by By Olivia Samler
Fashion Week is a highly exclusive and integral part of New York and fashion culture. New York City was the first to establish Fashion Week biannually, creating an opportunity for buyers to preview the season’s collections from various designers. The week-long event attracts the world’s elite, including designers, photographers, and artists. In the beginning, exclusivity was such an immense priority to designers and journalists that photography and advertising were off-limits, and talking about the shows after closing was taboo.
Over the decades, what was originally called “Press Week” has evolved significantly. In the 1970s, exclusive attendees were the cornerstone of fashion, with the most influential figures in fashion, culture, art, and style invited to view the utmost high-end collections. This dynamic shifted in the 1990s, when supermodels took over as cultural icons, overshadowing nearly any brand presented at Fashion Week. Clout and exposure are now some of the most valued commodities, and that takes Fashion Week straight into its influencer era.
Elegance is a defining factor for these high-end brands debuting their seasonal collections at New York and Paris Fashion Week. As more influencers are receiving highly sought invitations to sit and observe, the air of sophistication and exclusivity that revolves around Fashion Week diminishes as influencers use the event for popularity gain and social media interaction.
Allowing influencer presence into this chic atmosphere has caused uproar within the journalist and fashion community. Many influencers and content creators being invited to these events are not only unknowledgeable about fashion or the designers they’ve been invited to see debut, but additionally they have no decorum during the most important events occurring for fashion and artistry. Tana Mongeau, a YouTube celebrity, with over five million followers on Instagram, reinforced this recurring theme of apathetic and ungrateful behavior by posting a TikTok during a show “pretending to be interested in fashion shows in new york for clout rn.” Tana is not alone in showcasing ungracious behavior, but not all creators or influencers are showing up with no real purpose.
YouTube’s Emma Chamberlain is a regular attendee at New York and Paris Fashion Week. She has represented many different designers such as Miu Miu, Maison Margiela, LOEWE, and Cartier. Emma has 15 million followers on Instagram alone, and 12 million on YouTube. Due to her appreciation for clothing, understanding of how to conduct herself in such a glamorous and competitive environment, and her overall propriety led to her interviewing for VOGUE at the 2023 Met Gala.
Influencers being off-handedly invited to Fashion Week, specifically without any prior knowledge, investment, or general interest in the fashion world is contributing to the decline of public curiosity. Influencer presence also diminishes the meaning of an event as its original intent centered around the celebration of artistry, craftsmanship, and innovation.
In this new age of influencers, it is vital they remember to honor Fashion Week rather than try to overshadow it.
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