10 May Are Celebrities influencing our fashion choices without us even knowing?
Fashion is something we see and are influenced by every day. Even people who say they don’t care about fashion, every morning they get up and get dressed ready for the day ahead and what they wear says a lot about them as a person. The biggest thing about fashion is change. In the digital age we live in now we are constantly seeing new fashion ideas from the internet, videos, music and most importantly celebrities.
Celebrities shape and influence fashion trends and have throughout history even still to this very day. They not only have an influence but create their own fashion too. It is easy for the rich and famous to influence fashion as they are always in the public eye, spread over the internet and magazines and we spend time reviewing their choice of clothing.
Magazines play a massive role of how people dress all the time from either spending time with friends or going clubbing. Celebrities are posted on the front covers and throughout even having selected pages dedicated to what they are wearing and how and where they can get similar outfits. Fashion magazines are especially influential to young adults and teens. They are such a big influence when it comes to fashion choices as celebrities are seen as perfect and signify ideal beauty. They are always looking their best whether it be on the red carpet or just popping to their local shop. Everyone wants to look their best so they look to celebrities in order to achieve that.
When asking Josh Braimoh, a 20 year old who is always on top of fashion trends about how he himself is inspired by celebrity fashion, he explained: “It’s like when a group of people are into the same type of clothes you know you’re going to share the same interests. When I wear fashionable clothing, it gives me confidence and a sense of individuality. Fashion is a part of my lifestyle without it I wouldn’t be me, all of my friends know me for my good fashion taste, I have Asap Rocky to thank for that”
However, when I asked Ed Haque, A Fashion student at UAL if he looks to celebrities for ideas towards his own work and designs he said: “I don’t look to celebs at all in my work or in how I dress, I just pick anything out of my wardrobe and piece it together, if I like something I’ll buy it”. He then went onto say “To create my own designs, I use my emotions to help me with an idea and then I put that to paper. My designs are a reflection of how I feel. Im a fashion student i come up with new original ideas not copy other people because what would be the point ”.
One celebrity in particular that has been very influential in the world of fashion in recent years is Kanye West. Many would say not only is his music influential but his influence is spreading to the fashion industry and is becoming more and more popular, branding this the ‘Yeezy Effect”. Fashion has always been on Kanye’s agenda but only within the last 2 years has his talent in the industry been acknowledged. Back in 2009, Kanye started designing shoes for Nike but that soon came to an end after he teamed up with Adidas in 2015 and created the project ‘Yeezy’. This partnership is now worth over £10 million pounds and is still growing. The first release of the shoes sold out worldwide within 12 minutes and beat re-sale records with some shoes selling for more than £4000.
West’s designs are recognizable all around the globe. His oversized, baggy, plain dull colored clothes have become the signature of the Yeezy line. Everywhere you look you can see many people trying their best to copy the collection, the Yeezy impact is seen with fast fashion. Retailers such as H&M and Zara don’t hide the fact that they copy from other fashion brands. Since the launch of his partnership with Adidas both fast fashion companies have already begun selling collections that are clearly similar to his line.
However, forever 21 have been accused of blatantly copying Kanye’s clothing and his tour merchandise. There is a difference between getting inspiration and outright imitating someone, and Forever 21 clearly do not know the difference. New clothing came on Forever 21’s website and within seconds the social media scene blew up and being said as a blatant copy of Kanye’s clothes. Many customers of forever 21 were let down from the lack of imagination and creativity which they usually have.
This could have been an innocent mistake but considering this is not the first time the company have dealt with these kind of issues, it is very unlikely.
Forever 21 have not only copied Kanye but also designers Thrasher, Puma and even Tumblr artists. The average person won’t be able to afford these designers, so looking for the next best thing makes sense. However, that doesn’t excuse any fashion retailer – whose job it is to create new, desirable clothing to claim someone else’s designs as their own.
I asked 20 people aged 18-24 if they were influenced more by celebrities or people they know and the outcome was obvious. 15 out of the 20 people I asked said that they were more influenced by celebrities in what they wear day to day than the people they know.
Celebrities may not realize their influence but their trendsetting power is huge among shoppers. Many companies exploit the power of celebrities and employ them to advertise just about everything. As famous people are instantly recognizable and attract consumer interest, they can bring attention to a brand in a way that no other type of advertising can. As long as the celebrity is well known and has a lot of followers behind them he or she can help to lend credibility to a brand and influence the way it is perceived. Many consumers believe that if a product is good enough for a star, it is good enough for them. It is estimated that roughly one in four advertisements feature celebrities in the US but in Europe the percentage is much lower.
I spoke with a young upcoming fashion designer Jaymar Williams who is currently trying to get his brand ‘Authudo’ up and running. I asked him if any celebrities have influenced his decisions on what he designs and what he sells he replied: “Obviously, I observe the people who are in the public eye like Kanye but Instagram is where I get most of my inspiration.”
Social media is far from new but how it is being used is changing all the time. Celebrities, Designers and magazines are all connecting with their audiences online through social networks such Facebook, twitter and Instagram. Instagram is a huge tool in the fashion industry as it is visually based, so posting photos is the perfect way to show their audiences what they are either wearing or designing. The independent said “Compared with other social media platforms, the viral nature of Instagram is much more potent in spreading a commercial message when it comes to fashion”.
Jaymar went on to say, “I piece together ideas I like, I don’t really idolize anyone, I just look at something and if I like it I try and incorporate it into my own designs.” He explained “Just say Chris brown wears a supreme top, his followers will then go and buy the same thing, celebs are the best marketing tool. Personally, if I see too many people wearing the same thing, I won’t like it. This is the exact reason why I have created my own brand as I want to be different and stand out, not have the same stuff everyone else has”
Next time you go to get dressed have a think about what you are wearing, ask yourself why did you really want that top? why did you have to get your hands on those trainers? Why was you waiting up till midnight to get the first release of a new brand? The celebrity influence will always be in the back of your mind without you even realizing.
