March 6, 2008
Fashion Industry :: Are Designers Really Afraid of Computers?
For most of us, the computer is second nature. In fact, some people are so wired in, they can't go anywhere without their Blackberry's or iPhone's.
But there is a surprising group of folks that aren't plugged in: fashion designers.
The question is, does their adversity to technology spell doomsday for the fashion industry? Probably not - at least as long as they surround themselves with a younger generation that is plugged in. But the minute they loose their connection with the mind-set of the new, more technology driven generation, they stand to loose their edge.
On this blog, we've talked about several different instances of technology and fashion meeting up and how that relationship stands to increase sales and brand awareness. But in an interesting article published by the International Herald Tribune on February 24th, it seems that the designers themselves are not the ones behind this new partnership.
So what gives? We're living in a technology driven world. But most designers say their reason for staying away from the technology is because they want to draw their design inspiration from things around them. Yet, they readily admit that their teams and the cheif executives are all plugged in. Maybe that's what keeps it all in balance.
So, will the fashion industry come to a crippling halt if Marc Jacobs doesn't know how to use Photoshop? No. But as time goes on, it will be interesting to see how the lines and marketing of seasoned designers differ from those of the younger, and more wired, designers.
Stay tuned!
Filed under Fashion Industry, Fashion News, Opinions and Reviews by Fashion-Fox
Comments on Fashion Industry :: Are Designers Really Afraid of Computers? »
Alan @ 2:23 pm
The stereotypical designer on-line.
Under 35 you're wired in.
Between 35 and 45 you may get the importance and power of the on-line world. Blogs, email marketing, user content, social sites, search, VOIP, file sharing and RSS feeds are the here and now.
Between 45 and 55 you're probably comfortable with email, visiting big name retail sites to shop and performing an occasional Google search even if you don't know the difference between organic and sponsored results.
Over 55 and you need someone under 35 to wire you in. Yes, you email your friends, but that's it.
Now warp ahead 10 years and under 45 you're wired in. 45 to 55 you get most of it even if you don't get it all. Over 55 and you'll be retired in 10 years anyway.
Wasn't the dot come boom ten years ago? My how time flies.
I just found your blog on blogged. I'm going back over to give it a great review!
Kathleen @ 4:13 pm
Alan told me about this site.
I read that Computerphobia article and I whole heartedly agree. However, there's some problems with the youngest folks too. Namely, the conflict btwn the two generations in the industries aligned in two camps: designers vs vendors (suppliers, contractors, services). The younger set doesn't know how to find what they need via traditional means -because similarly -few vendors have sites. For the younger set, if a vendor doesn't have one, the source is deprecated -much to a designer's ill. Still worse, young designers gravitate towards enterprising vendors who have sites but who are questionable in ethics, industry longevity and skills. Of traditional vendors that have sites, they tend to be awful, circa 1993-5 and young designers judge accordingly. Unfortunately, those vendors still call the shots whether designers know them or not or whether they like their websites. Fwiw, I think I've made some in roads in bridging the divisive world of off-line vs online on my site and forum.
Cathy Horyn made some interesting comments in a recent article about how old-school designers very much miss the medium and fail to understand they can no longer control what's said about them.
Still, the component of people most likely to have the means to launch a line, are over 35. As such, they're still plagued with the self imposed limitations of failing to use the internet.
[off topic but speaking of web 2.0/marketing, your "useful books" widget is showing me titles I already own]