Fashion Marketing:: Fashion’s Link to Blogs

Fashion-Fox is a blog that clearly has its fingers on the pulse of the fashion industry. And while we focus on the marketing strategies of the fasion industry in this particular blog, we also blog about the fashion of shoes over at Chaussure-Femmes.com,  fashion for the tall and large at Ma-Grande-Taille.com, and the fashion of lingerie at Lingerie-Meets-Underwear.  And we’re not the only ones interested in blogging about fashion.

If you Google the term "fashion blogs," you get 14,400,000 hits in 2/10ths of a second.

The fashion blogging - and fashion "vlogging" for all that matters - are industries that are expanding very quickly, and there’s no sign of it slowing down.  And because of this, the fashion houses are embracing the bloggers.

It didn’t take those at the top of the fashion houses to realize the impact that a blogger could have on their business.  A personal review that casts your product in a favorable light is as good as it gets; even better, it’s free advertising.

Imagine that you’re headed out, about to drop $1000 on a new handbag - one that your friend already purchased.  Are you going to check-in with her to see how she likes it before you go spend your next two paychecks on this bag? Of course you are!

And that is the crux of the relationship between the blogging world on the fashoin world.

Fashion houses recognize the importance of the relationship these bloggers have with their readers; the importance of having someone you "trust," recommend a product.  As such, they’re looking more frequently to blogs as a marketing tool that allows them to expand their customer base, and to advertise with clients, both new and old.

"Blogs led to an increase in sales in companies, especially in fashion," said Justin Stefano, one of the founders and the executive director of Refinery29, a digital fashion publication. Because a blog makes it possible for the writer to whip off a candid and totally spontaneous reaction to a product, it can be as valuable to fashion houses as expensive market-research.

"Fashion blogs are a huge new marketing trend and have created a new way in which companies can ‘read’ the public reaction to their latest collection, campaign, etc.," said Sherri L. Koetting, co-founder and principal of MSLK Graphic Design.

However, as fashion houses continue to use blogs as a marketing tool, there is the risk that the bloggers will have a slanted opinion on a product or designer if they get enough free swag out of their postings.  I mean, who wouldn’t talk about how much you loved Prada if you got a new handbag out of the deal?

Take, for example, Elisabeth Fourmont, the woman behind "La Coquette;" she was one of the few elite bloggers that was invited to the recent opening of the new Gucci store in New York City. She was even flown in from Paris for the event.

While she did blog about her trip, and the $800 Gucci handbag she got for free, she didn’t respond to emails sent by the Mercury News regarding the posting itself, which talked candidly about putting the bag on the back of her toilet, "to play down the majesty."

But Susie Bubble, the woman behind StyleBubble, says she is contacted "daily" by fashion companies and designers, who are looking for her remarks on their stuff.  "The general rule is I don’t feature anyone who I didn’t genuinely like and feel is appropriate for Style Bubble," she wrote in an e-mail.  "I don’t really accept free samples either with obligations to write about things."

Justin Stefano says that there is no risk of bloggers losing their credibility with readers. "They are a very savvy bunch," he said. "They tend to be very independently minded.  They might go to those parties and take those handbags, but in the end what keeps their content relevant is that independence." Stefano also points out that there is a check and balance system within the blogging community; if the readers feel that "the blogger’s content is compromised, the blogger loses traffic."

At the end of the day, we think that fashion blogs are a great marketing tool and they’re great to read.  To all you fashion bloggers out there, keep up the good work!  To all the fashion companies, both large and small, this is one fashion marketing trend you can’t afford to pass up!