Socialmedia has been a boon in many ways to the fashion industry, helping it grow andbring to the frontline many new and interesting designers and trends fromaround the world. Supriya Ghurye, fashion designer and brand consultant withFuel4Fashion, writes on whether that boom has led to an irresponsible andunsustainable growth that affects the long term viability of the fashionindustry?

When social media became a keycommunication platform for people to network, brands immediately began torealize their value to showcase their products and reach out to their audience.Few have done it more effectively than fashion brands, which realize theirprimary marketing impact is through the visual medium. For decades, print andtelevision have been the mainstay of fashion marketing, evolving into variousforms of expression, from the fashion trends published by popular fashionmagazines to live broadcasts of the prominent fashion weeks in London, Milan,Paris and New York. With the advent of the Internet and social media, theability to share and convey brand imagery exploded, leading to even nichebrands and upcoming designers getting much greater exposure and visibility.This was seen as a boon for the fashion industry. With the increasing use ofweb and social analytics, designers are also able to predict style trendsbetter, leading to a faster cycle of creation, and giving birth to the conceptof fast fashion.

Another important aspect of socialmedia was the advent of the fashion bloggers, who express their opinions onfashion and industry trends on the Internet and social media, moving fashioncommentary out of the realm of the experienced and elite fashion editors toteenagers and twenty-something young adults with hundreds of thousands offollowers. As the industry realized the impact of the voice that this new tribecarried, it actively engaged them to promote their brands, enhancing theircelebrity status further. Brands are unanimous in saying that these bloggersare helping them cover a much wider audience, leading to creation of new salesopportunities.

Social media platforms have alsoprovided an opportunity for all to showcase their own sense of style, clothingand fashion outlook. However, the flip side of this has been the reduction inthe number of times a garment is worn. Once it is clicked and posted on socialmedia, people do not want to be seen in the same outfit, therefore reducing thelikelihood that it will be worn again. This in turn has led to the explosivegrowth of fast fashion as customers scan clothes more frequently. While thismay lead people to think the fashion industry is doing well, the picture is notso rosy.

People are now opting for cheaperclothes that look stylish and look well in photographs, but are not necessarilydurable and can be discarded after a couple of uses. This in turn createspressure to manufacture at lower costs, using materials that are cheaper andnot necessarily environment-friendly, dramatically increasing the carbonfootprint of the industry. The industry is witnessing the impact of thistremendous growth of fast fashion in form of increasing pollution caused by themanufacturers and frequently discarded clothes. The current ecosystem cannotsustain the recycling of clothing at these volumes and steps need to be takento improve peoples' attitude towards the use and recycling of clothing. Whileseveral brands are taking steps to reduce the impact of synthetics on theenvironment, such as the use of recycled PET fabric in denims and sportswear,this effort is miniscule compared to the size of the problem.

 

So while on one hand, the growth of social media has spurred the growth of fashion, it has also created a larger problem that needs to be tackled urgently. Sustainable fashion needs to be supported to counter the impact of fast fashion arising out of the growth of social media, and the best way to drive awareness about the problem is through the very medium that helped create it. Educating customers about the need to adopt sustainable practices, recycle clothing and wear it for longer, as well as look at ways to restyle their existing wardrobe is a priority and it can be driven by the industry, given the reach and impact it has on customers. Prominent fashion brands, designers and retail chains can help support this effort through the use of their own social media voice as well as that of their followers.

It is easy to conclude that social media for fashion is a double-edged sword. But even after the long term impact is considered, it still represents a significant catalyst for the growth of the industry, and can be one for the nurturing of the industry as well. With the use of social media platforms, new designers and talent are being discovered every day across continents, new ideas are being shared and a truly global fashion outlook has developed. This will help fashion reach every segment of the population in the long run.