Fashion Bloggers

Who would have known that bloggers can actually gain V.I.P. treatment during fashion events and fashion shows? Some of the big names are even flown from the other side of the world just to have them seated front row. Fashionistas would pay a lot of money and would do anything just to have them seated with a V.I.P. But no, you don't have to break the bank to make it happen, all you need is thousands of readers on your blog and you will surely be on the A List of the designers. One thing is for sure, blogging has a future in the fashion industry.

A good example of this worldwide phenomenon is the infamous blogger Bryan Grey-Yambao, also known as Bryanboy (www.bryanboy.com). Not only did he get an invite to a Marc Jacobs show, he was front row beside one of the biggest names in the industry, US Vogue Editor Anna Wintour. And that's not all, the international designer even named a bag after him, BB Ostrich Bag.

So what makes the fashion industry give special importance to bloggers? My guess would be their authenticity when compared to a typical fashion articles found on magazines. Thousands of people visit fashion blogs that are written by ordinary fashion fanatics, with or without the credentials or the expertise behind them. My guess would be that readers can connect and relate to them more than the ones they get from the magazine racks? Probably.

Another guess would be immediacy. Bloggers, now with the help of Twitter and other social media, can update and post anytime. This will be very handy since it can keep up with the constantly changing fashion industry and to keep track of the daily feeds from their favourite fashion celebrities. However, we cannot forget that magazines also have their online versions, but bloggers still catch more traffic than any of them would.

Here is a video clip from Style.com, featuring some of the biggest Internet stars that influence not just their readers but the fashion industry itself:

Now, what about here in New Zealand? NZ Fashion Week 2010 just ended, and yes, bloggers were invited to the show. There are even international bloggers who came to witness what our small country can offer. To name a few we had:

The Canadian blogger/social media star, Casie Stewart (third from the left) (http://casiestewart.com/).

And American stylist and blogger, Derek Warburton (http://www.dereklovesshopping.com/) (http://derekwarburton.com)

I guess, this side of the blogosphere needs to be observed. Not only that they are gaining a huge amount of Internet time, but the money and the influence they have, both online and real world, is something that is not to be taken for granted. During the NZ Fashion Week I heard quite a number of people complaining why Casie, Derek and other bloggers are even given so much attention. It seems that there are still a lot to be explained to both fashion and non-fashion insiders on how the Internet and the new media is changing the system. One thing is for sure, blogging can give you access to the glamorous life of the fashion elite.