Is fashion blogging dead in 2019

Does fashion blogging even make sense anymore?

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by Allegra Caro

is fashion blogger profitable

Unless you have been hiding under a rock for a couple of years, there is a chance you are aware of that obsessive anathema regarding the alleged death of fashion blogging.

The rumour has been written in forums, shared, and even printed in t-shirts as a catchy slogan: “Fashion bloggers are dead!”, they say, “Long live Instagram!” This tagline might sound like seasonal news material — a form of objective information, if you please —, once you come closer though, a mild vindictive flavour can be appreciated.

For a long time and as a relatively new industry, blogging aroused suspicion and a great deal of controversy. Certainly, it took some time for the public to understand that blogging was nothing but a digital version to fashion editorials, curated by anonymous people who shared their personal approach to style. In the beginning, there was nothing aspirational about it: most bloggers were mothers, students, or corporate ladies living their lives while blogging for fun.

On a deep level though, it could be argued that it turned into sort of a sisterhood, where normal women could partake of the fun and stop feeling like “Plain Janes”.

This was the starting point from which the blogging empire ascended.

fashion blogging dead in 2019

As in any other field, some bloggers started taking a more occupational direction: blog layers were endlessly edited, while outfits became more and more polished. Some started suggesting that authenticity was sacrificed at the expense of professionalisation — a topic stirring passions that would require a post of its own.

The same people (and conservative media) who criticised early authors for their lack of expertise, began resenting their new attitude. Even so, the industry was growing, with a few top bloggers gaining status as respected experts and making a six-figure income.

There was no point in denying reality anymore: fashion blogging was here to stay.

Once bloggers grew into brands and household names, blogging became mainstream. As in any popular industry, the market was suddenly saturated. Many even suggested that the cooperative spirit between bloggers vanished overnight. The same industry which gained momentum as the anti-establishment of fashion, they pleaded, morphed into the materialization of its nemesis.

is fashion blogging dead

This was the defining moment in which Instagram was introduced too: a simpler platform that would allow people to post their outfits without the nuisance of composing an entire article around it. Naturally, many saw it as the perfect way to save-up countless hours of writing and editing and dropped off their websites in favour of Instagram. After all, why to spend days working on a blog post when you could easily share your outfit in real-time?

Back in 2016, Tavi Jennison (who became famous by sitting front row at NYFW as an influencer at the age of 12) famously stated: “Yikes, what is the function of this blog anymore? Everything is basically on my Instagram…!”, a sentence that embodied a whole new worldview.

At that point, the question became quite obvious: was fashion blogging dead?

A recent study shows that the Millenial generation prefers social media as an advice resource and the decreasing number of style, outfits and fashion trends blogs seems to provide enough evidence. At the same time, the progressive abandonment of the term blogger in favour of content creator can’t be ignored as a clear indication of this process.

But then, should we all quit our blogs in 2019 and go home?

Personally, I am an optimist: yes, the market might be saturated and highly competitive, and yes, it might be hard to become six-figures income blogging royalty these days (pretty much as hard as becoming a dazzling movie star), but I do believe people are still interested. Nowadays, many blog readers value them as a way to unwind after a hard working day — a certain detachment from social media hectic pace. Maybe, the secret of blogging survival lies in this quality time dimension. Surely, only time will tell. As for now, let me close this article with a good wish:

Long live fashion blogging!

Is fashion blogging dead in 2019

wearing

Cami top: Zara / Sailor trousers: Vivienne of Holloway

Sunglasses: HM (old, similar here) / Straw bucket bag: Primark (similar at La Redoute)

Other accessories: off brand

 

 

Published by

Allegra Caro

34 thoughts on “Does fashion blogging even make sense anymore?”

  1. Nice post. I also debated with the issue at some point. But I think certain things and content can only be found on a blog… Some people want deep explanations.. One could say there’s YouTube for that now (somewhere I heard that the future is video) but even YouTubers can’t explain things in detail like we bloggers can. So, girl, let’s buckle up and hit this internet-crazed world by a storm 💪

    1. Hey Marion! Yes, the preference for Youtube is a frequent argument most people defend. I see their point but, the same way TV didn’t kill books, Youtube won’t kill blogs or digital mags. At the end of the day, they have got different purposes (and I would even say a different target public, although this would be the topic for an entire new post).

