Pinned Into Fashion: following clothing trends on Pinterest.

Now more than ever, fashion trends are being spread via the internet and not just at shopping centres.  Social media sites like Pinterest help users to tune into trends visually, which makes it an ideal way for young fashion designers to showcase their designs.  Young fashionistas today are looking for unique pieces that fill a niche, and Pinterest helps them to find new clothing trends before they ever make an appearance in storefronts and clothing boutiques.  Today, staying “pinned into fashion” only takes a Pinterest account and a few clicks to follow hip new designers as they post their creations.

Pinterest – pinned into fashion

The Origins of Pinterest
Pinterest made its debut onto the international scene in March of 2010, and for the past three years, the social media platform has really exploded in terms of outreach.  Within one year, the users of Pinterest had grown by over 4000% – a kind of increase that demonstrates the high capacity of the program that has continued to develop over time.  Users are able to post images related to particular concepts – colours, designs, shapes, themes, and other visual elements – which makes it quite easy for viewers to scan themed boards looking for an image that suits their needs.  Much like Tumblr, users can “reblog” images that they like by pinning them to particular Pinterest boards, which helps very interesting or fashionable pieces go viral among users.

Pinterest itself is fashioned after the storyboards that are used in the editorial offices of fashion and style magazines, and allows users to like, re-post, and comment on the images that they see.  The platform can boost buzz about new products, especially if users interact with the images by leaving comments and critiques.

High Level of Exposure at No Cost
The best thing about this platform, like many other social media platforms, is that it connects users without any membership fee or cost to share ideas or images.  Pinterest synchronizes between Facebook, Twitter, Tumblr, and other social media platforms so that one post from a young designer can be shared widely throughout the internet without much effort.  Since images on the website are disseminated widely among users, images of cool clothing designs and fashion accessories can gain attention on an international level without any paid advertisement or text-based copy.  In this way, clear branding can be established without a complex marketing scheme, and compelling fashion designs shared on the platform can become incredibly popular within a matter of days.

Fashion bloggers keep their fingers on the pulse of style, together with magazines and fashion brands, by promoting the content of their fans and sharing what happens behind-the-scenes in the fashion world.  Pinterest fans are able to gain ideas and inspiration from the images shared on the platform, which can be very practical recommendations for upcoming seasons and planning for big fashion events.

Visually-Based Platform Delivers Results
Unlike primarily text-based platforms like Twitter and Facebook, Pinterest is a platform that focuses on images and shareable pictures.  This design is perfect for young designers:  the focus on the design eliminates the pressure to find funding that is wasted on branding measures.  Copy writing about a product detracts from the main focus of a piece of clothing, which often is distracting on fashion websites and online boutiques.  Furthermore, unique clothing design boutiques, especially shops that are based online like Purple Oval, are able to use Pinterest to follow great trends and share great new concepts and designs with their clients.

Though it is now one of the new social media platforms, Pinterest has certainly stood out in the past months for bringing great fashion ideas to users.  Setting up your own account can help you share your favourite fashion designs, and stay in touch with your favourite designers and trends.

Pinned Into Fashion: following clothing trends on Pinterest  – This post is by Samantha Priest, a part time blogger and a full time fashion addict! ; Samantha has been involved fashion almost all her life, with Samantha’s experience ranging from helping local grass roots fashion designers to consulting with napapijri. Kate gets involved whenever and wherever she can in fashion.