The End of Fashion: how marketing changed the clothing business forever vs. how the Internet and Lady Gaga saved Haute Couture

Recently I’ve read Teri Agins’s book titled The End of Fashion: how marketing changed the clothing business forever.

The End of Fashion PROS

I’ve found this book interesting because it recalls fashion history and shows it in the light of marketing. In the world according to Agins marketing changed fashion industry forever. It killed Haute Couture and so called high fashion. Good examples  recalled by her are Ralph Lauren and Tommy Highfiger who destroyed it by giving consumers a classy look and by using similar designs through the years. Also, she writes about Giorgio Armani – fashion marketing master – who was the first designer  who was massively coworking with actors and actresses. She also tells us about retailers careers, especially in NYC, Chicago and Paris.

The End of Fashion CONS

Author could have used more readable language to make book more entertaining. There were moments when I was literally dying.. or at least fall asleep Thing which I also didn’t like about this book – author should continue her research on fashion and write at least one more chapter about the Internet’s influence on this industry.

Haute Couture’s making a comeback

Everything is online now, and information spreads so fast, that celebrities have to be more original. They have to be noticed as a needle in a haystack. One of the ways to achieve it is wearing more original clothes – Haute Couture which supposed to be undeniably unique.

In my opinion, nowadays, Haute Couture is making its renaissance. Celebrities like Lady Gaga are roping their fans in by using social media. Lady Gaga is extremely interesting artist from the marketing  point of view. Originality and shock are her key ingredients in the recipe for success.  She’s a great performer and a marketing product as well (and she has one of the most popular pages on Facebook) . She sells herself and her image and it is her way to show off with her music. She also sells some kind of dream. Three years ago – she popularized Alexander McQueen’s weird lobster-like shoe. Lately, she wears a lot of Versace pieces. She does crazy clips. And what her fans do? They copy her!

The same story goes with Aguilera, Rihanna and Beyonce. They wear a lot of ready to wear apparel (mixing it with mass 10$ H&M clothes, like Rihanna does) but they also wear a lot of Haute Couture during their performances. Today music cooperates with fashion even more, than 10-15 years ago (yeah, I still remember that times). And fashion is more democratized than it was 10-15 years ago. Stars have to give a very strong message to be noticed.

Sources: Google result for “Lady Gaga fans” and Facebook’s most popular pages

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