Everything in fashion has a price-tag now. In a time where so many media outlets, online and in print, are competing for the same pool of ad money, harsh words become rarer. It is almost impossible for a critic to post a scathing review for fear of backlash from the label itself: a case in point happened in September, when the New York Times’ Cathy Horyn blogged a lukewarm review of Hedi Slimane’s debut collection at YSL. The review was conducted from outside the venue, however, because Cathy didn’t swing an invite. See, Hedi had taken offense to a review of his supposed rival Raf Simons Cathy wrote 8 years ago. Among people who care about these things, Cathy Horyn is regarded as one of the best fashion writers in the world. In response to this latest review, Hedi hit back again, calling the critic a schoolyard bully and stating that she would never get a seat at one of his shows again. So you can see why other newspapers and magazines are afraid to be honest about a collection. It doesn’t pay.
But there are exceptions, and more and more they are online. SHOWstudio is pushing boundaries alright, but it’s a not-for-profit operation with no advertisers to worry about. Others, like the Business of Fashion, are using the web to show another side to fashion’s gloss. The internet is allowing fashion professionals to buck the trend and what’s more, it’s fuelling the interests of non-professionals, too. In the last few years the internet’s access and speed have completely revolutionised the way we engage with fashion. And these changes are more creeping than you may think.
