The world we live in is slowly becoming populated by influencers. Who are they? What do they do? Who has decided that they can inform us what is stylish or in fashion? In this blog, I'm going to answer these questions and tell you why style is more powerful than influence.
The meaning of style according to the Oxford dictionary is “a distinctive appearance, typically determined by the principles according to which something is designed.” The reality of the fashion industry is this – clothes are designed with the sole purpose of covering the body. As decades pass, fashion trends come and go and change from season to season. However, style is forever.
Finding your own personal style is difficult, especially with the incredibly strong influence which social media has over the fashion industry. Designers are constantly trying to outdo one another and the industry has become a global market for sourcing the biggest and best influencers possible. Whether this is a small boutique label sending an influencer products for free in the hope they will be promoted on Instagram to huge global designers partnering with the world's top models, the aim is to attract and entertain a new target demographic through the power of influencers and social media.
There’s no denying that these methods work. Every single day, our social media feeds show us the latest news from the Tommy Hilfiger and Gigi Hadid partnership (TommyXGigi). This collaboration has had huge success – the fourth collection has just been presented at Milan Fashion Week. However, let’s question the reality of the social media/influencer-based world. How many of these influencers are being paid to post about these products? How many of these influencers have been sent these products for free? Most of all, how many of these influencers can strongly say that every single garment they wear or post about is relevant to their personal style?
In addressing your own personal sense of style, ask yourself: what do you feel best in? What are you most comfortable in? What is that one garment or one outfit in your wardrobe that as soon as you put it on, you instantly feel happy and confident? Cultivating personal style comes down to what you feel best wearing. It’s as simple as that! Influencers can show you thousands and thousands of products, outfits and designs, but ultimately if you are not going to be confident wearing a garment, don’t wear it.
The power of style in an influencer’s world is this: you can look at a garment and know whether or not it will suit you and make you happy. This doesn’t mean you can’t follow trends, it just simply means confidence = style. And style is forever. What an influencer is selling you is not – it's temporary.
What's your opinion about style and influencers in the fashion world today?