Why Bloggers Go to Fashion Week
Designers create collections, PR promotes the collections, models display the collections, beauty companies style the models, editors judge the collections and cover them for consumers… Where do bloggers fit into fashion week?
Media Coverage
Albeit far removed from the likes of VOGUE, bloggers do have media outlets where they can serve as great press for designers and their new collections. Fashion week blog posts typically perform very well, as do fashion week social media posts, which are great draws for bloggers to cover NYFW.
For me personally, I struggle with bloggers who act like their coverage should replace that of a fashion editor. 99% of us did not start out in the fashion industry and do not have the knowledge to “judge” a collection in the same manner. Fashion editors at big magazines have been in the game for years and know the industry extremely well, and let’s be honest – most bloggers DON’T. I think our coverage is SUPPLEMENTAL and just as important, but for different reasons. We offer information to our audiences that magazine editors just cannot give. Because of this, I would say that fashion editors give better *general* reviews of collections.
Something that most editors CANNOT do is relate closely to a target demographic, which bloggers can. Magazines are distributed to millions of people, whereas bloggers probably have audiences ranging from 5,000-750,000 readers (excluding the huge bloggers, of course). These audiences are far more segmented than that of a magazine, which means bloggers can focus on reviewing a collection to THEIR audience versus the general public. A lot of the time, this means that editors and bloggers can have extremely different opinions on shows. An editor will be looking for if something is original, unique, and innovative, whereas a blogger will be looking for trends that their at-home audience can incorporate into their wardrobes. An editor may think clear raincoats are a great design whereas a blogger would know that is NOT practical and would flop with their audiences.
I in no way claim to be a fashion editor, as much as I would love to be Miranda Priestly 😉 I am serving as a completely DIFFERENT type of media coverage, though I do think it’s still important in its own way.
Publicity
Bloggers offer designers social media coverage on their accounts, tagging them in stories and in posts. They also help attract attention by showing up and being photographed at shows, wearing the label around town, etc. Some designers are pushing for more blogger publicity versus that from models because consumers feel a closer connection to their favorite bloggers. I have begun to see this with some of the bigger bloggers a la Rocky Barnes, Tezza, etc.
On the same token, NYFW is also a great opportunity for bloggers to get noticed. Girls blow up every year during fashion week when they have insane outfits or give great interviews!
Brand Meetings
New York City is the hub of US public relations and marketing, so while we are in town, it makes logical sense to stop in at agencies. You get the chance to put a name to a face, learn more about each agency’s clients, and discuss potential partnership opportunities. EX: Tractenberg’s Studio space is so pretty and I loved getting to hear more about their clients that are working in the market. I also just love getting to talk to people IRL instead of over email!! These don’t always have to be at the agency or brand HQ, either. S/O to Laura Geller + Joy who let me get my hair beautified at Dry Bar instead of just meeting at a showroom 🙂
Collaborations
A lot of brands set aside specific influencer marketing budgets for fashion week campaigns. Examples include: long-lasting makeup products, comfortable shoes, cute outfits, etc. This is really what makes fashion week *work* instead of play, in my opinion. $$
Friends!
A lot of my blogger friends live a plane ride away from me in Chicago, so fashion week is basically our twice a year hang out sesh! In between shows and after the parties, we are together eating pizza, soaking our feet in ice water, and face masking. I love the girls I work alongside in this industry, and it’s always so good to catch up with them 🙂
Have any more questions about bloggers and fashion week? Let me know – happy to answer!
