The Digital Catwalk: The Power of Social Media in Fashion

Written By: Vera Chang

Introduction

Through the rise of technological advancements, the previous ways of window shopping and flipping through magazines have been replaced with hours of scrolling and clicking. Trends are now constantly materialising, at a faster rate than ever. So the question that lies: how exactly are these digital platforms changing the fashion industry?

Social Media Platforms

In 1997, the first social media platform, Six Degrees, was created and had already accumulated over a million users. Following the initial launch, many other platforms had emerged on the market, revolutionising the digital world for all. In the last decade, social media has shown greater growth, creating a global space for users and creators. For example, TikTok, being launched in 2016, has already reached over a billion users as of 2023. With the reign of these platforms, fashion has undoubtedly reached a bigger audience, gaining a more worldwide exposure. More and more people are able to view a variety of styles and aesthetics with the convenience of their devices, contrast to the past, where there were many limitations to the exposure of different styles. Furthermore, with social media’s algorithmic nature, trends are constantly resurfacing and reinvented. As these fashion statements are repeatedly shown on users’ feeds, it cultivates them to hop on the bandwagon as well, creating what is known as the social media cycle.

Digital Fashion Market

Aside from the large influence of social media platforms, digital fashion markets have also become one of the biggest driving forces behind the modern fashion industry. The digital market has a projected value of over $820 billion, estimated to reach $1.2 trillion U in 2027 (Statista Research Department, 2023). The reason for the large value of fashion e-commerce can be traced back to the benefits it provides. The biggest differentiation of fashion e-commerce from traditional physical stores is the convenience and efficiency. For most consumers, shopping from the comfort of their own homes is inevitably the smarter choice than going out to buy. With the easy access to these online shops, people are spending hours scrolling through the variety of options of clothing. Furthermore, Shopping online gives consumers the ability to look for exactly what they have in mind. This in turn gives them more incentives to shop digitally than physically. Moreover, with the aforementioned technological advancements, firms have the advantage of analysing the data and consumers’ shopping patterns, providing them with even more recommendations and generating longer hours of engagement.

Influencer Marketing

One of the most significant outcomes of social media’s impact on the fashion industry is the emergence of fashion influencers. Defined by the Oxford dictionary, an influencer is a person with the ability to influence potential buyers of a product or service by promoting or recommending the items on social media. These individuals have the power to shape the latest fashion trends and styles by simply curating their content and posts. For instance, a popular fashion influencer, Chiara Ferragni, has demonstrated her influencing power through social media platforms, promoting different brands and styles and bringing more exposure. By showcasing their outfits or products, they are increasing brand awareness to consumers, encouraging more people to follow the trends. Followers often view them as trusted sources and value their opinion, and so these influencers have impacted almost all of their fashion decisions. Due to their ability to foster authenticity and access to a large audience, influencers have played a crucial role in shaping many fashion trends and statements.

Sustainability of trends

With the rapid pace of trends surfacing and falling, it often leads to overconsumption of unnecessary items. People are inclined to follow the latest trends, buying whatever is the most popular online. This is often referred to as the bandwagon effect, where, in the context of fashion, is the tendency of individuals to conform to certain trends and popular opinions to feel a sense of belonging. However, this psychological bias can cause a lot of wastage in the fashion industry. People are adopting the popular trends and purchasing popular clothes that they may not even wear simply because everyone else has it. More and more individuals are buying clothes that are not authentic to their styles just to validate society and the fashion industry. Clothes are worn once or twice before they are considered last season or not trendy anymore. This constant cycle of buying the current trendy item before throwing it out when it stops trending definitely questions the sustainability of digital fashion.

Conclusion

Social media’s impact in fashion has undeniably disrupted the traditional ways of fashion and trends. The digital world of social media platforms, digital markets and the marketing power of influencers have definitely brought light upon fashion trends and reshaped the way us, consumers, are engaging within this fashion landscape. However, problems still arise on how sustainable fashion is with the speed of the trends emerging and disappearing.