  2. Instagram definitely stole the spotlight from blogging. I think it is the same with travel blogging as well and probably from other niches as well. As long as you know why you are doing it and enjoy doing it it is worth it in my opinion.

    1. Hi Janja! I agree purpose is the main thing when it comes to any creative work: we might or might not be huge moneymakers, but as long we do it for us and it makes us feel good, it is worth it.

  3. This is a great post. There is definitely much debate on if blogging has died (across all genres). I think these debates always exist on all topics. I don’t think blogging is dead. Do I think it has changed and that it is continuously adapting, yes. Do I think that social media has taken a high spot in communications and promotions, yes as well. But I think they each serve a purpose. The digital world is constantly evolving and so we must too. It’s all in finding the right balance.

    1. Digital evolution is the key issue here: formats evolve to meet the customer needs, and as a consequence, it might look like social media phagocytised the entire market. That’s just a superficial approach, though. As you underlined, each serve for a purpose and that’s the point entirely.

  4. Absolutely my favorite post by you! I was just working on this same topic for next week, I’m going to link you post ❤

    Ok, so I'm an optimist too, I don't think original fashion blogging is going anywhere, in fact I believe it's going to get bigger. While Instagram may be popular, the site is naturally undependable. Instagram could crash or phase out and all content is lost, but your blog is something you own and could never be taken away from you. It's more of a lasting platform, so I think it's important to invest into blogs more.

    I thoroughly enjoyed this post by you Allegra!!

    Natonya | https://justnatonya.wordpress.com

    1. Great minds think alike, Natonya! 😅 Please, let me know when you post your article, I will be glad to read your own thoughts on the matter. Such an interesting topic, indeed.

      As you said, the intellectual property over your content is a factor that most people ignore entirely. It gives me chills to think anything could happen to all the work I have spent weeks, months or years putting together. For that reason, I would never place all my content in social media only.

      Also, diversification is key when making money through your online work which makes focusing in one media only quite inconsistent.

      1. I agree with you 100%, you just can’t rely on one outlet, it’s better to stretch yourself across multiple platforms but like you said it’s kinda hard to stay consistent but in the long-run it’s better than putting full trust on a website that you don’t own yourself. I’m so excited to feature your post in my post!!

  5. I personally think if you don’t have a blog you can’t call yourself a blogger just say you are an influencer. Is blogging going to die ? Heck no, there are some people that still enjoy reading it and a lot of people charge brand more for written content than posting on IG. Written content is here to stay 🙂

    1. Yes, content creator and blogger should be observed as separate terms but there is still a lot of confusion out there. And yes, I agree it is all about people who enjoy reading versus people who doesn’t. A mere question of preference, after all.

  6. So much to learn from this, I totally agree with you.We need to make the differences between content creators and bloggers. Not to call the former as a blogger when they aren’t. Thanks for sharing your tips with us!.

  8. I think if you are trying to reach that younger demographic you might have be an influencer or content creator. I believe fashion bloggers still have a place of industry because some do still love reading blog posts!

    1. I don’t underestimate the role social media has in the promotion of blogs, and they should be used together to maximize results, but I do think that young people are still reading blogs. Even f not in the same proportion than older demographics.

  9. I think there are definitely two different audiences for each platform. Instagram is entirely about the visual of it all, where I think blogs promote more thought and discussion about the choices and outcomes. This was a really interesting blog though, and I love those trousers!

    1. Hello there, Claire! I am a big supporter of the idea of blogs serving as discussion forums, as you smartly mentioned. Social media follows a faster path, which does not leave much room for second thoughts, sometimes. Just my personal opinion, though!

  10. I believe that yeah instagram has made it harder for fashion blogging but I do believe there are lots of people who would rather read the blog than scroll instagram. Theres still lots of people who dont have one. I only just got one like a year ago I believe.

    1. I see what you mean, certainly. To be completely honest, and as much as I love Instagram, I frequently find myself giving priority to my favourite blogs. To me, they are an integrated part of my daily routine and I would never give that away as long as I can avoid it.

    1. I totally agree: personally, I am still enjoying to see an entire post photo shoot rather than just one very curated Instagram picture. You get a more realistic idea of the outfit, anyway.

    1. I totally agree with that. Don’t get me wrong, I do love social media and Instagram is a lovely platform but as you said, sometimes it feels nice to read something a bit more sustancious.

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