Disruption In the Fashion Industry: Power of influence

Disruption In the Fashion Industry: Power of influence 

Times have changed to where you do not need to depend on fashion shows cat walks to showcase the upcoming and current trends of the season. Fashion influencers having a platform on social media display current trends and influence the world of fashion. Many influencers are as successful as they are because millennials really do depend on their posts to showcase what is set to be in “style” and on “trend”. This has impacted many areas of the fashion industry to where marketer companies have to take action and stay on track in order to stay in business and generate profit. That being said, high fashion brands as well have to accommodate to the changes that are arising. When you are walking through the streets, malls, at school or at work, millennials are always carrying a piece of technology with them which includes a cellphone, laptop, tablet etc. We are all aware that technology is taking over, to where it feels weird if we are not connected to some sort of technology. 

            Many can argue that technology has caused positive impacts to the fashion industry, but you really need to analyze and take in consideration all the pros and cons that come with the power of fashion influencers through social media. Marketers are realizing that millennials do not rely much on ads as much as they do from recommendations from influencers. Research shows that 71% of people are more likely to make an online purchase if the product or service has been recommended by others. How many can say they are guilty of this? I know I sure can. Looking at reviews before making the decision is a key factor for most online shoppers. These recommendations and sponsors through influencers take action to advertise and promote certain brands which result to receiving a higher audience. By an influencer making a post, this gives their followers more trust and encouragement to buy the product which then gives the brand more visibility and drives traffic to the products. One example if this is Kylie Jenner and Adidas. With the high amount of followers Kylie Jenner has at 149 Million and Adidas 35.7 million, the collaboration will generate social reach through Kyle Jenner’s younger fashion audience. The influencer economy is estimated to be worth $1.3 billion for 2019, said by Vogue Business. The power behind partnerships really comes to show how a following audience can really impact a business.

What experts can argue is the impact fashion influencers have on fast-fashion brands that increase unsustainable consumption of disposable fashion. One prime example is the brand Fashion Nova with 16.5 million followers on Instagram, that introduces about 500-800+ new items every week. Imagine the amount of waste that arises when trends go out of style within the next few months and all the clothes either never gets worn again and goes to dumpsters and landfills. Having recommendations and promo codes made by influencers only promotes their audience buying habits to shop online for items that are not sustainable which involves cheaply made and slave labor which is indeed harmful to the environment and the workers. I came across an interview on YouTube with Arden Rose who is an American actress, author and influencer that talked about the power of influence and how influencers should use their platform for positive actions. Throughout the interview, Arden mentioned how influencers should be promoting sustainable business practises, especially when Youtubers push fast fashion as a “cheap” and “easy” alternative to a constantly refreshing industry. You really do not see how youtubers are promoting capitalism and fast fashion until you are educated in the subject. During the interview, Arden brought up the documentary called The True Cost on Netflix, to reference how many of us are not educated on the power fast fashion has on our environment and our world. According to the film The True Cost, the garment industry is the second most-polluting industry in the world. In the film, it is also stated that almost 95% of clothes in America is produced in developing countries where conditions are very poor. That being said, one of the responses Arden stated that stood out was how much easier it would be if largepublications and fashion houses made it a priority to promote this message. Going back to fashion influencers, imagine what a difference it would make if the top influencers only started promoting sustainable brands. 

When taking the decline of fast-fashion retailers in comparison to the online retailers it is a huge difference. Take in consideration brands such Forever 21 and H&M that were once the go-to fashion retailers for millennials and which now Forever 21 is going bankrupt. The competition has sparked up due to the competition through online retailers. Since disruption is being seen through fast fashion, the impact sustainability will make if more brands started to promote ethical and environmentally friendly products will be a positive action. An influencers ability to promote and connect with their followers can certainly make impactful changes. Research states that the clothing and textile is depleting non-renewable resources, emitting huge quantities of greenhouses gases and using massive quantities of energy, chemicals and water, according to an November 14 editorial by The University of Queensland. 

The Power of fashion influencers is as seen, very impactful in consumers buying habits. Simply just scrolling on Instagram and seeing your favourite actors, models and artists promoting clothing items that catches your attention already shows the power and influence social media has. Taking this to consideration, disruption is brought to the fashion industry. Just by being educated on the impact’s influencers have on some of the topics listed will help to spread the word and hopefully make a change.