Impact on the fashion industry

Fashion is a multi-billion-dollar industry that has considerable impact on the way ordinary people clothe themselves. As fashion is trend-driven and fashion blogs provide a new way to follow these trends, it is likely they will have a considerable long-term influence on the industry.

These are some of the things fashion journalists have said about fashion blogs and the impact they are having on the industry:

• "These days, to have one finger on the fashion pulse, you need to have the other one on your computer mouse, reading (or writing) the latest blogs." [3]

• "Before a designer’s runway show has even finished, you can bet your bottom dollar that someone in the audience – or better still, backstage – has recorded every silhouette, signature shoe, styling detail and sulking supermodel, then uploaded it onto the internet for style watchers across the globe to enjoy." [4]

Number of fashion blogs

There is considerable disagreement regarding the number of fashion blogs in existence.

In a February, 2006 Women's Wear Daily article, Corcoran stated:

There is an enormous, and growing, number of fashion and shopping-related blogs: about 2 million, according to Technorati Inc., [...] or slightly less than 10 percent of the 2.7 billion blogs the company tracks. (That number includes blogs in languages that use the Roman alphabet and that contain anything fashion-related, including sites such as Pink Is the New Blog, which focuses on celebrities.)

It is likely that this figure is inflated by a substantial number of personal blogs that mention fashion. These are not considered fashion blogs using the criteria above.

All other estimates of the popularity of fashion blogs are considerably lower.

In September 2005, La Ferla stated that "as little as a year ago, the number of [fashion bloggers] could be counted in the dozens. Today there are hundreds". [5] Zamiatin (2006) agrees that there are now "several hundred fashion blogs". [6]

Types of fashion blogs

Fashion blogs can be categorised in a number of ways.

By writer's expertise

Fashion blogs may be written by insiders, outsiders or aspiring insiders. (Corcoran, 2006b)

Insiders are people who work (or have previously worked) in the fashion industry or for the traditional fashion media. Some examples of notable fashion blogs written by insiders include:

• Kristopher Dukes, by the eponymous freelance fashion writer (Corcoran, 2006b)
• LookOnline Daily Fashion Report, by former Harper's Bazaar fashion editor Marilyn Kirschner [8]
• Anina.net, penned by a top model [9]
• Telegraph Fashion Blog, by fashion director of The Daily Telegraph, Hilary Alexander

In addition, some fashion insiders blog occasionally as guest on larger sites. For example, the fashion designer Nanette Lepore has contributed to Glam.com. (Corcoran, 2006a)

Outsiders are people who know a lot (or at least have strong opinions) about fashion, usually by virtue of being very dedicated consumers of fashion.

Aspiring insiders are people who want to work in the fashion industry or media and believe their blog may provide a ‘back door’ entry into a mainstream fashion writing job. Examples of people who have been employed within the fashion industry on the strength of their blogs include:

• Manolo the Shoe Blogger, who now has a weekly column in the Washington Post (Corcoran, 2006b)
• Heather and Jessica from Go Fug Yourself, who recently covered Fashion Week for New York Magazine [10]
• Scott Schuman of The Sartorialist, who has been hired by Style.com [11]
• The Budget Fashionista, Kathryn Finney, wrote a book called "How To Be a Budget Fashionista" that was published by Ballantine Books. (Corcoran, 2006a)

By ownership

Fashion blogs may be owned either by individuals or by companies.

The types of individuals running fashion blogs are listed above.

The types of companies now running fashion blogs include large mainstream media organizations and fashion retailers. Mainstream media organisations that own fashion blogs include The Times (UK), Conde Nast (US) and the Sydney Morning Herald (Australia). The Apparel Search Company maintains a fashion blog at Fashion Blog (fashionblog.us) Fashion retailers with blogs include Bluefly and Splendora.

By theme

Most successful fashion blogs follow a particular theme or angle. Some narrow their field to one type of fashion item e.g. shoes, handbags or denim. Some specialise in a particular price point: usually either very high-end or very budget conscious. Some cover celebrity fashion exclusively, while others cover street style. Some cover a mix of two or more of these topics.

Fashion blogs first appeared in the blogosphere prior to 2002 [12]. Both the number of fashion blogs and the number of media mentions of fashion blogs has grown considerably since then. Published accounts of the growing number of fashion blogs are mentioned above, and a Facteva search reveals that media articles mentioning "fashion blogs" grew from one in 2002 to over 100 in 2006.

