does social media determine fashion trends?

(image via Pinterest) 

Last Friday, Business of Fashion posted an article entitled, "Do Fashion Trends Still Exist." The article provided a host of information about how trends were once decided and quotes from fashion influencers about how social media has since changed the fashion game.

Does social media determine fashion trends? In my opinion, absolutely! As a fashion marketer, its undeniable to see how much of an affect sites like Instagram and Pinterest have on the fashion industry. All it takes is one picture for a look/trend to go viral. Case and point the "I woke up like this" tees, crop tops and pencil skirts and who could forget the Valentino rockstud heels (sidebar, these are an amazing dupe for the girl on a budget!)

“Social media has absolutely, totally changed the trends landscape,” said Ruth Chapple, head of content at Stylus Fashion. “It’s making some trends stick, while long ago we would have been over them more quickly. The Valentino rock stud, which everyone expected to be a one-season wonder, has been going strong for eight seasons,” she said. “The death of the stud was forecast long ago, but that was very much a social media trend, where the bloggers made that trend stick.” On the other hand, digital media can quickly overexpose a trend, and kill its ‘edge’".

Click here to read the full article.