It’s fair to say that if you’re a player in the fashion industry game, you need to have a solid understanding of how social media ticks on your side. In this blog post, we’ll explore how social media influences fashion, from trends to movements, so you can apply this to your strategy.
The inseparable bond between social media and fashion
One of the ways social media and fashion have gelled is through customer connection and communication. Social media has become a powerhouse tool for fashion brands to reach audiences and promote their products.
A huge part of this connection and communication is the continued growth of influencer marketing, which exists almost entirely in social media.
Influencers and affiliate marketing
Influencer and affiliate marketing are where a brand partners with somebody with a significant online presence to tap into a target demographic.
Brands can collaborate with influential social media content creators to promote their products to their desired customers, paying influencers back with money or an affiliate agreement.
This effective and popular digital marketing strategy means that brands now have a direct link to their target audiences. Many shoppers trust what their favourite influencers have to say, so if they recommend a brand or product, this can be game-changing for a retailer.
Social media content creates product hype
Research by Hubspot found that, for nearly half (45%) of shoppers, if a product has limited availability or there is a sense of scarcity around it, that makes them want to know more about it.
This is what Hubspot refers to as ‘the scarcity principle’ and is an effective social media marketing strategy for fashion brands. Influencers and celebrities also hold the power to create this hype and buzz, which is an invaluable launchpad for retailers.
Collaborating with influencers or people with digital gravitas is the most effective way to help your brand or a specific product achieve viral status.
The impact of social media on fashion trends
Social media and fashion trends come hand-in-hand nowadays. The fashion industry used to be all about glossy print magazines and billboards but today, social media has a bigger influence on the trajectory of fashion trends than ever—with no signs of slowing down any time soon.
So many of today’s fashion trends are born and bred on social media, which filters down into the inventory fashion retailers invest in and the products available.
If you take a close look at any fashion retailer's ‘new in’ section, including Nova of London's New In, you’ll generally find it’s a pretty accurate representation of what’s hot on social media.
As a result, the lifecycle of trends is now much shorter than it ever used to be. Trends move and evolve much quicker than they did in life sans social media, which presents so many exciting opportunities for fashion brands to grow with their customers.
The negative versus positive effects of social media on fashion trends
Of course, the downside of this is mass consumption, an increase in fast fashion brands, more waste, and comprised sustainability practices as a result. Plus, it can be tricky to manage stock levels and balance minimum order quantities when trends move so quickly and demand fluctuates as a result.
Social media users often feel pressure to stay ahead of the trends and refresh their wardrobes rapidly as a result. This means retail brands have to supply this demand or they’ll fall behind competitors—and let’s face it, online shoppers can be pretty fickle.
When consumers want more and they want it quickly, brands who are keen to stay ahead of the competition are sometimes willing to sacrifice ethics for profit. However, it’s important to strike an ethical balance when striving for customer satisfaction.
The effects of social media trending movements
Social media is more than just a means of communication, it’s an extremely authoritative platform for sharing messages and content around social, cultural, and political issues or movements.
Below are two cultural topics, or movements, that dominate social media content in such a way that the gravitas has influenced the fashion industry in a major way in recent years.
Body positivity and size inclusivity
Body positivity and size inclusivity are prolific themes in fashion-related social media content—from your everyday social media user looking to consume empowering content to huge global brands making an impact with online marketing campaigns.
Influencers and brands are using their digital power to spread these empowering and educating messages around body positivity, which has had a catalytic effect on how retail brands now consider size inclusivity.
So, thanks to social media, today, an inclusive approach to sizing is a necessity rather than a nice-to-have. High-fashion and designer labels still have a way to go but it’s fair to say that more high-street brands are embracing a wider spectrum of sizes to suit all bodies.
Our own Nova of London Curve Collection, for instance, is purposefully curated to provide fuller-figured shoppers with the same choice and experience as everybody else.
Once you’re finished reading this blog post, make sure to check out our thoughts on why retailers should be embracing plus-size fashion.
Gender identification
Social media is also proving to be a powerful tool in raising awareness, educating, and empowering people when it comes to gender identification.
Today, there is an unprecedented wealth of content on the internet around this topic— this not only provides the people it affects with an online support system, but it has also catalysed shifts in the fashion industry.
A growing number of fashion brands are now creating garments that can be worn by anybody and are not assigned to the traditional ‘Women’ or ‘Men’ categories. Of course, androgynous fashion isn’t a new concept, but the wide availability and normalisation of gender-neutral styling is.
It’s fantastic to see that these items aren’t being singled out and promoted as gender-neutral but rather organically incorporated into wider clothing collections. Accessing broader audiences this way is great news for a fashion business too, as it can reach more people and turn them into additional customers.
Discover the latest in ladies’ wholesale fashion at Nova of London
Hopefully, you’ve found our exploration of the effects of social media on fashion insightful. Next time you’re scrolling or interacting with social media content, perhaps you’ll see fashion from a whole new perspective.
Ready to start shopping? Discover our selection of high-quality wholesale clothing collections today, including our popular Made in Italy Collection. Plus, we offer direct shipping at wholesale prices so you can stock your store with the products you love for less.
For more information on how to place an order with Nova of London, get in touch, or check out our Wholesale Clothing FAQs and the Nova of London Blog for all the latest news and product updates.
