“Reputation for style is now placed firmly in the hands of social networkers” – HootSuite’s Merinda Peppard on London Fashion Week
With over 6,000 images using the #LFW hashtag already uploaded to Twitter and Instagram, it is no surprise that brands such as Burberry are taking to Twitter to let the public see the A/W lines, with live streams of the event set to be watched on 160 countries.
And with three quarters of fashion fans being ‘heavily engaged’ on smartphones during London Fashion Week, it is no surprise that Merinda Peppard, a social media expert at HootSuite, believes that social media is revolutionising the fashion industry.
“London Fashion Week proves that social media is revolutionising the fashion industry. The days where the front row at the catwalk is reserved for VIP editors of the glossy mags are long gone, now it’s all about what people are saying about your brand online, extending the size of your ‘front row’,” she explained.
“Top social performing brands like Burberry, Topshop and Marks & Spencer’s are great examples of how reputation for creative and innovative style is now placed firmly in the hands of social networkers and the designers that can create the biggest online buzz.
“It is also proof that it’s not just the up and coming “cool” brands that succeed in social but all levels of brands achieve success by knowing and engaging with their audience.”
Last season, there were 75,000 images added to Instagram that including hashtag #LFW, as well as 176,000 mentions of #LFW on Twitter.
In the past seven days, there have been 209,710 tweets using #LFW, according to Topsy.