Fashion 2.0: How the Internet Has Democratized Fashion

Carl Jadaa NY Fashion Oct. 21, 2014 Fashion 2.0: How the Internet Has Democratized Fashion Page 1 of 13

in turn result in the democratization of Today's technology largely impacts fashion. most, if not all, aspects of our society. When people think of technological innovations, focus is often placed on computer and gadgets as if change can only happen to those aspects of society. The fashion industry is certainly no exception to such a shift caused by technology. Digital technology not only has created e-commerce and the content of fashion on digital channels, but it has also severely affected the production process of fashion. The process in which garments are fabricated today is highly dependent on the tools, processes, and materials currently available in the market. The continuously increasing role of technology in the fashion industry largely influences many aspects of the system of the fashion industry, including but not limited to the rise of fast fashion, the diffusion of brands across online channels, the broadcasting of fashion shows to the mass public, and innovation in production processes, which all DEVELOPMENT IN THE PRODUCTION SECTOR In the past decade, technological advancements have done wonders to production across numerous industries. In fashion, it has streamlined the process of making by automating processes such as knitting, linking, pleating, decorating, and embroidering by the use of machinery and advanced production equipment. Enabling technologies for garment production has resulted in innovative methods of making that were unachievable before. For instance, new computerized flat knitting machines have enabled knitwear to be created in one piece without the need for linking or sewing. (April 2010) A machine has been introduced in Japan to take the physical strain out of the pleating process; another has made it possible to cross-seam embroidery on the legs of a finished jean; laser machines have also introduced the possibility of printing and

finishing patterns onto jeans. (April 2010) All of those processes are just a few cases in which machinery and technological advancements have refined the production industry creates a solid and safe base for the pre-established and larger fashion companies. It ultimately is the cause of the emergence of fast fashion retailers. process of garment making in a more efficient and accurate way. It is noteworthy to mention that the technology used to make those new machines is developed and centered around speed and process-oriented manufacturing. It provides a brand new model of production based on the systems cost and productivity. Since production, information and order processing, designing, and distribution are no longer done on hand but are rather now completely automated, designing and discovery of new fabric, design or style is becoming more fast-paced. (Bella, 2013) This leads to higher barriers to entry for new fashion brands to emerge into the industry, as automating processes and keeping up with the speeding rate of trends and style can be very costly if it were not done on a mass THE EMERGENCE OF FAST FASHION Fast fashion is a business strategy that aims to reduce the processes involved in the fashion cycle from production to the point of sale, in order to satisfy consumer demand at its peak. (Choi 2013) This gets achieved by streamlining numerous processes in the buying cycle and minimizing lead times in order to capture current fashion trends in an economical manner. That is obviously an objective that cannot be achieved without automated machinery and the heavy reliance of technology; a barrier to entry that justifies why fast fashion players have as a competitive advantage over other production system. As seen in Table 1, fast fashion (F) is the only production system that utilizes a quick response strategy whilst providing production level. This signifies that the technological advancements in the fashion Page 3 of 13

enhanced design. (Cachon 2011) communication technology (ICT) are essential in shortening lead times (Christopher et al., 2004). Many big fast fashion players like Quick response in production systems is key in order to successfully achieve the profitability that current fast fashion players are achieving, and that starts with integration and collaboration in the supply chain. That means vertical integration and agile supply chains are necessary to improve efficiency. The notion of agile supply chains provides a quicker response, and is a term used to describe short and more flexible demand driven supply chains. According to Christopher et al. (2004), the key difference in agile supply chains versus traditional supply chains is that they are primarily datadriven and information flows within the system fluidly. This is achieved by the use of technology such as computer-aided design (CAD), which can produce new market-driven designs very quickly and efficiently. Larger investments in information and Zara, Topshop, H&M and Forever 21 imitate runway designs from bigger and more affluent fashion designers into similar cuts, colors and patterns. By doing so, they are enabling the perception of fashion to be sold sooner and for less in more stores. Although this practice is merely one of a business that embraces the loophole in intellectual property of fashion design and uses it to their benefit, it s no question that it s democratizing fashion by bringing trendy, affordable items to the masses. Some fast fashion players, however, sometimes choose to shut off copyright infringement claims by choosing to collaborate with high fashion designers. This practice is arguably yet another road to making high fashion available to the mass public. When Karl Lagerfeld collaborated with H&M in November 2004, it marked the very first mainstream collaboration between a high fashion designer and a mass retailer on a Page 4 of 13

