While scrolling on the fashion side of Twitter, one will be greeted with pictures of Saint Laurent heels and Mugler gowns. These archives, saved or retweeted on the phones of fashion fanatics worldwide, are inspiring careers. Many rely on the internet to gather knowledge about the industry, and social media can alter the lens of how we view fashion over time. This daunting tool has now evolved into many social apps where you can meet friends, create relationships, network and market.
This career path of content creation becomes a lifestyle, and growing an audience with your online presence creates a powerful force that the industry is only beginning to become familiar with. Social media has caused fashion to be a simple practice to make money. The industry has become so progressive in the 21st Century, to the point where many teenagers run a small clothing business through their phone without any education or training.
Social media has put the fashion industry in a chokehold and created successful careers every day, even for those without an educational background or training in fashion. While integrating into the industry has changed from an in-person connection to an online connection, the passion still lies with emerging talent. The Herald spoke with two fashion majors, Angie Prada, ‘25, and Janey Medina, ‘25, to find out how social media has impacted their time in fashion.
Prada explained how she uses social media to showcase outfits and as a work portfolio in order to be noticed in the industry. She said, “I really want to work in the industry either as a buyer, stylist or designer/assistant designer. I really want to someday have my own brand and be able to make a positive impact within the fashion industry by bringing sustainability and inclusiveness through my brand and work.” She mentioned that promoting sustainability and inclusiveness was a goal she has to make a positive impact on the industry. Sustainability is currently a trend in social media. Even here we can see how social media is influencing aspiring designers to think twice and think nice.
“I think social media is and will always play a huge role in my career,” Prada said. “I think it will be a great tool to not only share my style/outfits and my work as a designer but to also spread awareness about sustainable and inclusive fashion within the industry.”
“As I’m starting out, posting my designs [and] attending social events will help boost where I’m trying to go in my career,” Medina said. “It will also help me gain much more confidence as well as experience when it comes to building strong links to success.”
After talking with Medina and Prada, it is apparent that social media has become vital to creative entrepreneurs. A person taking an interest in a creative career has to recognize the importance of social media presence and the quality of content posted, especially in fashion. Social media has become a leading $905 billion dollar industry with social apps at the forefront, and the fashion world has capitalized on that.
By Melissa Taylor, Contributing Writer