Monday, November 24, 2014

Fashion and Instagram: Best of Friends?

There is no doubt that instagram is a powerful marketing tool. This article I read at notjustalabel.com summed it up perfectly "Thrown it into the realm of fashion, Instagram translates into a powerful marketing instrument, blending the ‘personal’, back-stage access, with that of lucrative brand exposure". As someone who worked in fashion I find that fashion labels embracing Instagram so refreshing! It does allow so many people access that would never be able to see a fashion show, attend a fashion party or even step foot in a particular labels store!

So much brand awareness can be created through instagram - that labels that would not have had a chance 5 years ago are exploding - think Nasty Girl. This article I read tries to go into the negatives of Instagram - such as overexposure, fashion moving too fast etc. However in my opinion these don't hold up. Instagram has allowed so many brands to emerge that never would have been able to and as a voyeur myself I love that dose of creativity I get every time I scroll through the app. As someone who plans to launch a company I cant wait to use Instagram to showcase the personality of my brand.

11 November 2014 By Rosie Atkin

Fashion and Instagram: Best of Friends?


Instagram is loved by millions; it offers accessibility, interaction, and a sense of instant creativity. But in the world of fashion, does it risk exposing too much? Are we becoming desensitised to the bombardment of images? NJAL Editor Rosie Atkin explores an alternative perspective of this omnipresent app... Instagram: Do you have it?
As a platform it is still relatively infantile, experiencing a meteoric rise since its creation in 2010. But as a concept, it is a cause for widespread discussion, polarising audiences for its tendency to shortcut the processes of film photography- mimicking an effect which takes patient processing- in favour of a fast-track route to an aesthetically pleasing, personally curated image gallery. Its intrusion, and almost whole internalisation, into the lives of the internet generation has caused celebration, and at times, concern.
Our overarching desire to broadcast each experience, whether it is shared with others or solitary, reflects an openness born from the advent of the Internet. To abstain from this application, or others of a similar nature, is almost as if to reject a social expectation. Yet, does this insatiable need to share, filter, and curate stretch too far? Using the fashion industry as a case study, does this internalisation of over-exposure and oversaturation reflect our changing society? What does this powerful tool mean for new designers? Is Instagram a true friend, or a privacy threat?

Thrown it into the realm of fashion, Instagram translates into a powerful marketing instrument, blending the ‘personal’, back-stage access, with that of lucrative brand exposure. The Telegraph recently offered an extensive list featuring “The Best Fashion People to Follow” on Instagram, heralding celebrities such as Kendell Jenner and Alexa Chung, alongside Anna Dello Russo of Vogue Japan and Naomi Campbell, as the go-to accounts to gain valuable insights into this mythical world. Combine the allure of fashion with our normalised obsession with celebrity figures, and these Instagram accounts depict once again the progression of social media and its increasingly permanent place in creative industries.

Fashion Week’s, catwalks and showcases are now mobbed by smartphones; broadcasting collections at an increasingly fast pace, cutting through the traditional iron curtain of fashion exclusivity in order to reach global audiences. Casting back to J.W. Anderson’s Spring/Summer 2015 show, never has such an eagerly anticipated collection appeared so heavily repeated- on news feeds, streams, and of course, the scroll of Instagram. The dusty hallways of the old Central Saint Martin’s campus at Southampton Row were utilised as a catwalk, drawing in great crowds to a rather enclosed space. Yet, imposing in the tight space available for the models to teeter, were arms and their new extensions: smartphones. Within seconds, social media was bombarded with the now omnipresent oversized panama hat, the leather high-necks and statement buttons. However, this analogy represents the continuing intrusion, with the need to document the show ultimately creating physical obstacle, as well as an ideological one.

On the one hand, the implementation of image sharing applications reflects accessibility previously unheard of; Fashion for all. We are allowed to peer into this industry, still exclusive, but more inviting than in the past. We feel connected to figures we have never met, and might never meet. But is this inclusivity falsified? Through over-saturation, are we ignoring the intricacies of design? NJAL designer and Central Saint Martins graduate Richard Malone suggests that the infectious use of Instagram in fashion is making designs more "forgettable"; "Runway images dull down the cut, and you can't see the finish or feel the fabrics- which are really the marks of good design." Malone reflects that the application risks making fashion "more about images than about the clothes."

In a similar, but theoretical vein, Regarding the Pain of Others by Susan Sontag assesses the double standard of photography; “To photograph is to frame, to frame is to exclude.” In one fell swoop Instagram both includes and excludes; it offers us a constant stream of imagery, one-dimensional depictions of designs, but readily available. Simultaneously, these images detach their audience, limiting the tangible aspect of fashion; the pleasure of being physically present when a new collection is debuted. Does this filtered image turn the catwalk into a compromised version? A digital whirlwind where detailing, texture and movement, appreciated fully in person, are lost?
Just as news broadcasts now oversaturate war coverage with extreme images of violence, distress and destruction, perhaps the general permeation of photography, whether it is fashion or war, represents our desensitisation to much more than just clothing. This might be a comparison too heavy for fashion design, however it does poise an interesting tipping point for future designers.
Markets, accustomed to a constant feed of updates, now expect more from design labels. The design process too has thoroughly internalised Instagram, as Susy Lau of Style Bubble reflected in The New York Times. Her own Instagram images are now featured “on designers’ mood boards.” Direct influence is now drafted from the medium, showcasing a wealth of digital inspiration available today. However, the rate at which collections are viewed, re-grammed, and consumed, could in turn increase the speed at which copycat designs are made. Is it possible that designers unwittingly reveal too much in order the satiate their audiences? Or is this a risk that cannot be challenged, therefore has fallen into the lap of acceptance.

Malone suggests that Instagram's effect is merely a symbol of the increasing speed of the fashion industry, stating that product replication can be frequenty found; "It is a real shame and it can be really disheartening for young designers. The element of surprise is gone, once the clothes reach the shops or an exhibition they almost feel dated, because you've scrolled down on your feed its almost like a sense of an ending: thats how quick fashion is now."
Luxury fashion retailer NET-A-PORTER have certainly harnessed the platform; boasting over 1 million followers, the linchpin's curate strategic shop-focused posts to maximise the effect of Instagram. The retail titan offers a master class in translating visuals into profit, posing the question; does anyone truly care if they are revealing too much on social media? If Instagram aids sales, then why change?
Perhaps opposing such a seemingly harmless platform is futile; Instagram performs no heinous crime other than the occasional censorship, in fact it gives its users every day creativity and interaction. But to take stock of its unravelling impact is important- in fashion and our personal lives. Designers should consider privacy in greater detail; to reveal too much would be to hinder intrigue and interest. As a consumer, the medium acts as a symbol of our age; of constant digital images, a bombardment of information. With everything about a collection ready at our finger tips, will we loose the aspiration to make it to these shows?
One must not forget that the physical holds value; to touch, to scrutinise. Some things, such as catwalk shows, are supposed to be fleeting; a challenge for our memory to retain, and not to be flattened by a low quality image on a ghostly screen.

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