limited-edition capsule collection. Many other players quickly followed through with this practice, with retailers from Target to Topshop also launching designer collaborations with Christopher Kane, Alexander McQueen, Martin Margiela, and more recently Alexander Wang. For many consumers, these collaborations essentially symbolize the accessibility of high fashion for a fraction of the price. Many consumers are actually embracing this democratization of fashion; in fact, it has caused the global apparel industry to experience an annual growth rate of 4.3% since 2000. (Euromonitor International 2013) Lincoln Center on their own website, it democratized the fashion system by making what was once an exclusive show available to only industry insiders completely open and accessible to anyone with just mere curiosity about fashion. Throughout history, the fashion industry has long been associated with privilege and exclusivity. New York Fashion Week has traditionally been an exclusive event that could solely be attended by very prominent individuals like A-list industry insiders and celebrities. Money and status were huge barriers to all-access fashion, and they weren t even the only barriers: in the early days of the New York Fashion Week, DIFFUSION OF BRANDS ACROSS DIGITAL CHANNELS The explosion of digital media is arguably the most impactful transformation for the fashion industry, as it has completely redefined the power dynamics of the industry. When the Mercedes-Benz Fashion Week in New York City announced in 2013 that all 54 shows would be streamed online from the the event was actually called Press Week because store buyers were prohibited from attending. (Pous 2013) Making all the shows of the NYFW accessible to the mass public openly and freely sure says a lot about what the Internet - social media specifically - has done for the mass public. Users have been taking advantage of such a privilege by generating a lot of user-generated content Page 5 of 13

about the collections and the shows in general. According to a study conducted by Curalate, a leading marketing and analytics platform for the visual web, 115,912 images were shared on Instagram of the NYFW in 2014 by 44,827 unique users, garnering a total of 10,631,075 likes and 212,095 comments. even allowed industry outsiders to become prominent key fashion insiders; Tavi Gevinson began writing her blog The Style Rookie at the age of 12, and by the age of 14, Gevinson was already regularly seated on the front row at Fashion Week, joining the A-list models, editors, and journalists. (Corcoran, 2010) Fashion blogging is one of the first form of digital media that comes to light as a powerful tool for the democratization of fashion. The idea that blogging allows just about anyone with access to a computer and Internet to share their thoughts, ideas, and inspirations online with others in an unedited and spontaneous style really does justice in buzz diffusion. The digital channel has quickly proven to become a significant force in the field of fashion, and enabled a new means through which individuals can broadcast information on a very personal basis. Some of the more influential fashion blogs, like Scott Schuman s The Sartorialist, receive over thirteen million viewers per Tavi Gevinson on the cover of New York magazine The fact that independent or personal fashion blogs have such low barriers to entry and are still garnering so much attention and industry influence validates the potential this digital channel has to reshape or shift the power relations in the industry. It has essentially enabled industry outsiders who month (Amed, 2011). Fashion blogging has Page 6 of 13

probably have no professional affiliation to the industry to establish a credible and authoritative voice that could stand alongside established fashion intermediaries such as editors and stylists. This enablement breaks the closed and exclusive political system of the fashion industry by completely shattering established hierarchies currently in place. The adoption of digital media in the fashion industry and the usage of social media platforms by luxury brands has surged in the past five years. Social media encourages customers to interact with brands. These customer interactions ultimately build the brand by increasing awareness, involvement, and engagement; thus, adding to brand recall and stimulating purchases. Tweets, blogs, and social networks like Facebook, Twitter, YouTube, Instagram, and Pinterest offer fashion brands ways to connect with audiences. Though many fashion brands initially believed social networking would weaken the relationship with consumers, social media is now viewed as an opportunity to improve customer relationships and to ultimately capture a larger audience. New York-based fashion designer Tommy Hilfiger agrees about embracing the use of social media, stating that now everything is in real-time; everyone tweets and Instagrams everything that s happening, and I want to be the designer with strength in social media. Tommy Hilfiger even approached Mobile Media Lab, a New York-based creative agency that produces customized visual experiences with brands and their audiences on Instagram and other social media channels, about further democratizing the Tommy Hilfiger fashion show at NYFW. The agency took initiative by creating the first ever fashion week Meet-Up right before the show, and it was entirely accessible to everyone. The most important advantage that social media has provided in the fashion industry is an effective and open communication tool between the designer and the consumer. It allows brands to be in direct contact with customer insights, and capture a much clearer picture of the target audience at hand, and that is a notion many Page 7 of 13

