Wi-Fi Style

- How
technology has made fashion more interactive than ever before.

The days of
just waiting for the Spring/Summer issue of Vogue magazine to hit the newsstand
are fading fast with fashion journalism and retail going hi-tech. Major
retailers and designers are using the power of technology to be more
interactive with the public.
Although
printed forms of media are on the decline due to articles being available
online, fashion magazines are embracing the internet. Some magazines are
available online such as Vogue, Harper’s Bazzar but have a few items from the
print edition on their websites. Some magazines provide electronic
subscriptions. These digital editions are available downloaded to a laptop or
on to an iPad.
The launch
of Twitter in 2006 has changed the way how designers reach out to fans and the
world. Famous designers/ brands on Twitter including Armani, Burberry and
Isaac Mizrahi use Twitter to engage with the public. Designers can upload
pictures of their upcoming collections, tweet about where they are travelling
or answer questions from their Twitter followers.
Designers and retailers are embracing Facebook as a way to promote
themselves. Facebook is an excellent tool for people to follow them. Once a
person clicks on the like button on a designer’s page, any updates show up in
their news feed. Designers can also use Facebook as a tool to create photo
albums that highlight their travels, fashion shows or new products. The
designer can also engage in market research by creating non scientific surveys.
These surveys a glimpse into what their customers wants.
There are many different platforms to access social networks other than
using a desktop computer. Smartphones such as the iPhone and Blackberry are
another way for people to follow their favourite designer while having a cup of
coffee. People are not just going on logging on to twitter, facebook or the designer’s
website through their web browser but also buying applications or apps to keep
up with the latest news and trends in fashion. Some popular fashion apps in
North America are Polyvore, DaileyCandy,
SheFinds and Fashionlista. Polyvore.com is a fashion website that allows
users to put together complete outfits by dragging and dropping images from the
site or from the web. It can also be used as social networking app to connect
fellow fashion users. Users can explore or search the various Looks that others
have created, or create their own.
There is also the “good old fashioned” website. Almost all
designers, brands and retailers have a website. Most websites have previews of
their upcoming collections and some double as online retailers or list where
there brands can be bought. The sites usually contain company history, a career
section and addresses of their locations (if applicable). Some designer
websites are Betsy Johnson, Badgley Mischka, Temperley, etc. Even with the
advent of Facebook and twitter, some people do not use social networking sites.
A traditional website is still vital for any company in the fashion industry to
maintain an online presence.
As technology advances and becomes more interactive, fashion
will progress with it as well.