Fashion Communication and Promotion

Coco Chanel once said, "Fashion is not something that exists in dresses only. Fashion is in the sky, in the street, fashion has to do with ideas, the way we live, what is happening." Fashion communication surrounds us all of the time whether we realise it or not. From advertisements on our televisions, billboards in our cities or even as simple as a stranger's outfit, fashion promotion is unavoidable. You can't turn the page in your weekly magazine without seeing an advert for a brand that quite often has nothing to do with the article you are reading. This is where I think certain communication techniques can be faulted however, since the development of social media and technology's increasing popularity with society, adverts and forms of communication have been explored by brands to communicate their brand in the most appropriate way. Fashion communication is pointless unless targeted to the correct audience. I feel the way it is communicated should be subjective to the brand's audience.

As an avid Snapchat user and Instagram lover it has become apparent to me that advertisement through social media has become a more popular way of grabbing the attention of the customer. It is unlikely that you will see an advert for Roman or Jacques Vert on Instagram however, there is a great chance you will spot an Urban Outfitters or ASOS ad on your feed. This is because those adverts have been tailored to the target market of users of social media. This modern technique of fashion communication is effective because of this fantastic feature of tailored promotion to their target market.

Snapchat is a new form of social media that allows people to connect for a brief moment in time. This short and snappy (forgive the pun) element to the platform gives people the freedom to be more relaxed and personal including the promoters. Brands such as Victoria's Secret have jumped at the opportunity to create a story of their fashion show on the platform giving users an incite into the chaos behind such a big fashion show including sneak peeks of the looks! This is a form of fashion communication that isn't as obvious as a fashion magazine or a billboard however, contributes to the sales of products and people's familiarity of a brand. NYFW also used Snapchat to promote various shows and it man of the stories we were shown exclusive pics and vids of our favourite, stylish celebs. Celebrity promotion is also an important feature that is commonly used through social media to entice an audience.

Social media, as a platform for fashion communication, has thrived over the last year. It only makes you wonder what will the next big thing be?