The Influence of Instagram on the Irish Fashion Industry.

Abstract

Fashion and social media play a major role in society. Fashion houses and designers have existed since the 19th century, with trends, patterns and models changing every day. The first social media platform was created in 1997, followed by the first blog in 1999. Since the beginning of 2000, the digital age began to expand. Platforms such as MySpace, Twitter, Snapchat, Facebook and Instagram are becoming an everyday norm in society. In the present day, both social media and the fashion industry are worldwide recognised platforms. Fashion and social media have now become intertwined, with social media shaping a huge impact on the fashion industry in terms of sales, marketing, P.R, blogging and retail. Throughout this study, the researcher will investigate the influence social media has on the fashion industry. As both are recognised platforms, the study will focus on the social media platform of Instagram created by Kevin Systrom and Mike Kreiger in 2010 and the Irish fashion industry in the present day. In order to identify the influence Instagram has on the fashion industry, the three themes of retail, blogging and P.R which shape the industry will be explored using the methods; interviews, a questionnaire and a content analysis of two Irish fashion magazines. Since the industry in Ireland is expanding every year with fashion bloggers, stylists, P.R’s and influencers, it was found throughout the study that social media plays a huge role in terms of sales growth, recognition, fame and wealth. Within this dissertation, the findings of the research on how Instagram is influencing the Irish fashion industry will be articulated.