Meet the women deciding the way you dress

…. and they’re not fashion designers, models nor celebrities. We explore how influential and powerful bloggers are today

Portrait of Tammy Strobel

…. and they’re not fashion designers, models nor celebrities. We explore how influential and powerful bloggers are today

Clockwise from top left: Sisters Aimee and Dani Song decked out in their clothing line Two Songs; Leandra Medine, the blogger behind Man Repeller; Celebrity stylist and fashion influencer Camille Seydoux; Diane Von Furstenberg posted a selfie of herself in a Two Songs slogan tee; Styled photos on Instagram accounts @manrepeller and @chiaraferragni are one of the bloggers’ influential tools; The Style Rookie blogger Tevin Gevinson; Chiara’s blog is so successful that her shoe line is now a subject of study at Harvard Business School; Man Repeller X Superga’s highly sought-after ballerina-inspired sneakers.
Clockwise from top left: Sisters Aimee and Dani Song decked out in their clothing line Two Songs; Leandra Medine, the blogger behind Man Repeller; Celebrity stylist and fashion influencer Camille Seydoux; Diane Von Furstenberg posted a selfie of herself in a Two Songs slogan tee; Styled photos on Instagram accounts @manrepeller and @chiaraferragni are one of the bloggers’ influential tools; The Style Rookie blogger Tevin Gevinson; Chiara’s blog is so successful that her shoe line is now a subject of study at Harvard Business School; Man Repeller X Superga’s highly sought-after ballerina-inspired sneakers.

Bloggers are fast becoming the loudest voices in fashion. They are now fashion influencers, a title previously reserved for fashion’s A-listers. Even top designers and labels are buying into this, extending front row seats at fashion week to them. Savvy bloggers are doing much more; they’re redefining the way brands reach customers. In the US, companies like ModCloth, H&M, and American Apparel are all starting to bypass the traditional press, talking directly to bloggers. They engage bloggers as brand ambassadors, to front campaigns, and even as designers. So what’s the draw for brands to adopt such an approach? Fashion stylist, Jerome Awasthi, thinks that with the fashion industry becoming increasingly competitive, brands want to become more relatable to their audiences.

Enter the blogger-designer

Bloggers playing the role of designer for brands is getting increasingly common. For instance, for Spring/Summer 2016, Roger Vivier entrusted its Prismick capsule collection to celebrity stylist and fashion influencer Camille Seydoux. “We decided that my collection would be dedicated to the Prismick line created in 2012, which is one of my favourites,” reveals Camille. “I looked through the Maison’s archives and then I thought of denim. Denim is classic and modern. This collection shakes up the look.” Other self-made selfie queens – like Chiara Ferragni of the blog, The Blonde Salad – have launched their own clothing and accessories lines. In 2014 alone, Chiara’s business ventures grossed about $8 million, mostly from her Chiara Ferragni Collection footwear. It was so successful that in January last year, her blog and shoe line became a subject of study at Harvard Business School. Let’s not forget that Chiara also made history by being the first fashion blogger to appear on any Vogue cover when she appeared on the cover of the April 2015 Vogue España. Instagram icon Aimee Song, who blogs at Song of Style, is worth a mention too. Last year, Aimee and her younger sister, Dani Song, teamed up to design and launch their own clothing label, Two Songs, which carries a range of tees and sweatshirts with playful slogans reflecting their style.

Those in the fashion industry have mixed reactions to the vast influence these bloggers seem to have garnered. While talking about her fashion line, designer Norma Kamali, best known for designing the red one-piece bathing suit worn by Farrah Fawcett in the iconic 1976 Charlie’s Angels poster, shares, “I love what bloggers are doing to change the structure of how fashion reaches the consumer. They are truly pioneers of the fashion world, and it’s a pleasure to watch the evolution of that change.” It looks like Norma certainly has her pulse on the industry’s ebb and flow – when Norma launched her exclusive online collaboration with Walmart, the collection shot to the number one spot on Walmart’s website list of women’s clothing brand, thanks to bloggers and word of mouth publicity. Violet Foo, a fashion stylist, has her concerns. “With the influx of many ‘influencers’ with no background nor knowledge of fashion, some things have also grown the wrong way. It feels like everything is getting too commercialised, and everyone just wants a piece of all that glitz and glamour.”

The business of blogging

Regularly featured in style columns, little happens in the fashion industry that Leandra isn’t privy to. Just two years after her blog’s existence, this witty blogger was featured in Forbes’ Top 30 Under 30 as one of 2011’s most influential trendsetters, while Man Repeller was recognised in TIME’s 25 Best Blogs of 2012, and received Best Overall Blog at the 2012 Bloglovin’ Awards. In that year, Leandra also topped Adweek’s Fashion Power 25, which recognises those “who truly mattered in fashion and style”, beating the likes of Michelle Obama and Anna Wintour. These days, bloggers are also starting out really young – take for instance, Tavi Gevinson, who started her blog, The Style Rookie, at the young age of 13. Now 19, Tavi has quite a impressive resume: Fashion Week invites, style muse for designers, cover appearances, features in Teen Vogue, the inspiration for Target’s Rodarte collection, and her own Wikipedia page. The young entrepreneur is now a definitive asset for all fashion brands. Increasingly, brands are also engaging the services of companies like Fohr Card (a database that matches fashion brands and bloggers), to identify new digital influencers with a voice and loyal following on their blogs and social media platforms. To measure engagement, Fohr Card looks at the number of Facebook or Instagram likes, and to identify who is trending, it keeps track of how fast a person is gaining followers.

The future of fashion

Fashion bloggers prove you don’t need to be an actress or singer to become famous, but it’s important to remember that it’s not for the faint of heart. It takes a lot to satisfy the fashion world, and it’s not for everyone. By starting a fashion blog, you are in a way starting your own business that requires a lot of responsibility as your monthly viewers rise. “There are those who just want to make a quick buck, and there are also those who were ‘born rich’ and flaunt what they have without actually having any real fashion knowledge,” says Violet. She adds, “The knowledge here is lacking. These bloggers typically go, ‘Oh it’s Chanel!’ and that’s pretty much it – it’s surface talk without any real appreciation or understanding about the brand’s illustrious history. “For such bloggers, it’s all about monetary gain and social media influence,” she explains, “Bloggers constantly try to get the most ‘likes’ to increase their commercial value.” Many magazine editors are also beginning to immerse into the social media culture and you can see a different perspective or view from them. But at the end of the day, style and taste is personal and that makes it all the more exciting. No matter what, the different ways fashion blogging as a scene evolves over the next few years will have a massive impact on the industry. We can hardly wait to see what happens.