The fashion industry is an elite facet of the clothing world that is not only responsible for putting clothes on peoples’ bodies, but also for communicating the current trends. The industry has redefined itself in the modern age regarding marketing strategies and who runs the industry, partly due to the creation of social media. Social media was created as a way to connect people online and turned into an important factor for marketers as a way to spread word about brands and companies. It was not until the 21st century that these two industries combined to create what the fashion industry is today. With the merging of these two aspects, there was a revolution in the way that people look at fashion. Through the growth of social media, people have come to celebrate fame and look up to celebrities in the spotlight in regards to their style and what brands they are wearing. These celebrities, or influencers as they are referred to in social media, have been using their voices to talk about fashion. By having influencers rule the fashion industry, the talent has been stripped away from the industry and it has transformed into an unrecognizable industry. Not only are these celebrity influencers taking away talent from those who have the proper experience and requirements but also, because people look up to them, they have perpetuated a negative body image for women. The addition of social media to the fashion industry has caused a shift in the values of the industry regarding marketing, employees, and brand representation, thus leading to these described problems.
Due to the use of social media in marketing strategies, the fashion industry has become linked to social media. A report was released last year from Mintel that stated, “35 percent of millennial women in America say social media is one of the top influencers when making clothing purchases” (Fateh). People see online, specifically through social media, what their favorite celebrities are wearing and are able to go directly to that brand’s site and make a purchase. Before, people would have to wait until they got their monthly copy of Vogue to see what trends celebrities were following. Another report found that “based on analysis of 7,000 shoppers, three out of four luxury purchases are influenced by what consumers see, do, and hear online,” (Hope). The influence of social media is evident in consumer behavior so brands are adjusting their strategies to fit this influence. Through social media sites brands are able to see how much influence certain people would have over that target demographic by looking at the number of followers they have. Burberry took advantage of this and used Brooklyn Beckham as a photographer for a recent photo shoot. His influence is so big that “behind the scenes pictures and videos shared on Instagram and Snapchat feeds of the Brooklyn shoot has some 15 million impressions in the eight hours the shoot was live,” (Hope). Because of this large following that celebrities have, brands are opting to use them instead of trained industry professionals. This has altered the control of the fashion industry from an elite group of innovative professionals, to anyone who has thousands of Instagram followers thus redefining the fashion industry.