By: LEENA KHAN
Staff Writer
Based on https://youtu.be/-xmCalcLkdk
These days influencers are as important as supermodels and fashion critics, which is a big 180 from 10 years ago when people looked to fashion critics and supermodels to see what was trendy. Instead of flipping through this month’s fashion magazines to look at fashion trends, people are now endlessly scrolling on Instagram to check them out. These days, anyone can be an influencer if they post often which is why fashion brands like working with influencers – for exposure. Fast fashion brands like H&M, have four weeks to get new looks and styles into their store because speed is of the highest importance for these brands. All these clothes that aren’t being bought in the four-week window are disposed of/burned which is harmful to the environment, and now ultrafast fashion brands are cutting the four weeks in half. Traditional advertising (billboards) is not used as much anymore and online advertising is used much more. For an item to become a social media trend, hashtags are used and celebrities promote the item/clothes. Designer stores like Gucci or Yves Saint Laurant stand out for being exclusive but nowadays they have opened up and are starting to share their brand identity. Because of this, brands like these have much higher sales than before and therefore take away from the exclusivity. From the video, I gathered that fashion trends are going quicker than ever before, fast fashion is at an all-time high, and designer brands are losing their exclusivity. This change in the fashion industry is all due to media exposure and the convenience of keeping up with trends with the help of Instagram and fast fashion.