Power Transition in the Legitimation Mechanism of Fashion Designers

Prior to the advent of the Internet and social media, fashion designers' reputations were legitimated by industry professionals who attended biannual fashion show events that took place in the major fashion cities, such as Paris, New York and Milan. It was their prerogative and privilege to be part of the by-invitation-only  insider circle.  Consumers and the general public eagerly awaited for the press coverage in newspapers and magazines to see what is going to be in trend the next season. It was an exclusive status to be a member of the industry because they were the "gatekeepers" of fashion who consecrated the designers. This mechanism of hierarchy has been completely overthrown by the invention of twitter, Facebook and other social networking media. The younger designers are no longer interested in having a fashion show, and they communicate with their followers directly via social media. Their fans wear their favorite labels, take pictures with their smartphones and instantaneously post them on blogs, twitters, and instagrams.  This communication occurs on a minute-by-minute basis. The fans are making an invaluable contribution to the publicity and the promotion. Amateur bloggers with insatiable appetite for fashion are just as powerful and influential as professional magazine editors. Luxury brands that were reluctant to rely on the social media since they reach too wide an audience are finally following suit as well. My paper attempts to explore how the mechanism of the mainstream fashion system has transformed in the past decade and investigates how the legitimation process of designers and the power structure of the industry have changed.