Fashion Influence — how style shapes, and is shaped by, the people who wear it
Friends, family and reference groups have a profound effect on buying decisions and sense of style. This page looks at peer-to-peer influence — on shoppers, and on the designers and merchandisers inside the industry itself.
Peer to Peer Influence on Fashion
Several components act as influencers. Members of a peer group or reference group have a profound effect on consumer buying decisions and sense of style.
In addition to affecting consumer decisions, peer discussions and reviews also can sway the decisions of members of the apparel industry.
Think about the fashion designer that develops a new dress. She is so proud and walks down the hall to show her friend that works in the merchandising department. Before the designer can say a word, her friend says, "yuk, where did you find that ugly dress?". Won't that statement effect the designers opinion of the work she has just completed. Possibly she will go back to the drawing board and start again. Peer-to-peer evaluation would have altered what would be in the stores next season.
Television, magazines, friends & family, etc., all act as influencers. Some peer-to-peer methods are subtle and others are very pushy in an overt way. Regardless of the method, it is “influence” driving us none the less.
If your peers tell you that your shirt is ugly, you may actually believe them and stop wearing that shirt. Try to tell your friends and family that they look very stylish. This will give them confidence. Obviously, if they look ridiculous, don’t let them go out looking that way… Friends don’t let friends look stupid.
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Peer influence works because it is trusted in a way commercial messages are not. A friend has no commission riding on your purchase, knows your taste and your budget, and will see the garment on you afterwards — so their 'that suits you' or 'send it back' carries information an advertisement cannot fake. Reference groups work the same way at one remove: colleagues, classmates and online communities set the unwritten standard for what looks normal, current or overdressed, and most people dress to that standard without ever deciding to.
Online, the peer channel has scaled up without changing its nature. Reviews from other buyers, outfit posts in a community, a group chat's verdict on a screenshot — all are peer-to-peer influence, just between people who may never meet. That is also why it can mislead: a reviewer's body, budget and taste may differ from yours, and a confident opinion is not the same as a well-matched one. The useful question is always whether this peer is enough like you for their experience to predict yours.
Inside the industry the mechanism is identical, as the designer-and-merchandiser story on this page shows. A single blunt reaction at the sample stage can send a style back to the drawing board before thousands of units exist. Good design teams know this power cuts both ways, so they test samples on more than one trusted voice — the colleague whose taste is closest to their customer's matters more than the loudest person in the corridor.
For everyday dressing, the healthy use of peer influence is the one this page ends with: honest, kind and specific. Tell friends they look stylish when they do — confidence is a real part of how clothes wear — and be the friend who speaks up, tactfully, before someone goes out in an outfit that will embarrass them later.
The effect that members of a peer group or reference group have on each other's buying decisions and sense of style — through opinions, discussions, reviews and example. It affects consumers, and it also sways people inside the apparel industry.
Because they are trusted, personal and consequence-free of commercial motive: a friend knows your taste, gains nothing from your purchase, and will see the result. Television, magazines, friends and family all act as influencers, but peers are usually the most believed.
Yes. If a designer's own colleagues react badly to a new sample, the style may be redesigned or dropped before production — so peer evaluation at that stage can alter what reaches stores next season.