Democratic fashion?

Halfway through Vogue’s new documentary The Future of Fashion, Alexa Chung asks former i-D magazine editor, Caryn Franklin, whether she agrees that now is a good "time for a revolution in fashion". Earlier on in the programme, Sarah Mower, Ambassador for Emerging Talent at the British Fashion Council, tells Chung that the concept of an elitist and exclusive industry is outdated and misplaced. Talent and creativity, she says, are "not distributed by class or income". Throughout the film, there are countless suggestions and allusions to this one idea; the world of fashion is becoming increasingly more accessible and democratic.

The release of Vogue’s new series coincides with an array of fashion moments that are thought to signal its growing inclusiveness. Last month, renowned fashion houses Chanel and Louis Vuitton brought free exhibitions to London. Mademoiselle Privé (Saatchi Gallery) and Louis Vuitton Series 3 (108 Strand) offered thousands an insight into the aesthetic vision of Karl Lagerfeld and Nicholas Ghesquiere and a close look at their luxurious garments at no cost. Whether this should be understood as a clever marketing tool or a genuinely progressive move is up for discussion but it is difficult to ignore the importance of attracting such large numbers of the public. In a similar vein, Givenchy’s September fashion show, directed in collaboration with performance artist Marina Abramovic, invited over 1,000 members of the general public. This was a welcome departure to the standard event set-up that includes only industry experts and celebrities. Burberry decided to share its October campaign (shot by Mario Testino) on Snapchat, also enlarging its audience enormously.

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Are these events significant enough, however, to justify the huge media attention they have received? They are, after all, a small number of exceptions to a general rule of exclusivity. Perhaps Alexa Chung’s hopes for a "revolution in fashion" are too optimistic.

However, we should consider the importance of Vogue’s new documentary itself as a new way of experiencing and thinking about fashion. It was released on YouTube, in a series of small episodes such as ‘How To Break Into The Fashion Industry’ and ‘How Social Change Can Help the Fashion Industry Progress’. Vogue’s use of social media to invite discussion about these issues to a massive online audience reflects what can be classed as a genuine change in the world of fashion. It is indicative of the acknowledgement that in a digital age, the hierarchy of a top-down industry has become much less viable. Instagram, Twitter and YouTube provide a platform to not only comment on but more importantly, start new trends.

Almost every fashion house is now on Instagram, despite initial hesitation that it wasn’t ‘luxury’ enough, as Olivier Rousteing (Balmain) reminded us. This month’s Glamour sees Tanya Burr, a beauty vlogger who made her name on YouTube, take centre stage on the cover. Social media provides thousands with the tools to self-publish and thus participate in this world. People can create their own aesthetic and their own brand narrative with an Instagram account. The very presence of a documentary like The Future of Fashion released via a medium like YouTube proves that there has, in fact, been a monumental change in the structure and tapestry of the industry. The people who dictate what is and what is not ‘fashionable’ is no longer restricted to a small group of experts sitting at a meeting at Vogue, Tatler or Harper’s Bazaar. Those ideas and concepts now come from a much broader group of people and their iPhones.

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