Shift in Power: the Blogger and Vlogger Influence on the World of Fashion

These behind the camera celebrities are overtaking the glossy publications we once used to turn to for fashion advice, simply because they are there at all hours of the day behind a screen, replying to tweets and sharing fun content. Because of this shift in power they are the real influence on the world of fashion.

Zoella, Sprinkle of Glitter, Inthefrow, That Pommie Girl; these are all names that are currently having an impact on the world of fashion, and with hundreds of thousands (sometimes millions) of adoring fans it's no wonder PR companies and brands have switched on to promoting their products through them.

However, because of this, there has been a real shift in power when it comes to bloggers and vloggers and they are now celebrities in their own right with real influence over what people buy.

Zoella (Zoe Sugg) is the strongest example of this. With 3.77m followers on Twitter, 2,404,527 likes on Facebook and a subscription list consisting of 9,172,815 viewers on YouTube at the time of writing, she has a lot of credibility with a lot of people. The 25-year-old earns £20,000 a month from advertisers alone, who all want to feature their products alongside her beauty videos and lifestyle posts.

This shift in power, from the usual advertising platforms to those talking into a camera lens, is a trend dominating the fashion industry currently. Vloggers and bloggers are huge influences on their Internet-hooked audience. They are changing the face of marketing, with many brands adopting the more prolific bloggers for their cause.

When Company magazine enlisted the online star for a cover photo, the magazine enjoyed an 87% increase in web traffic once Zoella announced it to her followers. Editor Victoria White said: "Our site had its biggest month ever thanks to content about her. To put this into context, we often feature behind-the-scenes videos with celebrities, such as Jessie J or Demi Lovato, that don't get nearly as many views."

Lydia Elise Millen is a good example of one of the many bloggers who works closely with fashion brands. She has featured in campaigns for online fashion store Blue Vanilla and has recently worked with auction site eBay on their #Littlebigvictory campaign.

Leanne Walker is currently working with Schwarzkopf and Helen Anderson has worked with Simply Be on a human interest campaign. Fashion brands are recognising that bloggers are the people to turn to when it comes to marketing.

But are traditional publications, website banner ads and TV adverts losing out to this new spectrum of sharing? Has this shift in power hit the marketing industry hard? After all, before bloggers realised they could charge for this advertising, brands were being sneaky and getting their products shared by sending free items or samples.

There are a lot of hoops to jump through now when it comes to bloggers and advertising. Everything must be stated as an advertisement or promotion if the blogger is sharing a product and has been paid to do so, meaning the subtlety that brands once enjoyed is gone due to disclaimers on posts and videos.

Bloggers and vloggers are having such an influence simply because they are 'regular' people - or at least they were when they started out. They are the ones people turn to when they want an honest review of a product, instead of a hyped up advertorial they can read in any glossy magazine.

While they might be considered the average Joe (although Zoe Sugg can no longer seriously boast that title now that she has a waxwork in Madame Tussauds), they are building businesses worth thousands of pounds from their hobbies, going from grainy videos and out of focus images to glossy websites, HD filming and high spec microphones to capture every detail of what they have to offer.

These behind the camera celebrities are overtaking the glossy publications we once used to turn to for fashion advice, simply because they are there at all hours of the day behind a screen, replying to tweets and sharing fun content. Because of this shift in power they are the real influence on the world of fashion.

For some fashion journalists, these bloggers could be perceived a threat. After all they have no training, no real experience in the industry but are able to dictate what people buy and wear. They're even dipping their toes into print publications, with the Oh My Vlog magazine published as a one off in July and being considered as a regular publication if it peaks people's interest.

The shift in power, from the usual channels to bloggers and vloggers, in the fashion industry is one that isn't going to stop anytime soon. Instead of fighting against it we need to accept that this is the new era of celebrities, giving young people a voice and a place in the world of fashion.

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