Fashion Future What Is Your Fashion Future?

Fashion Future

What is your fashion future? Look into your "Swarovski" crystal ball and predict your fashion future in 5 years. How do you plan to make your prediction(s) come true?

In the next five years, the business of fashion will become increasingly segmented and specialized. Many consumers feel alienated by high-end fashion because they cannot embody the classical ideal of beauty -- or afford it. Because conspicuous consumption by the wealthy is relatively recession-proof, there will always be 'high end' fashion. But more affordable, edgy fashion outside of mainstream houses will begin to proliferate, particularly on the Internet. Consumers also have new concerns about the affordability of clothing, finding clothes that fit larger bodies, and also the sustainability and ethics of where and how their clothing has been produced.

As many retailers have figured out, the best way to reach a segmented market at a relatively low cost is online. Every fashionista in the business must learn how to use the Internet in an optimal fashion. Creating a website that draws traffic and conveys the image of the product in a clear and succinct fashion to web-surfers is essential. Fashion houses must know how to use online technology to sell their wares. For example, instead of just holding fashion shows for 'the press,' fashion shows can now be streamed online, creating direct-to-consumer interest and buzz. Fashion bloggers as well as traditional media are also a potential source of advertising. Sending trend-setting bloggers samples of new fashion for them to chatter about to their followers comes off as more credible than a sponsored article or a write-up in Vogue.

Pinterest, Facebook, and Twitter are essential components of any successful fashion company's marketing strategy today. Fashion houses must use them to create a consistent online message about the product. The use of social media can create a community as well as generate interest, anticipation and sheer delight in the product. Once again, consumer segmentation is useful. By establishing a consistent social media presence on the web, even a small house can generate buzz and convey the unique benefits of function and style created by the product. As a newcomer in the fashion world, I see myself becoming more technologically savvy over the next five years, and using a variety of social media to reach different segments of the market. The approach will be more directed to the consumer, versus through traditional magazines.

Relationships with retail portal sites that drive excitement with deals like Gilt will also become more important. "The internet has a noise and discovery problem," leading to consumers tending to linger at the same 'boring old sites' unless websites that showcase new and innovative companies and designers force web-surfers out of their comfort zone (Chen 2012). If an online consumer sees an interesting link on Pinterest or reads about a new product showcased on a blogger's website, he or she is more likely to expand his or her horizons. Getting to consumers and encouraging consumers to 'share' their purchases and preferences will be a vital part of the direction of mainstream fashion and how it is evolving.