fashion invades Teh Geekosphere ™
A friend emailed me this link today; Fashion met Tech and Tech decided that Fashion didn’t have enough rounded corners to play in the same Bubble.
Maybe it’s because I’m a blogging designer married to a card-carrying member of the geekerati, but you put Tech and Fashion in the same room and my brain won’t shut up.
The very idea of a fashion social networking engine like StyleDiary sparks a whole conversation about how the fashion industry has been affected by the internet and tech in general.
We have all observed the following:
1. The rise in interest in personal style over designer dictats, as shown in the popularity of blogs such as Facehunter, The Sartorialist, and Style Bubble. (C’mon, we all want to know what Susie’s going to wear next. Ironically, she first started off over at StyleDiary.)
2. How celebrities are losing their hold on their formerly-captive audience in regards to what to wear, as fashionistas (aka consumers) the world over are becoming increasingly cynical about professional stylists and paid endorsements. You can see blogs like Go Fug Yourself and Fashion.Verbatim. constantly talk trash about what idiot outfit a celebrity decided to leave their house in, as opposed to the idolatry of before. Fashionistas everywhere are sick of celebrities on magazine covers.
3. With eBay stores, Cafe Press, and other online shops, the speed of email, the rise in tech savvy even in our grandparents, and the growing library of online resources, it’s become increasingly easier to start new fashion companies. A new fashion line starts every time I open my feed reader, many because they can’t find anything in the market that is perfect for them, others because they think they can provide for a still underserved niche market, meaning there are more niche markets in fashion than Kate Moss has Vogue covers.
4. Everyone shopping vintage or scouring obscure online shops because they don’t want to wear what everyone else is wearing. How much did the fashion blogosphere crow over the Witherspoon/Dunst “vintage” Chanel red carpet debacle? This much.
Which will lead to:
1. Shifts in interest affecting how people spend their money, and ultimately how designers and fashion companies will have to change to cater to their markets’ new needs.
2. People’s spending patterns for clothes eventually bleeding into their methods on purchase decisions for other items and services.
3. Major changes in how the fashion industry conducts business because of a) tech speeding up communication via email, skype, IM, webcam, and cell phones b) the increase in competitors.
What’s my point? The world is moving more and more to individualism and we could never have done it without the internet.
Fashion has and will continue to impact Tech more than Tech thinks, and vice verse. Arrington missed the real story–YouTube StyleDiary does have low quality images, but that’s not why users are going there.
It’s not about these tags; it’s about these tags and their fall from grace.
verbal croquis 
on December 27, 2006 on 4:02 pm
Great post!!! Thank you for the shout out to StyleDiary also 🙂
on December 28, 2006 on 6:13 am
I totally agree with the niche market and how consumers are starting to march to the beat of their own fashion drum–that’s the market I’m hoping to help incubate at CitizenFashion.com. Have a looksee. I think the wave of the future for fashion is co-creation and sharing of income stream with the multiple parties.
on December 29, 2006 on 5:24 am
[…] Fashion geekery. One of the benefits of being a in mixed couple is that we don’t echo-chamber each other. The girl tells me stories about life in the fashion industry, and I regurgitate TechMeme. But sometimes worlds collide, like when fashion invades Teh Geekosphere. […]
on December 29, 2006 on 10:33 pm
[…] Also, if you’re interested in fashion and technology, head over to Verbal Croquis and read Zoe’s great post, fashion invades Teh Geekosphere. Apparently not all geeky males are happy to have attractive, stylish female company in ‘their’ interweb. (Spoilsports!) Zoe’s response talks about how technology supports individual style and how that’s re-shaping the fashion industry. Interesting stuff! […]
on December 31, 2006 on 10:18 pm
Yes… I wholeheartedly agress, and very intelligently put as well. I admit that I fell into the category of starting a fashion company because I was underserved….naive. That’s all I have to say about that. I think that things will level out, especially on the increase in competitors. It takes so much more than self gratification to make a company and stay in the market. Not only do I love how technology has affected fashion (and I suppose vice versa), but I love the honesty it invokes. When things are going at the speed of light, you sink or swim pretty quickly. Great post, Zoe.
Andrea
on January 1, 2007 on 7:39 pm
This was a great analysis. Arrington is so missing the fashion thing – what a geeek. =D
Your final point is a thinker. The real story is not how fashion affects the geekosphere, but how the internet is changing attitudes and behaviors… and how the fashion industry is reacting… or coping. Let’s see what happens…
on January 1, 2007 on 10:41 pm
Amen Zoe! Frankly I was pissed by Arrington’s coverage. But you and your boy frankly are the only two people in the Valley who know what is what I will tell that much. I bow down before you!
I blogged about the subject at Almost Girl. Let’s see if Mikey responds or not. I didn’t send out the challenge
on January 6, 2007 on 1:12 am
Technology accelerates everything. Especially, when that technology allows users to share information. You can spread the word over night on what the newest treads will be. You can even unite with other groups and dicate what a trend will be. I don’t doubt that girls email or iM each other at night and decide what the colors of tomorrow will be. Not on the list? Then you will stick out like a sore thumb.
on January 7, 2007 on 2:08 am
The one thing about technology, and in particular the Internet, is that it creates a level playing field. For the first time in history, we don’t need mega bucks to compete. The smallest of players can reach the same global market as the biggest players and at the same minimal cost. With this technology, an up-and-coming talented fashion designer working from a home studio can sell his/her fashion to the world and many are doing just that.
on June 23, 2007 on 11:31 am
[…] interested in fashion and technology, head over to Verbal Croquis and read Zoe’s great post, fashion invades Teh Geekosphere. Apparently not all geeky males are happy to have attractive, stylish female company in […]
on May 16, 2010 on 6:32 pm
Generally I do not post on web sites, but I would like to mention that this post really forced me to do so! Thanks for your insightful article.