How much influence does StyleForum (and to an extent, Superfuture) have on fashion?

[HATORI HANZO]

Originally Posted by chronoaug

I mean, there are some vendors who get a lot of business from the forums such as denimbar, context and peasant. I'm sure it affects their buys and stuff considering they know they can sell out of wings&horns and EG stuff before it even reaches their store, but i don't really see it affecting the actual designers themselves.

Most foot traffic for DB in Bethesda is for 7fam, true religion and rock republic. The average person in MD thinks if it ain't bootcut it ain't stylish. Cannot speak on the VA location as I have not been there before.

 

[Avyer]

Originally Posted by HATORI HANZO

Most foot traffic for DB in Bethesda is for 7fam, true religion and rock republic. The average person in MD thinks if it ain't bootcut it ain't stylish. Cannot speak on the VA location as I have not been there before.

I went into BD@Beth specifically for A.P.C. and KMW. And the few other people there were looking for the same sort.

 

[ctrlaltelite]

Originally Posted by HATORI HANZO

Most foot traffic for DB in Bethesda is for 7fam, true religion and rock republic. The average person in MD thinks if it ain't bootcut it ain't stylish. Cannot speak on the VA location as I have not been there before.

so true. well, in general the kind of clientele that rents out DB for shopping parties (nationals baseball players and their wives, et. al.) are very into expensive bootcut jeans, but the bethesda store definitely has more selection than va most of the time since the online business is run out of that location. plus it's awesome to walk into the bethesda store and see racks and racks of jeans, and that cool library-style stepladder that the staff uses.

don't get me wrong, i love the virginia store, the staff is awesome, knows their ****, and some can even hold their own on an xbox 360 (which i haven't seen hooked up for a while now!), all in all it's a fun place to have a brew and buy a quality pair of denim. as far as how much influence the forums have on their business, well i think the fact that 5EP made a style forum collaboration jean speaks for itself.

 

[kakemono]

I think we may try to take credit b/c we are usually very quick to pick up on trends... compared to the general public though.

 

[Ace Rimmer]

Originally Posted by ctrlaltelite

don't get me wrong, i love the virginia store, the staff is awesome, knows their ****, and some can even hold their own on an xbox 360 (which i haven't seen hooked up for a while now!), all in all it's a fun place to have a brew and buy a quality pair of denim. as far as how much influence the forums have on their business, well i think the fact that 5EP made a style forum collaboration jean speaks for itself.

What, you can buy drinks at the Arlington store??? Was down there to buy a pair of APC Rescues this past weekend and didn't realize that you could! Oh well, maybe next time.

 

[landho]

Originally Posted by Get Smart

Designers/brands determine how *we* dress/shop, not so much the other way around.

True dat.

 

[jkennett]

Originally Posted by Ace Rimmer

What, you can buy drinks at the Arlington store??? Was down there to buy a pair of APC Rescues this past weekend and didn't realize that you could! Oh well, maybe next time.
Naw.... Beer is free for when you're browsing around at their merch.

 

[lawyerdad]

Originally Posted by Get Smart

Designers/brands determine how *we* dress/shop, not so much the other way around.

Speak for yourself. Their spies follow me everywhere.

 

[BrettChaotix]

Originally Posted by denimdestroyedmylife

^^ Yeah, I don't think there would be US retailers in Japanese denim without the Sufu/SF boards. And I don't think Jay-Z and Lebron James would be wearing Samurai or Warehouse without BiG. And I don't think those folks that emulate those rappers would be seeking out those jeans.

So I think these boards do influence street fashion or fashion as practiced in the streets. And those designers that take cues from what The People are wearing may reflect that in their designs somewhere down the line, but the influence from sufu/sf will have been diluted quite a lot by this point, and the board-people will largely have moved on.

I think this is well said... these forums keep their eyes on the "cutting edge" even if the "cutting edge" isn't always accepted by the members. I think that they've gotten to the point where at least the smaller designers are acknowledging them and their consistently growing member base, and are using them for at least one of their many sources of influence.

It's a testament to the times I suppose, that these forums are so young (relatively speaking) and they already have made at least that minor, growing, influence in SW&D. I bet that the companies that were around in the pre-internet world could never have imagined the amount of feedback, criticism and information they get nowadays.

 

[Kane]

Consider the timeframe of any particular season of clothing. For example, Fall 07 hits the stores in late summer 07, and was showed to buyers (ie retailers) around when Spring 07 was made available to you.

Development in order to meet the Spring 07 showing would have to begin in Fall 06.

So places like forums really do not so much influence as much as provide feedback. These forums are a good marketing reporting tool more than anything.

Long-term trends can be easily seen with feedback and response, and you guys indicate deaths of trends to a degree. So maybe not influence, but confirm.

 

[blank]

I'm happy with the responses in this thread.

I think the question should have been, "how much influence do SF and SuFu have on clothing labels profits?"

Kane, you're in a unique position to answer. Without the fora, where do you think W+H would be?

 

[iamaloser]

"Styleforum.net is fashion"- Hedi Slimane, 2006

 

[LA Guy]

Originally Posted by blank

I'm happy with the responses in this thread.

I think the question should have been, "how much influence do SF and SuFu have on clothing labels profits?"

Kane, you're in a unique position to answer. Without the fora, where do you think W+H would be?

Well, seeing that the majority of Wings+Horns is sold in Japan, and there are not that many Japanese readers here, and also given that a between a miniscule fraction of shoppers at highend boutiques are also readers of these fora, I would say, natch. On the other hand, I know that the sale of specific brands in specific stores (like Engineered Garments at Drinkwaters and Wings+Horns at Peasant) to forumites, is non-trivial.

 

[TheRealAshland]

I know of 1 young lad that refers to this and that other forum as "exclusive fashion forums" and after a few short weeks or maybe 1 long month of reading these forums asking questions and what not he started referring to himself as a "fashion god" ....

which i dont get considering this kid still doesnt know squat but hey to each his own.......

lol in other words this forum is a little to influencial on young niave stupid little mind

 

[chronoaug]

I think J said it best in the article posted above. A lot of the people on the fora (myself included) are more passionate than knowledgable.