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1 P M J O U R N A L O F D I G I T A L R ESEARCH & P UBLISHING The legitimisation of fashion blogging The accessibility of fashionrelated information online is one of the primary reasons for the rise of the perceived legitimacy of fashion blogging. This is illustrated by the tendency to receive frontrow invites to fashion shows to provide updates for their readers (Dodes, 2006; Moore, 2009). In addition, almost instantaneous access to video and photos of the latest collections allows an immediate response from consumers, who can reproduce and comment on these visual stimuli on blogs and other online forums. The participation of consumers in online fashionrelated discourses has increased because anyone with a computer is armed with the tools to potentially contribute to an ongoing exchange of ideas (Walker, 2009). The salient characteristic of blogs in this context is their creation of an ongoing dialogue between the writer and a multitude of potential readers. By contributing discussion to blog posts, users are part of an organic process of knowledge sharing that continues after the author publishes a text online. According to a journalist who successfully made the transition from newspaper columnist to blogger, audiences are no longer passive because of the role they play in creating a feedback loop: ‘my readers know more than `& 87S& *70%6$0%*& $"8$I$8(3##9& 7"& *'%5$45& 67'$5*S& )(6& 3#G39*& 57##%56$I%#9L& .=$##07>S& V;;\-& 79). The power of a community of internet users can therefore be harnessed to enrich the dialogue surrounding a topic. This is important in relation to fashion consumption because consumers can draw myriad potential meanings from a wide range of sources online. This counteracts the passive acceptance of style directives that are disseminated through print media such as magazines. The rise of the mediasavvy consumer Major fashion brands and print media publications have had to creatively respond to the challenges posed by the increasing mass of critical voices that engage in an online critique of fashionrelated products. Brands such as Chanel and Gucci are utilising digital media to market their brands, with both releasing applications for the iPhone that provide interactive content aligned with the lifestyle associated with their brand identities (Mackay, 2010). The founder of a luxury brands consulting agency noted that this is a major shift, ‘they have hundreds of years of proven success on the ability to create meaning and deliver it through highly formal, socially approved, and traditional media’ (Mackay, 2010). Companies must be attuned to the visual and digital literacy of consumers who have built up a resistance 26
1 P M J O U R N A L O F D I G I T A L R ESEARCH & P UBLISHING to the constant bombardment of messages through brand advertising (Carroll, 2009: 155). The potential to break through this apparent immunity has been hindered by the formation 7D& I$>6(3#& 5700("$6$%*S& 3*& ?3>>7##& +3*& $8%"6$4%8-& XB+%& '>356$5%& 7D& )#7,,$",& +3*& 8>3G"& attention to the vagaries of brand advertising, with individuals posting their views on web pages and inviting commentary to the extent that virtual communities have formed, their '(>'7*%&67&7DD%>&3"8&*+3>%&5>$6$53#&3''>3$*3#L&.V;;^-E:^1M&B+%&*$,"$453"6&57##%56$I%&'7G%>& of online communities as both critical commentators and consumers is increasingly being recognised by the fashion industry. The power of the amateur ‘style rookie’ The crucial role of fashionrelated blogging in the critical consumption of fashion online has led to the steady rise in legitimacy of this subgenre of blogs. Scott Schuman’s street style blog ‘The Sartorialist’ is currently the most popular fashion blog in terms of visitor numbers, with the site receiving over 1 million hits a month (Walker, 2009; Copping, 2009). j7G%I%>S& 6+%& 3036%(>& )#7,,%>& G+7& +3*& '%>+3'*& 07*6& I$*$)#9& $"C(%"5%8& 6+%& ,>7G6+& 7D& online participatory fashion journalism is teenager Tavi Gevinson whose blog is called ‘The Style Rookie’. Her articulate, quirky, musings about her adolescent life and its intersection with fashion have steadily attracted widespread media attention. Tavi has been invited to collaborate on projects with major fashion designers, such as a minidocumentary with sibling designer team Rodarte to promote their capsule collection for Target (Phelps, 2009). She has also participated in photo shoots and written articles for respected fashion publications such as POP magazine (Wiseman, 2009). The success of Tavi’s blog illustrates how the perceptions of bloggers have changed. A young individual, who probably wouldn’t have been taken seriously as a fashion commentator in other circumstances, has been accepted as a legitimate participant in the emergent online fashion discourse. The role of bloggers in alerting consumers to aspects of the previously obscured and exclusive creative process of fashion is one that has been praised, as Christopher Bailey, Burberry’s creative director, explains: ‘“It’s important that the bloggers become well respected. They have a very articulate way of expressing an opinion. The difference between bloggers and traditional press is that [bloggers] are often talking directly to a 4"3#&57"*(0%>L&.?7''$",S&V;;^1M&B+%&8$>%56&3"8&$"*63"63"%7(*&"36(>%&7D&)#7,,$",&039& 3#*7&)%&5>$6$5$*%8&D7>&6+%&#35H&7D&3&0%8$36$",&D7>5%&67&%"*(>%&6+36&6+%&4"3#&G>$66%"&'>78(56& meets the requirements of its format. Tavi’s stream of consciousness style calls attention 27
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a large proportion of Chinese netiz
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