You’ve probably heard by now that the CFDA is “allowing” certain bloggers to participate in the voting this year, and I think it makes sense. Having bloggers as judges speaks to the overall influence that certain bloggers have on the industry – or at least their perceived influence – and is an indication of the sea change going on in fashion journalism lately. But considering all the accompanying discord between “editors” and “bloggers” is this really an indication that bloggers are becoming more mainstream and accepted by the establishment? and what does that mean for bloggers? and the industry?
Via @Fashionista, I clicked through to this commentary by Colin McDowell on why HE thinks bloggers have been accepted into the sacred world of “fashion experts:”
Tavi and Bryanboy are both up there with the cream of the industry who have in the past been chosen with great care as people with expertise in the field, people whose judgment is trusted as being based on wide-ranging experience of the fashion world. People who know.
and then:
Doesn’t matter any more. What counts now is who sells clothes and to whom. And that is all that fashion blogging and Twitter are for, as far as the fashion – and especially designer – business is about: capturing a new and ever younger market. Of course nobody at the CFDA respects or cares about the opinions of the likes of Tavi and Bryanboy. The designers who have crammed their front rows with footballers, movie stars and TV stars don’t care either. All that fashion cares about now is enthusiasm and that can be as uninformed as you like. Everybody in fashion knows is that it is enthusiasm and excitement, not knowledge, that sells clothes. At least for a time. And that is why the very young are so important now.
It appears to me that he’s lamenting a time when only “true experts” or professional fashion journalists were permitted to judge who is and isn’t a good fashion designer. Sure, there are some technical aspects of designing that make one good or great, but like any art, fashion is a wildly subjective endeavor. If you’re judging a designer on his/her influence on overall style, trends, and consumers, then who better to judge than the people who directly interact with lovers and consumers of fashion: bloggers.
As he mentions above, it’s all about enthusiasm now, and the ability to sell clothes. It’s about where the passion for fashion lies, and how it translates into interest in a designer, and ultimately consumers buying his/her designs. And contrary to what I think he believes, not just anybody can convey enthusiasm effectively. Although I would honestly question Bryanboy as a “fashion blogger,” Tavi is another story. She is a great writer, and she is genuinely interested in what she writes about. And definitely enthusiastic. The whole industry is influenced by Tavi, whether they like it or not. Her readers adore her, and so do the designers who seat her in the front row (at least they adore her INFLUENCE). Good fashion bloggers influence style & trends and therefore what consumers chose to spend their money on; THAT cannot be ignored.
McDowell’s argument is the bloggers vs. editors fight all over again – and it’s still tired. Before bloggers, fashion was curated, much like museums, and consumers and fashion lovers were permitted to see only the designers that Anna Wintour featured in Vogue, for example. Now that consumers and bloggers have access to designers directly, editors are losing their coveted status of gatekeepers to the industry, and ultimately their power to CONTROL the industry.
It used to be that knowledge = power/influence in fashion because you were only allowed access to designers, fashion & couture IF you had the knowledge and were considered an “expert” in the first place. I can imagine how it must seem like utter chaos now to those “informed” editors that the Internet & blogging has made fashion more accessible to anyone who’s interested and enthusiastic. Mr. McDowell’s mistake is that he thinks somehow things will change back to the time when knowledge, not enthusiasm sold clothes. He could not be more wrong.
He may be right about one thing though, the CFDA may not care at all what Tavi or Bryanboy think, but do they really care what anyone “thinks?” Of course I don’t know, but I would venture to guess that judges aren’t only chosen based on their industry expertise, they’re also selected for their influence and power. And right now, who is holding a great deal of the influence & power in the fashion industry?
Bloggers…
The power of the fashion blogger is his/her ability to reach and influence fashion lovers & consumers with his/her enthusiasm and passion for design – NOT his/her knowledge of the industry. You can have both, but without enthusiasm, influence is minimal, in my opinion.
why do you think some bloggers were chosen as judges for the CFDA this year? in your opinion, what is the power of the fashion blogger? do you believe that knowledge or enthusiasm sells clothes? or both?
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{ 3 comments… read them below or add one }
It’s not coincidence that many of the publications are courting or hiring these bloggers (especially the two named). The traditional media is definitely shaking in their boots a bit because of this transitional time. No one knows quite where print is going and where the influence is going to grow. If Vogue hires a notable blogger does that help them recapture the interest or does it diminish the independant?
I think the next five years are going to be very interesting on all fronts.
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Frankly, I think some bloggers were chosen as CFDA judges for the same reason celebs sit front row at shows: publicity. These are individuals whose online readership (and to a certain extent, influence) is the same as or greater than that of publications with multiple paid contributors. The print industry is scared, and the fashion industry is riding the wave.
What sells clothes is a distinct point of view, which the most popular bloggers certainly possess. It works for designers, too (see: Alexander Wang), but bloggers have an advantage in this area because it’s much more efficient to distill a single personality into a distinctive POV than to incorporate multiple editorial opinions, all of which will ultimately be diluted. Bloggers are more potent, and therefore very effective!
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I think Colin McDowell has a point. As a blogger I applaud the CFDA for taking notice of bloggers influence on the buying public, but as a former designer I find it a bit disconcerting that someone with no knowledge of the design process can have the ability to make or break a designer. Yes, fashion is subjective no matter what way you look at it; however technique is also very important when it comes to judging. Without knowledge of these things one is merely judging a book by its cover. Enthusiasm has always played a role in promoting fashion — where it comes from doesn’t matter. What matters is that there’s a “buzz” which will translate to sales (hopefully, in financially troubled times its a gamble) for the designer. What I don’t agree with CM with is the age issue. The shift happened a long time ago — it started slowly in the 50′s, then exploded in the 60′s with “youth culture” — and kept growing as younger people continued to have more and more disposable income, and as a result more buying power. I respect CM as a fashion writer and expert as he has worked in the fashion industry and knows the business from a personal, insider view and is not just judging by aesthetics. However, I follow his blog and have noticed that he keeps bringing up the age issue, which makes me think he feels threatened as if he’s going to be made obsolete because of his age. Frankly, I find that absurd as good fashion writing from someone who knows their subject will always be welcome. Most bloggers write about what they love from an aesthetic viewpoint and they have little or no knowledge of what went into making the garment. Yes, this creates enthusiasm, but enthusiasm will wane once the word is out that something is designed sub-par no matter how great it may be aesthetically. Additionally, fashion has not always been the sole domain of “true experts” or journalists. Originally fashion shows were produced for those who could afford to buy the garments, later they were for the customer as well as the fashion trade and journalists. The inclusion of bloggers is purely a PR move to create buzz, knowing full well that bloggers have the power to get the info out quickly and with enthusiasm. It will indeed be very interesting to see how the tides turn within the next 5 years. After all, one can debate to what degree a journalist has more right to be at a show over a client who actually spends cold hard cash on the garments?
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