thrive behind the decadent curtain of whatever fabric was currently season, social media, like fashion blogging and reality TV before it, has forced fashion into a new level of access. So in today’s fashion world, an aspiring fashionista in Kansas can get a glimpse into Betsey Johnson’s day, submit a design for a Coach Tote, and tell Teen Vogue via Facebook that they like the latest issue, all with a few keystrokes. It’s a world where teenaged fashion bloggers are invited to design shoes for major retailers and limited-edition handbags are hidden across NYC, hints given away scavenger hunt style on Twitter. Pretty remarkable, don’t you think?
What is also important to note are the conversations taking place with the laptop powered down and the phone on vibrate at the bottom of a bag, conversations of the face-to-face kind about the future of our industry and opportunities to engage with the innovators and leaders who are shaping it’s evolution. These meet-ups and collaborations are not only contributing to the industry’s awareness level and willingness to shift when it comes to social media strategy, but the business world at large is taking note of how fashion is taking up space online.
Recently, at the 140 Conference in New York, fashion entrepreneur Yuli Z and fashion marketing expert Macala Wright discussed fashion + social media in regards to Twitter. It’s worth a listen to hear about how issues of privacy and even trends themselves are being affected by this new form of communication.
Even more recently, 360Fashion, a network of high level fashion professionals using the latest web 2.0 and mobile to create online media, hosted a mixer in New York that was streamed live using the 360Fashion Live streaming Facebook application. The purpose of the event was to bring together top bloggers and fashion professionals to discuss how new media is affecting their professions. Top make-up artist Regina Harris, (she recently did Chanel Iman’s cover look for the May, 2009 Bazaar) and celebrity and Vogue stylist Lisa Von Weise (Lindsey Lohan, Penelope Cruz) answered questions from attendees, sharing insight into the fashion industry, how they use online media, where the find inspiration, and trend spotting, in an open-ended discussion… To read there perspectives visit PRCouture.com
Fashion Social Media - Louis Vuiton Fashion Show on Facebook
According to NYMag.com, Louis Vuitton will show its spring 2010 ready-to-wear collection on Wednesday, October 7 in Paris, but instead of just editors and buyers being the first to see the clothes as they strut down the runway, the luxury label is broadening its scope this season by streaming the show live on its Facebook page so viewers can watch and comment as it happens. The show takes place at 2:30 p.m. Paris time, which is 8:30 a.m. in New York. (Forget about any West Coasters!) So if you havent fan’d or friended LV , now is the time! [Vogue UK] and [NYMag.com]
Madonna For Louis Vuitton Fall 2009
The Louis Vuitton Facebook live stream of their Paris Fashion Week show is the exact example of how social media and digital marketing is changing the world of fashion. Just as mentioned in the post “Six Fashion Social Media Sites Marketers Should Know“, social media is creating a bridge between brands and consumers to let consumers experience clothing line and designs themselves, as opposed to letting the traditional critics have all the say. It will be amazing to see the LV show live and see what all the other fans have to say and definitely glad to see Louis Vuitton reaching out to all of its other fans in different countries that couldn’t be a part of Paris Fashion Week.
Six Social Sites Every Fashion Marketer Should Know (via AdAge.com)
AdAge.com covers an important topic for the fashion industry – social media. Yes, its a buzz word that every other person is throwing around, but its a very big topic in fashion retail as its changing the way retailers and designers do business. Holding very true to the article’s testaments, at this month’s Mercedes-Benz Fashion Week I witnessed many people twittering live inside the tents posting TwitPics and Tweets about their favorite designer looks. Albeit very distracting when I was trying to focus on the runway, it was evolutionary to see on my Twitter stream how important it was for others to be able to get up-to-the-minute news on their favorite designer shows.
Although New York Fashion Week is a private event meant only for select media, retail buyers, and VIP guests – live feeds, live streaming, and behind-the-scenes looks and opinions were being shared in real-time with the mass public. Thus, making fashion critics’ opinions not the “end all be all” deciding factor of who’s collection will be successful or not. Its now open to the consumer to voice his or her opinion before clothes are even considered to be bought and sold into their local retail store. But ultimately its up to fashion brands to take the iniative to listen and interact with what’s going on online.
