Trend Drivers Social Influences | Celebrities One key social influence on trends is celebrities. It seems to be that celebrities are always at the forefront of major trends and help drive the trend. They are a big inspiration for what people wear, making them a massive social influence. Many celebrities have adopted the sheer look such as Cara Delevinge, Kim Kardashian, Beyonce and many more who are very influential celebrities in people’s lives. Celebrity and trends are integrated within our lives and our culture. They serve as a funnel of awareness of a trend to the end consumer.
Social Media Rihanna’s Swarovski covered sheer dress can be seen as the ‘most powerful feminist statement’. Maslow’s theory of hierarchy can be intertwined with this sheer trend as it shows the basic needs of humans. This links fashion and the sheer trend through psychological factors, as confidence and selfesteem are desired. By Rihanna wearing the ‘sheer look’, this trend gives the ability of women to push the boundaries, inspiring confidence in other women to do the same.
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Social media has had a profound effect on today’s society and the radical transparency trend. The trend describes and explains how people shop and what they choose to wear. In a recent survey by (Anon, 2015) it was found that circa 29% of people are influenced by social media when it comes to purchasing clothes and how to wear them. The power of social media is prevalent, cat walks, magazines and blogs have all been developed and made more accessible via social media. Social media apps like Instagram and twitter enable celebrities to interact with their fans, showing them what they’re wearing. Instagram even enables celebrities to tag what clothes they’re wearing in photos. Fans and the public can keep up with trends by following brand accounts which continuously update their accounts with new clothing and styles.
The new age of style bloggers are also influencing the industry. Anon (2015) says that respondents to a survey states that 11% of bloggers are seen as more inspirational than fashion designers, further proving how bloggers are affecting the industry. Social media has given the opportunity to the average person to influence trends. Research suggests that friends can be often influence young people than celebrities. A mintel survey strengthens the research by showing that “33% of 15-24 year olds prefer to get fashion inspiration from people similar to their own age” (Goody, 2016). Outfits seen on social media platforms play a vital role in purchasing decisions.
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