designers, including Hilfiger, clearly understood and are now in the process of adopting. The increase of the user-generated content that is created from social media also causes a shift the power dynamics between fashion producers/intermediaries and consumers in terms of the shaping of brand perception and fashion knowledge. This is very notable because the fashion industry has traditionally faced a threat of instability over the creation and dissemination of its data and information, and user-generated content greatly hinders the ability to control such data. This interference could be portrayed by how the streaming of all 54 shows of the NYFW on its website has caused pictures of the latest collections to be leaked online even before the show started this year, an incident that gave social media users an even earlier look than A-list celebrities sitting in the front row of the shows. While Instagram as a social media platform has had an important impact on the fashion industry, Twitter too is transforming the fashion industry because of its capability to establish a channel of dialogue between designers and consumers, and within consumers of fashion themselves. When fashion houses increase their Twitter activity, they are substantially affecting the public perception of their brand, and it establishes the ability to bring designers and fans closer together. Iconic fashion house Oscar de la Renta is known for their heavy reliance of Twitter to communicate and engage with fans. When Director of Communications for the fashion house Erika Bearman (or OscarPRGirl on Twitter) was asked about the brand s social media strategy, she said: a year ago we were talking about how we could be involved in Twitter with an authentic voice - our CEO Alex Bolen came up with the idea for OscarPRGirl where I would write about interesting aspects of our brand. Bearman explained, We have a beautiful product. But it needs to be talked about; it needs to be explained. Social networking conversations are going to happen anyway and I think I d Page 8 of 13

rather be part of the discussion. (Holmes 2010) Social media has had a tremendous impact on the power dynamics in the fashion industry, but it is extremely key to also mention e-commerce as another industry changer for the fashion world. When first introduced during the dot-com boom and the digital revolution of the late 1990s, e- commerce sites proved to be a significant economic force for fashion retailers. However, they were still visually unappealing, technically incompetent, functionally frustrating, and lacking aesthetic pull or interactive capability. (Leyshon et al, 2005) They provided, at best, just a little more than traditional distribution channels: computerized catalogues that neither enticed nor excited consumers. However, when digital marketers were able to understand how this new distribution channel should be used in the fashion industry, it certainly did percentage of online consumers who made a purchase over the Internet in 2009 reached 93% in South Korea, 89% in Japan, 75% in the UK, and 63% in the US. (Forrester Research, 2011). Online shopping has quickly proven to become a much more democratic form of fashion distribution and reproduction than traditional shopping. To illustrate how, I will use UsTrend as an example. UsTrendy is an online platform where independent fashion designers each have an equal opportunity to reach consumers. It currently has 16,000 designers from over 100 countries currently selling on its website. We really wanted a democratic kind of website where the status quo wasn t deciding what s fashionable, but rather every designer has their fair shot to take off, says Sam Sisakhti, Founder of UsTrendy.com. Some of our designers are doing over $1M in sales individually on our site. (Ghyebi 2014) wonders. In fact, the number of online shoppers increased globally by an estimated CASE STUDY 40% between 2006 and 2008, and the Page 9 of 13

Tory Burch is an exemplary case of a New York-based fashion designer and brand that embraces the use of social media to connect with consumers and elevate the brand s image. Tory Burch fuels the company's dynamic growth by leveraging the digital channels of retail competition to please the customer. Much of the brand s success can be linked to an aggressive digital strategy. The company launched their e- commerce website immediately after opening its first shop in downtown Manhattan, and toryburch.com now generates more revenue than any physical store. Their website is cross-linked with the social media platforms they are engaged in, and their digital branding feels as if their intention with their online presence is to provide the user with a fashion and style resource rather than an online store. promotions and content. For example, they recently provided their Facebook fans an exclusive discounts on their Lizard-Print Zip Jewelry Case, and developed an application using the Facebook developer API that allows users to receive the discount exclusively through Facebook. They also add images to all posts on Facebook to provide exclusive first looks on some products. The brand also communicate with customers directly when necessary, and unlike most other brands on Facebook, they have enabled the ability for others users to post comments, positive or negative, directly onto the Facebook page. This exploits all the brand s perception s online by making all the noise being generated about the brand transparent. For example, in a recent situation, a customer was frustrated with her recent experience with one of the retail stores, so she took her problem to Facebook. SOCIAL MEDIA STRATEGY Tory Burch s social media channels make sure to provide added privileges to their followers and fans by providing exclusive The official page responded to her directly, stating that a member of our customer service team will be reaching out to you soon. Such a strategy secures current fans Page 10 of 13