In 2006, the commercial success and growing profile of fashion bloggers have been the two main themes in coverage of fashion blogs.

Early fashion blogs

Fashion blogs first appeared in the blogosphere prior to 2002 [13], and at least one fashion blogger was invited to New York Fashion Week as early as September 2003. (Corcoran, 2006a)

The fashion blogs that attracted media attention in 2002 include two that are still in existence: LookOnline Daily Fashion Report and She She Me. These could be said to be the longest-running fashion blogs.^{[citation needed]}

In 2004, the first accessories blog, Manolo's Shoe Blog, was launched. While it has been stated that Manolo's Shoe Blog was the first fashion blog (Grant, 2006), Manolo himself disputes this [14]. He says he read a number of fashion blogs in 2003, and these inspired him to start blogging.

Recent developments

Recent media reports state that some fashion blogs have become highly profitable, and that the influence of fashion blogs within the industry is growing.

Manolo's Shoe Blog is currently the most profitable fashion blog, "rumoured to be [earning] around $700,000 a year" (Grant, 2006). Manolo has confirmed he earns six-figure salary [15]. Another commercially successful fashion blog is The Bag Snob, which "generates a five-figure income, mainly from advertising" (Grant, 2006).

Fashion blogs are increasingly becoming a part of the mainstream fashion press. An increasing number of fashion bloggers were invited to designers' fashion shows in 2006 compared to previous years [16]. Large advertisers like H&M and Gap have bought advertising on fashion blogs [17], and other large companies like the underwear-maker Jockey are targeting fashion blogs in their PR efforts. [18]. The best fashion bloggers are now also being offered mainstream media positions, as mentioned above.

More examples of fashion blogs' commercial success and growing influence can be found in the references at the end of this article. (Indeed, the calibre of publications writing about fashion blogging could be said to give an indication of their perceived importance in the media.)

Fashion blogs around the world

The majority of notable fashion blogs are U.S.-based.^{[citation needed]} Fashion blogging in other countries appears to have started later, but is also experiencing strong growth. The non-U.S. fashion blogs that have attracted the most media attention follow.

Australia

Two Australian blogs that have attracted media attention are SASSYBELLA.com and The Bargain Queen. Sassybella is an online fashion magazine that allows anyone to "find information about the latest It bags, see what It girls are wearing, as well as what's going on in the industry" with an emphasis on the latest fashion and beauty news. [19] The Bargain Queen blog is "dedicated to sharing information on how to sniff out a bargain and save money on food, fashion, furniture, gardening, decorating and life's little luxuries". [20]

Hong Kong

A popular Hong Kong fashion blog is the satirical Spirit Fingers. It "attacks Laura Ashley, monogrammed handbags and ill-advised outfits at Paris and Ukraine fashion weeks, while relishing products such as breast-enhancing chewing gum". [21]

United Kingdom

In December 2006, it was stated that "Britain still lags behind the US in developing the fashion blogosphere, but things are picking up" (Grant, 2006). Grant mentions Catwalk Queen as an example of a UK fashion blog. The London fashion blog Style Bubble has also attracted media attention with their "guide to trends, designers and shopping hot spots in Britain's capital city".[22]

References

• Corcoran, Cate T. The blogs that took over the tents, "Women's Wear Daily", February 6, 2006.
• Corcoran, Cate T. Blogging for bags, "Women's Wear Daily", October 23, 2006.
• Dodes, Rachel. Bloggers get under the tent, "The Wall Street Journal", September 12, 2006. Accessed November 18, 2006.
• Grant, Linda. Trade secrets, "U.K. Vogue", December 2006.
• Kay, Karen. The fashion blog stars, "Daily Mail", January 15, 2007. Accessed January 22, 2007.
• La Ferla, Ruth. Online, Feisty Critics, "The New York Times", September 8, 2005. Accessed November 24, 2006.
• Newman, Andrew Adam. What's That Label? Why, It's a Mongo, "The New York Times", April 23, 2006. Accessed November 24, 2006.
• Pollock, Jennifer. Hemlines, Online, "Fast Company", April 2006. Accessed November 18, 2006.
• Sinclair, Jenny. Fashion blogs, "The Age", October 17, 2002. Accessed November 18, 2006.
• Weil, Jennifer with contributions from Corcoran, Cate T. and Moir, Jane. In their sites, "Women's Wear Daily", June 29, 2006.
• Zamiatin, Lara. Let slip the blogs of wore, "Sydney Morning Herald", July 27, 2006. Accessed November 24, 2006.