How Fashion’s Wild West Was Won (and Lost) Online

"There’s never been a better time to be a fashionista."

So began an April 2015 article detailing the rise of fashion content on the web. The past half-decade or so has witnessed a litany of similar declarations. To hear headlines from the past few years tell it, fashion blogs are the greatest thing ever to happen to fashion marketing—and to the bloggers themselves.

But the financial successes of the fashion blogosphere have also come at a cost. Today’s market for street fashion blogging is paved with a unique set of obstacles—some of which call into question the very nature of this once-beloved internet niche.

The meteoric rise and financial windfalls of fashion bloggers can be attributed to the fact that theydemocratized an industry that was formerly (and notoriously) exclusive. They identified new trends, shared unique ideas, and made a variety of street fashions accessible and popular. And they did it all with an immediacy not afforded to glossy magazines, which are traditionally bound to a monthly publishing calendar and an editorial strategy tied closely to brand sponsorships. Where fashion bloggers were once viewed as outside agitators, they’ve now become a deeply embedded facet of the fashion industry.

But with every rise comes a fall, and brands have caught up to the game. J. Crew can produce a blog just as quickly as Jane Doe can set up a WordPress account. Social media has allowed companies to develop a distinct voice with the same tools as individuals, and these platforms have arguably replaced blogs as the primary venue for discovery.

Consequently, today’s headlines are more conflicted. Whither the state of fashion bloggers? Is there still money to be made? And whose voice and opinions are readers really getting when so much of today’s content is brand-sponsored?

The answer to it all is a frustrating "it depends."

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Opportunities Still Abound

Today’s most successful street fashion bloggers don’t just write blog entries. They build and maintain lifestyle brands across an array of audience touchpoints, from Instagram and YouTube to fashion shows and even (in some cases) their own clothing lines. The most business-savvy bloggers—such as Chiara Ferragni of the Blonde Salad or Danielle Bernstein of We Wore What—are business moguls running small fashion empires; some of them even employ their own manager, agent, and/or assistant. This refined manner of conducting business stands in sharp contrast to the gritty, personal approach of the web’s original street fashionistas.

Social media is a huge component of their success; they’re often the first point of contact with potential new followers. A popular social media presence significantly increases a blogger’s options for monetization. (For example, a single sponsored post on Instagram can run for as much as $15,000, while tools such as LikeToKnow.It make Instagram posts shoppable.) And comment sections on blogs have steadily dried up asfollowers take their conversations straight to the social media platforms, no extra clicks required.

Still, blogs continue to provide a critical space for fashionistas to develop their brands.

Blogs allow their owners to build an email list, share more detailed insights, and control—and retain ownership of—their content in a way that isn’t guaranteed on any third-party platform. They also provide monetization opportunities in the form of banner ads, native advertising, affiliate links, brand placements, and other brand partnerships, which can rake in as much as $50,000 for one project (such as modeling or styling a photo shoot).

While there’s money to be had in fashion blogging, it doesn’t come easily. Fashion blogs comprise the largest sector of the blogosphere, meaning competition is fierce. And brands who partner with bloggers are increasingly demanding hard evidence of ROI—we spend X dollars, we expect X+ return. To reach financial stability as a fashion blogger, you must hone serious chops in the realms of social media, SEO, and so on. You must cultivate a consistent brand image both online and off. And, to a lesser or greater extent, you must be willing to work with brands—thereby accepting the questionable nature of corporate influence

And Here’s The Catch

If you’re unwilling to hop into bed with big-name brands, then it’s going to be a lot tougher to make a living as a fashion blogger. And even a hearty acceptance of sponsored posts and native advertising may not be enough to keep street fashion bloggers afloat.

The opportunities bloggers do get to cash in comes at a cost: Followers are starting to catch on. Trust in bloggers is dwindling. Readers are becoming attuned to the ways in which the relative "purity" of the original street fashion blogosphere has been supplanted by "a giant online marketing mechanism."

Brand infiltration has become such a contentious issue in the fashion blogosphere that the Federal Trade Commission stepped in to require bloggers to disclose when they’ve been gifted free apparel or accessories. Accusations of fake (i.e. paid for) followings on social media have also tainted the collective reputation of bloggers in fashion and beyond.

The mainstream fashion blogosphere now functions like the glossies it once outpaced: Instead of providing a perspective independent from editorial and advertising influence, bloggers are now accused of parroting the party line. Instead of starting new trends or displaying truly personal style, too many bloggers have consented to following the big brands’ lead. While this approach has provided income streams for the past several years, it’s unclear how long this system can be sustained.

To Thine Own Self Be True

So what’s the antidote to market saturation and increasingly skeptical followers?

The answer lies in a return to fashion blogging’s roots. Cultivate your distinct voice. Provide a perspective that lies outside the circle of brand influence. Be creative. Be original. Be engaging. Think a little less about how to make money right now, and more about how to build a brand that will resonate with readers for a lifetime. (This advice may not resonate with bloggers desperate to put food on the table—but blogging may be the wrong line of work for those in need of quick or consistent paychecks.)

The fashion public thirsts for an original approach to blogging—and street fashion blogging 2.0 has yet to deliver. While monetizing your personal taste requires patience, developing an honest and lasting relationship with readers (even on a small scale) can pay off.

For some bloggers, "success" may be defined by having a million followers and a $50,000 contract with H&M. There’s still a market for that (though it’s shrinking by the day).

There’s also a market for something new. Intrepid fashionistas have to—and will—define what that is.

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