by locking them in the Facebook page in this case. today! Call my boys before they go to bed. This is in line with Tory Burch s values about Snapshot of Tory Burch s Comments Facebook Page CONTENT A very significant aspect of a digital strategy is the ability to connect the brand s image with the online digital marketing strategy; a consistency that not too many brands really understand how to achieve. Tory Burch successfully achieves that by constantly posting about carrying out their brand philosophy to connect with aspects of the customers lifestyles. For example, in a recent post titled Shanghai Issue: Tory s Day in the Life, the first line shares: Getting hair and makeup ready a host of interviews supporting the economic empowerment of women entrepreneurs and their families, a value Tory engraved in the brand s image when she created the Tory Burch Foundation. The language that Tory Burch uses on its social media channels is mostly open-ended, and appropriate to the brand image and target audience. It has a storytelling feel and uses rather mature descriptions for fashion items, a practice that is more fitting for the target audience. Most of the content also highlights strong women and female role models. CONCLUSION Digital media has undoubtedly become the ultimate equalizer in fashion. It is no surprise that when insiders of the fashion industry use social media the same way that the average outsider would, traces of inspiration and mystery will get revealed to the public and that ultimately democratizes the fashion industry. Alexander Wang, Page 11 of 13

Christian Louboutin and Diane von Furstenberg are among the most popular designers on Twitter, with hundreds of thousands of followers each. All these designers unwillingly demystify the fashion industry one tweet at a time and let followers after a runway show, we have now reached a new stage of digital immediacy and dependency that cause exclusive private events to become entirely public, and consumers to be as much a part of those events as the so-called fashion elite. interact with every part of the process. The New York Fashion Week has experienced nothing short of a revolution over the last five years, and that is largely due to the advent of social media. What was once a series of events and parties exclusively for designers, buyers, media, models, and A-list celebrities has now become a live global spectacle for consumers. As much as 630,000 remote viewers streamed the NYFW online in 2013, and that number will keep on increasing every year as long as digital media keeps escalating and being an even more integral part of our society. As the fashion industry keeps on evolving from times when we had to wait for the next physical issue of Harper s Bazaar for the first news of seasonal collections to times when we religiously refreshed style.com as much as 48 hours Page 12 of 13

References Cachon, G., & Swinney, R. (April 2011). The Value of Fast Fashion: Quick Response, Enhanced Design, and Strategic Consumer Behavior. Management Science, 778-795. Choi, T. (2013). Fast fashion systems: Theories and applications. CRC Press. Christopher, M., Lowson, R., Peck, H. (2004). Creating agile supply chains in the fashion industry. International Journal of Retail & Distribution Management, Vol.32 No.8, 367-376 Crewe, L. (2012). When virtual and material worlds collide: Democratic fashion in the digital age. Environment and Planning A, 760-780. Euromonitor International 2013. GMID passport. data retrieved September 17, 2013. stream-and-the-democratization- of-fashion/ Holmes, E. (2010, September 15). The Importance of Tweeting Oscar. Retrieved December 11, 2014, from http://www.wsj.com/articles/sb10 001424052748704285104575491 761543648510 Pous, T. (2013, February 6). The Democratization of Fashion: A Brief History TIME.com. Retrieved December 11, 2014, from http://style.time.com/2013/02/06/t he-democratization-of-fashion-abrief-history/ Technological Developments In The Clothing Industry [Download: PDF] [Digital]. (2009, January 1). Retrieved December 11, 2014, from https://www.textilesintelligence.co m/tisgam/index.cfm?pageid=3&re pid=tisgam&issueid=8&artid=15 50 Gyebi, A. (2014, February 8). Ecommerce and The Democratization of Fashion. Retrieved December 11, 2014, from http://corra.com/news/live- Page 13 of 13