SMNZ Presents: Fashion Trending - An Intimate Evening
Last week, SMNZ once again teamed up with our good friends Bill Rundle (Porter Noveli) and Radd Nadesananthan (Barnes, Catmur & Friends) to bring you another intimate event.
The second installment in a series of 'Intimate Evening' events, this time we saw three fashion forward Kiwis come together to discuss the topic of ‘Fashion Trending – The role digital plays in fashion’ and offer some insights into the constantly evolving world of online fashion.There’s no denying that the internet and technology have profoundly changed the world of fashion forever. From fashion blogging to online shopping, it’s safe to say that fashion has officially gone viral – and we’re loving it!Last Wednesday, we had the opportunity to sit down for a cosy and intimate affair at the Stolen Rum HQ with model/blogger/PR fashionista, Anna Fitzpatrick; Jay Goodey from online fashion outlet, Once'It; and fashion blogger Courtney Sanders of alwayssometimesanytime.com. The discussion was led by TV3 reporter Ali Ikram, and we got to enjoy some delicious Stolen Rum cocktails and pizza to boot!Here we share with you some of the key thoughts and ideas presented by these three home-grown fashion gurus at last week’s event.Fashion gone viral: Not only does this mean that elitist fashionistas and exclusive fashion mags have been knocked down a few pegs to make room for the more relatable and increasingly influential blogging set, but it also means that fashion has become much more accessible on a global scale (even for us Kiwis off in our own little corner of the world!)You no longer have to wait for your copy of American In Style or BritishVogue, for example, to check out all of the latest trends, catwalk photos and designers. These are now made available to you almost instantly, as bloggers and fashion devoted websites instantaneously Tweet, Instagram and blog from the runway shows.Social media has also played a massive role in the consumption of and discussions around fashion. As Courtney pointed out, social media has not necessarily changed what fashion is, but it has created many more subcultures and niche markets of what’s “cool”, and has also made fashion more approachable. Where we were once offered just a handful of acceptable style tips and trends from major fashion media outlets, and these were dictated to us from the fashion elite, we now have seemingly zillions of options for style inspiration in the form of blogs and social media pages, and the delivery has changed to become a multi-way conversation as opposed to a dictatorship. We are no longer told what fashion is, as decided by the major players; we are now able to actively participate in this decision.That being said, Courtney is also quick to point out that since anybody and everybody has access to blogging platforms and social media, there are tons of sites out there offering very little to no intellectual discussion or quality fashion writing. She questions whether we will soon come full circle, longing for the days of a few quality fashion journalists rather than a million sub-par ones.For Jay, who runs members-only online fashion outlet Once’it, the world of online fashion means online shopping. The ability to do your shopping online opens up a whole new kind of convenience – especially to those who hate to shop or don’t have time to hit the mall or run around town to all the different boutiques. The internet puts every item you’re coveting right at your fingertips, available to you with the click of a few buttons. Online stores have even advanced to the point of offering detailed descriptions of the fit and fabric, multi-angle views as well as the model’s specific measurements and in some cases (asos.com, for example) catwalk videos of every single garment. With hassle-free return/exchange policies and, oftentimes, free shipping and handling, there’s not much left chaining us to the brick and mortar method of shopping.However, Jay does acknowledge that many people are still looking for that interactive shopping experience – having the sales person help you choose the perfect outfit. Most of us are probably also all too familiar with the “it-looks-completely-different-on-me-than-it-did-on-the-model” scenario. For some people, the perfect fit and customer service are still just as important as the purchase itself.Anna also points out that in many cases, online shopping is premeditated. People have a specific item or items in mind, which they go online to purchase. In her case, she shops online to get things she could not get in New Zealand or that she could get cheaper overseas. This takes browsing and impulse buying off the table entirely, which does not seem realistic and means we probably haven’t seen the end of traditional shopping just yet. There is something to be said for the experience of walking down High Street between meetings and spotting that killer pair of must-have-immediately sunnies in a shop window.When asked about New Zealand fashion in particular, the trio agree that it comes down to our little country’s inability to compete on a larger scale. Although we have some examples of success internationally – such as Karen Walker – on a whole, New Zealand fashion needs to grow beyond New Zealand and gain international recognition. “The ideas are here, but the money is not” seemed to be the general consensus of the evening.But who knows, with more and more foreigners venturing over to the land of the long white cloud, especially after the Rugby World Cup, we could see all of this changing in the not-so-distant future. [Picture Source]