How influencers are impacting the fashion industry’s traditional ways.

Fig. 1 Celebrity picture at the 2021 Met Gala.

I can’t remember a time without influencers. In fact, the first influencer dates to the 18th century when a potter named Wedgwood made a tea set for the Queen of England, specifically for the wife of King George III. However, influencers haven’t been taken very seriously until recently.

The number of influencers surfacing on the internet has been on the rise ever since the pandemic, when everyone was locked inside with nothing to do but be chronically online. Ultimately, this has resulted in several influencers partaking in events that were once strictly off-limits. One of these welcoming sectors has been the fashion industry. As a matter of fact, they have opened their catwalks, front rows, and exclusive events to many influencers regardless of whether they’re relevant to the industry or not. Thus said, this blog post will be covering all that is influencers infiltrating the fashion industry, resulting in them realizing never-before seen collaborations.

Since influencers have quickly been climbing the popularity ladder, the fashion industry’s senior staff has been making note of it by inviting influencers such as Emma Chamberlain and Liza Koshy to keep the relevance of their esteemed celebrations high even in the eyes of the younger generations. One of these events being the Met Gala, one of the most prestigious events a public figure can be seen attending.

Fig.2 Celebrity-filled mirror selfie in the Met's bathroom.

Every first Monday of May, New York City’s Metropolitan Museum of Art is turned into a benefit gathering celebrities from actors to designers to high society. This infamous celebration used to be to be reserved for the A-list and industry professionals, that was until 2021. On Monday, May 3rd, 2021, the first round of influencers made it up the infamous Met stairs. Needless to say, this unexpected decision had the media in a frenzy. First-time invitees ranged from well-established, admired, fashion and lifestyle youtuber Emma Chamberlain to overnight TikTok sensations Addison Rae and Dixie D’Amelio, who don’t do much but reiterate unauthentic dances filmed on their phone. People were in shock that Anna Wintour (coordinator of the Met since 1995 and editor-in-chief of Vogue US) would even allow this type of change, especially since some of these new guests weren’t even fashion-orientated.

Fig 3. Emma Chamberlain going up the infamous Met stairs during the 2021 Met Gala.

Fig.4 Addison Rae at the top of the stairs during the 2021 Met Gala.

Despite this, some people, including myself have seem to figure out why Wintour would make such a choice. According to an article written by Neve Fear-Smith for Hello Partner titled “Exploring Influencers Place at the Met Gala", she discusses “In short, the Met Gala and Anna Wintour, the event organiser since 1995, do not need to rely on influencer marketing to create hype around the event.” Fear-Smith was right on the nose with this statement, inviting influencers to the Met was indeed an act of pure marketing to attract Gen Z’s attention. To add, she also affirms “Gen Z influencers are shaping mainstream fashion more than some people may wish to admit.” This perfectly explains why Wintour would orchestrate such a stunt.

On a related note, influencers aren’t just getting invited to events such as the Met but also runway shows. More specifically, young influencers but older ones too! An influencer has officially walked the runway, a never-before seen in fashion. Believe it or not, 70-year-old Qin Huilan was asked to walk the runway during Miu Miu’s most recent Fall/Winter 2024 show in Paris. Not only is she influencer but she is also a doctor and Miu Miu’s highest paying customer. The Shanghai woman stated in an article by Charna Flam for People Magazine “I seem to have opened the door to a new world,”. And might I say, indeed she has. Not only has she opened the door for more serious fashion influencers to possibly get recognized as she did, but also made a strong statement that there is no age limit to be an influencer. This goes to show that influencers are truly changing the ways of the fashion industry.

Fig.5 Qin Hulan, 70, walking for Miu Miu's FW2024 show.

Briefly, galas and catwalks used to be reserved for the A-list and industry professionals. With the plethora of Gen Z influencers rising to fame, the fashion industry has been changing its ways by including younger public figures not because they add a tremendous amount of value but because it’s in line with the current pop culture and ensures better acceptance of these traditional events by the younger demographics. On the flipside, older influencers are also getting recognized and invited to partake in these occasions just like Qin Huilan. These progressive actions are a clear result of the fashion executives getting more in tune with the digital era and the public figures that are coming out of it.

Stay tuned for next week’s topic: “The battle of the Gens: How generational differences have impacted generational interactions and trends.” And if you like what you’re reading, subscribe to Gen F for more!

Sources:

Exploring Influencers Place at the Met Gala, Hello Partner https://hellopartner.com/2021/09/20/exploring-influencers-place-at-the-met-gala/

Doctor and Influencer Qin Huilan, 70, Makes Runway Debut at Miu Miu Show: 'Never Give Up on Your Dreams', People Magazine

https://people.com/influencer-qin-huilan-runway-debut-miu-miu-paris-fashion-week-photos-8604826