Currently, there is no better moment to be a fashionista than now.
After all, fashion-conscious people have an abundance of internet tools at their disposal to discover new ideas and indulge their love. The result is an inherent benefit for store brands: They know that postings with images get 94% more views than text-only ones, so they include many of them into their style blogs. However, there are still obstacles in the way of creating an involved audience. Consumers nowadays are more discerning than ever before, so marketers need to provide more than simply nice visuals if they want to attract attention on social media or in their own media properties.
We’ve compiled a list of five businesses that are leading the way in this space by curating their own fashion blogs.
1. J.Crew
J.Crew is well-known for its timeless aesthetic and stunning photography; the corporate blog plays up these qualities by detailing the labour that goes into creating the things that shoppers buy in shops. There are Instagram photographs of the models swimming in between shots, as well as behind-the-scenes glimpses at the photo sessions themselves. In other entries, we see how various people wear classic jeans and learn about the process that went into making each pair. There’s even a behind-the-scenes look at New York Fashion Week’s casting call for models. The blog effectively engages the reader throughout the creative process, not just the purchasing phase, so that they come to care about the brand.
2. Anthropologie
The posts on the Anthro Blog aren’t limited to only fashion; there are also music recommendations and tutorials. About four pieces are published each week by the editorial staff covering a variety of themes, and the Pinterest-like layout makes it simple to navigate the many available resources. It’s hardly surprising that there are recipes on the site given how many aprons and other culinary items the company sells. The Anthro Blog is more than just a fashion blog; it’s a lifestyle journal that maintains faithful to the company’s fashion heritage with articles like “An Ode to Statement Sleeves.”
3. Forever 21
Similarly to the visual emphasis of a Pinterest page, Forever 21’s blog, 21st Street, places a heavy emphasis on fashion photography. The company stands out because it caters to a younger audience by providing them with all the hashtags, acronyms, and selfie advice they could ever want.
The blog focuses on low-priced goods and includes interviews with designers and makers. An example is the sunglass manufacturer Spitfire, whose designers recently revealed in an interview that they couldn’t do their jobs without the help of a 3D printer. Furthermore, there is an emphasis on fashion inspiration, such as street style articles, and a plethora of fitness postings in recognition of the 2015 activewear line. Because of its intimate familiarity with its readership, 21st Street is able to set itself apart from the usual, stuffy high fashion fare its readers have come to expect.
4. Alice and Olivia
Do you have a yearning to see the world? You might find what you’re looking for at Alice and Olivia’s blog. Stacey Bendet, the brains behind the Alice and Olivia line, is the embodiment of the label. She is gorgeous, inspiring, and somehow manages to pull off a pair of spherical sunglasses that cover 60% of her face. The blog’s style may be described as “glamour with an edge.”
The site, which mostly features visual content, highlights famous people who have been seen wearing Alice and Olivia. Neighborhood guides full of adorable illustrations that feature the areas around Alice and Olivia shops in places like New York’s Upper East Side and Los Angeles help the brand stand out and appeal to a wide variety of consumers; similarly, the Globetrotting series, which has included features on St. Barths and Tulum, Mexico.
5. Kate Spade
Kate Spade’s blog, Behind the Curtain, appeals to the same sophisticated but irreverent clientele that buys the designer’s clothes, bags, and home goods. The blog’s true power lies in its emphasis on art. The site attracts creative consumers by spotting and highlighting artists, therefore making their shows available to consumers all over the globe. Picture a Kate Spade shopper looking at these artworks at a New York gallery one evening. Rafael Rozendaal’s Haiku and Amber Ibarreche’s Lost and Profound are two more excellent collections of writing.
The necessity of understanding your clientele has been hammered home time and time again in these blog posts. Instead of aiming to appeal to everyone, they have carved themselves a specific audience by differentiating themselves from the rest of the fashion industry’s content producers.