As AdAge simply puts it:
“Social media has deconstructed the traditional means of communication between retailers and consumers by adding new channels for discussion. A designer can communicate with her audience on a moment-to-moment basis through sponsored Facebook groups and fan pages, online chats, Twitter feeds, Flickr, YouTube and new social shopping channels that facilitate two-way conversations. Meanwhile, the fashion industry’s main source of advertising, the monthly glossy, is experiencing sharp declines in ad sales this year — some down 47 % for the famed September issue, according to Forbes. If designers want to stay relevant, they need to drastically diversify their traditional communication patterns and join the online conversation.”
The above statement is so true. I think the key statement is “if designers want to stay relevant”. Fashion is all about change, progress, and innovative new looks. Why shouldn’t fashion marketing follow the same path? With new social media tools its become imperative for fashion brands to be participating in the online conversation and learn what their consumer likes and dislikes, not just throwing out some “monthly glossy” print ads in a magazine (although I do love some of those ads). Knowing what consumers want to see next, or like best in a collection could be the ticket for increased purchased items and company expansion or even better, having less items end up in a department store’s 75% off clearance rack.
The AdAge article highlights designer Tory Burch ‘s avid use of Twitter to outreach to followers and use online contests Polyvore.com to give fans a chance to show of their visual merchandising skills for Tory Burch products. This type of social interaction is what will help fashion retailers evolve their brand to not just be brand recongizable but develop a relationship with consumers and create brand advocates.
Definitely check out the full fashion social media article here but the six fashion sites AdAge highlights should definitely be on fashion marketer’s watch list as they are changing and molding the way fashion brands do business.
Here are AdAge.com’s Six Social Fashion Sites that every marketer worth her Prada handbag should be familiar with:
Shopflick
Shopflick combines videos and shopping to create a truly unique online fashion and shopping experience and social community. The site draws from a strong network of indie and up and coming designers to provide shoppers the ability to find cutting edge, unique items and to helps brand touch base and engage with current and new customers through branded online stores, video commerce widgets and much more.
Us Trendy
UsTrendy is a place where designers can post their portfolios, fans can judge them and then each season a collection is chosen using the most popular styles. Its tag line is, “…today’s inspiration… tomorrow’s trend…” UsTrendy produces the popular clothes and hosts events. They provide interaction and showcasing opportunities to designers, artists, models and fans through galleries, industry exposure, events and social networking connections. The site is a mash-up of Etsy.com and Linkedin.com.
StyleCaster
StyleCaster is looking to become the future site of online fashion through optimized fashion advice that is targeted to each user. This is the Amazon of fashion sites, where with every click they get to know you personal preference and taste, thereby giving you educated advice and marketing. This site is a mash-up of social network, editorial content and shopping and has just been given 4 million in funding.
Sense of Fashion
Sense of Fashion is the marketplace for upstart fashion designers, fashion lovers and sellers. It has an eBay-like capability for people to sell their fashion, shop or interact in their social network. Fans can show off their individual styles, favorite brands or even do e-commerce. Their goal is to connect designers with the very people who may inspire them, to also provide a platform for users to show off and sell their merchandise.
Est.Today
Est.Today is a fashion site for tweens that gives young girls the ability to design, display and purchase their own clothes. With personal creativity being the most stylish accessory this season, and now that young girls are paving the way for many new trends today according to a recent article in British Elle, this site capitalizes a the younger generations need for individual creativity.
Style Hop
StyleHop combines fashion and gaming to provide users with a fun rating system to decide on the popularity of branded styles. It incorporates yelp-like functionality to provide viewers information on popular sweaters and shoes for certain cities. Brands are given visibility though outfits, and users are able to comment on each picture with the ability to share the pictures on their other networks.
This time of year is the perfect opportunity for designers to dynamically and creatively encourage and join this discussion. Fashion fans are chomping at the bit for content from their favorite designers — which is why fashion sites are thriving. These sites and indie fashion bloggers may not have Anna Wintour’s bully pulpit (yet), but they are creating the future of the monthly glossy, and the future of the fashion Marcom system.
Step one is listening and engaging with your customers via social media channels, step two is to create social shopping opportunities and provide easy paths to purchase via social media channels. While designers may be apprehensive in giving up control, social media tools are actually launching pads for designers to strengthen their customer base and ultimately, grow their sales. (via AdAge.com)
