The latest New York Fashion Week (NYFW) came to a close on Sept. 14, 2022, and with it came the confirmation that the fashion world, much like the rest of the world, has been taken over by ever expanding technologies. Cryptocurrencies, blockchain, artificial intelligence and the metaverse flooded the gates of Fashion Week. With them came Gen Z influencers, at times outperforming brands and fashion designers on social media.
The major fashion magazines did not sit back and watch, it seems everyone had their say on the invasion of NYFW 2022. The Conservateur published an article criticizing this trend as a detriment to the exclusivity of the event. Harshly critical of the influencers, the magazine blamed them for “tarnishing the historically haute exhibition” by wearing what they termed “poor-quality fast fashion.” Criticism of influencers rested on the cheap brands they wore, as well as the lack of modesty in their attire, revealing too much skin.
There is no doubt that social media influencers have become a major marketing tool for brands nowadays, especially given their ability to form more personal connections with fashion forward consumers than any haute couture brand or top designer. But a more objective criticism brought on by the Conservateur was that “To them it’s about personal brand growth, not fashion, which devalues the whole experience for the loyal fans.” Strangely enough, I had already heard this same complaint by fashion-enthusiast people around me.
NYFW 2022 was unique in many regards, one reason is that this was the first year that TikTok, the video-making platform, made an appearance. With appropriate planning, TikTok had appointed three of its most followed creators to showcase the event on the platform, through short clips of the fashion shows and behind the scenes.
Social media coverage of the event definitely had its perks for the fans who could not attend, allowing them to get a taste of some of the exclusive shows through instagram and tiktok posts, as Glossy reminds us. Yet, this is precisely what sparked criticism that Fashion Week, formerly reserved for society’s elite, is no longer as prestigious an event, as suggested by The Conservateur.
Still up for debate is whether the influencers are really there to celebrate fashion or simply to expand their following. It seems that influencers are willing to go to great lengths just to get a seat at NYFW. The Edge reports that some influencers contact their managers repeatedly in search of collaborations with brands that would get them into the shows.
TikTok posts blew up on the topic, with just as many videos complaining about the influencers, as those claiming they had legitimate reasons to be there. Some of the short videos posted simply displayed opinionated written statements such as “controversial opinion: influencers shouldn’t be invited to fashion week.”
At the same time, the rest of the technological world, with its non-fungible tokens (NFTs) and virtual reality, forced their way into New York’s bi-annual fashion extravaganza. Tommy Hilfiger dominated the scene of fashion designers integrating Web3 into their shows. At the Hilfiger show the backdrop of the runway was its simultaneous live stream on Roblox. According to Vogue, there were also NFTs displayed at the show that guests could bring home for free, if they were attentive enough to find them .
Other designers like Rebecca Minkoff and Vivienne Tam similarly tried to promote the use of NFTs among their customers. Vivienne Tam directly displayed some of the most famous NFT collections and their avatars directly on the garments of the new collection. Other shows, with less success, allowed guests to purchase NFTs to then display upon entrance in order to gain access to the show.
As designers and models move on to Paris Fashion Week (Sept. 26 – Oct. 4, 2022), Web3 seems to be going with them. Already, Coperni’s Friday night show went viral for its final performance, a 10 minute spray-on dress fabricated live onto world famous American supermodel, Bella Hadid.
Although there are still many questions about how new technologies can be used to take fashion to new heights, the possibilities seem endless and designers seem just as eager to experiment with them. On the other hand, the influx of influencers was not as easily welcomed by the rest of fashion world. The generation of social media and its young stars still needs to carve out its place in the industry.