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Clothes Minded

While trends seem to happen organically, word of mouth and media marketing influence consumers. Members of the general public do not make independent consumer decisions due to exposure to similar influences, such as advertisements, magazines, and other sources that reveal the popularity of a product. Popularity arises from these sources and is propagated through the “rich-get-richer” effect.

Every season, fashionistas from across the globe wait anxiously to see the newest designs of luxury designers at Fashion Week. At this renowned biannual event, designers present their newest fashions for the upcoming season. These fashion shows have the power to spark trends that will not begin until six months later. During the preparation of the new clothing lines, the designers are extremely secretive about their creative process in an attempt to create something unique and cutting-edge. However, prevalent similar trends arise between the designers. Similar to the non-independent decisions of the consumers, the decisions of designers are also based upon similar influences and environments.  Thus explaining the beginning of fashion trends.

When a new product or trend is attempting to infiltrate a population, certain key individuals can help promote the popularity through the connections these trendsetters have with others. For example, celebrities who are very popular can help to further the spread of trends. The celebrities who are photographed in designer clothing influence the vast number of people who have a connection to these superstars.  After the fashion shows, popularity of certain trends grows through word of mouth, particularly through the pages of influential fashion magazines. The media portrays the haute couture clothing worn by the wealthy and the well known. Eventually the high-end luxury seen in the runway shows and the media trickles down to the common young girl and the more affordable chain retailers. This drives the fashion industry.

However, these influences are slightly skewed representations since advertisers pay to get their products featured on the pages of magazines and celebrities are occasionally paid to wear certain designers as a marketing strategy. Therefore, fashion is an industry that is easily influenced by the popularity effect.

With the emerging influence of online presence on the fashion industry, blogs are beginning to out edge top fashion magazines, such as Vogue, in terms on influence on society according to a study by Business Insider. This creates an interesting opportunity for the non-independent decisions of consumers to be influenced by less biased opinions.

Sources:

http://searchingforstyle.com/2010/04/fashion-101-where-do-fashion-trends-come-from/

http://articles.businessinsider.com/2011-07-18/entertainment/30083726_1_blogs-sartorialist-style-com

http://fashionmarketing-vogue.blogspot.com/2007/01/my-fashion-marketing-iq-in-nutshell.html

-Fashionably Pink

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