The fashion influencers are ringing the death knell for fashion journalists in India

“Journalism is dead!” exclaims one of the minor characters on the hit Netflix TV show ‘Inventing Anna’. Though the statement is made by an entitled American heiress, most Zoomers from Gen-Z will echo this sweeping generalisation. As a millennial multi-hyphenate (lawyer-blogger-content creator-independent lifestyle journalist), however, my outlook has never been so bleak. That is, until I attended the recent FDCI x Lakme Fashion Week 2022 , which was held at New Delhi’s Dhyanchand National Stadium in its first physical iteration in two years. Having entered the field of journalism post-pandemic, my reportage of on-ground events has been minimal, and I jumped at the chance to attend Fashion Week. I was grateful for the opportunity but wasn’t quite aware of what to expect as a member of the media fraternity. On the first day, I strutted into the venue five minutes before time - requisite media accreditation and a buoyant step in tow. It took 45 minutes for the runway doors to open, and another 30 for the show to begin. Yet, highly entertained by the array of colourfully dressed social media influencers present, I never felt impatient. These beautiful and exotic creatures across ages, sizes, and genders, were kitted to the nines and exuded a sense of confidence that comes only with being aware of one’s own power. In part, this power came from relegating us journalists / mere mortals to second tier.

At this point, it’s pertinent to mention that I too create content for Instagram, and my humble ‘following’ of around 17,000 qualifies me to be a ‘micro-influencer’. Though I dislike its terminology, I don’t look upon this medium derisively. Just as with any other creative pursuit – writing for example – creating content for social media is a valid and appropriate way to channel one’s passion into a lucrative profession. To my mind, however, my work as a journalist carries more weight than being a content creator, so I never attempted to pull the ‘influencer’ card while I was at Fashion Week , even though all and sundry were doing so. From day one, it was clear to the few journalists present that they were not as important as the truckload of social media influencers, both from the perspective of the Fashion Design Council of India and its invitees. Not only were we seated in the second row with obstructed views, we also had to scramble for allotment of passes to the more popular shows that promised Bollywood starlet showstoppers, despite having media accreditation which should have provided access wherever we needed to go. Journalists had to jump many hoops to obtain ‘passes’ – chits of glossy paper safely ensconced in the bum bag of one sweet yet harrowed PR executive, who shall remain unnamed. Imagine the logistical nightmare of this situation - Mr. PR was responsible for ‘handing out’ these passes before every show. He had to be pinned down in the waiting period between shows, and these precious pieces of paper had to be inveigled from him, only to be promptly torn by the guards at the gate to prevent ‘wannabe influencers’ from trying to sneak in. Even when everything was in order, we had to grapple with industrious third-row seaters who felt deserving of better seating due to their decent ‘follower count’ and freebie designer togs - as was the case when a rather large third-row ‘blogger’ plonked herself on top of me, in the guise of ‘squeezing in’ Though the situation sounds humorous now, it was nerve-wracking for those involved, especially junior members of the industry, or those that wrote for lesser-known publications. Despite having travelled from different parts of the country to attend Fashion Week, some were denied entry to important shows because in the words of Mr. PR, “The Media was only allotted 12 seats for this show.” Some of these indignant folk made their views known in circles where it mattered. About three days into Fashion Week, senior independent fashion journalist and moderator Sujata Assomull, echoed the feelings of the journalist community by sharing our collective woes on her Instagram handle. Though she wasn’t at the event, she made her feelings known when she said, “… The eco system has changed and today influencers are stakeholders in the event. Fashion always celebrates the new and is happy to welcome new players. But it seems to me that this event has decided that fashion has no time for the people who helped build the foundations of the event. As I speak to the few journalists there, they don’t have much positive to say about the week. Many senior journalists have decided not to attend. There is such a focus on the influencer and getting social media traction, journalists feel invisible and also that the event lacks real content. However, at a trade event, which is what fashion week is meant to be, a journalist is the one who documents, chronicles, and gives context. As the first post-pandemic physical fashion week, this needs to be looked at through a cultural and commercial lens – and that is the role of a fashion journalist. If a fashion week cannot understand and respect this role, then what does that say about the future of fashion journalism in India?” I cannot predict the future but I can analyse how we got here. This change has not come on suddenly. With influencers dictating trends across the board, the habit of reading on a steady decline, and the attention span of people reduced to a level of 15 seconds per content viewed; traditional media is progressively being overshadowed. Does this mean it is obsolete? I don’t believe so. For millennia, humanity has survived on its ability to adapt and change, and traditional media must do the same by embracing its younger sibling. There is no denying that social media has an increasingly wider reach and is way more glossy and appealing than its age-old counterpart. Case in point - even Assomull took to Instagram to make her point instead of writing it for a publication. Since the medium was social, people were able to re-share her story quicker than would have been possible through traditional media. On the flip side, it is unlikely that the fashion industry can survive solely on the back of social media. As a transient medium whose fortunes change at the drop of a hat, it is imprudent to rely on it as a means of enticing people to spend their money on expensive couture. Further, the present crop of social media stars largely consists of young students - a segment that traditionally couldn’t afford to buy high fashion. In fact, a deeply ingrained sense of entitlement has led this generation to believe there is no need to buy clothes at all. Shoving their 100k followers in the face of fashion designers, is supposedly enough to have these labels topple over each other to dress divas in exchange for being ‘spotted’ on their Instagram feeds. If everyone expects to be dressed for free, who buys the clothes? And if no one buys the clothes, who pays the salaries of the workers?! This system isn’t economically viable in the long run. To conclude, I believe the fashion industry’s powers-that-be must accord equal importance to both players going forward - the influencers who display the clothes for a fleeting moment to millions of people, as well as journalists who preserve the idea of these clothes through their words and pictures for posterity. That is the only way for fashion journalism, nay the fashion industry itself, to survive. Noor Anand Chawla pens lifestyle articles for various publications and her blog www.nooranandchawla.com. Read all the  Latest News ,  Trending News ,  Cricket News ,  Bollywood News ,  India News  and  Entertainment News  here. Follow us on  Facebook,  Twitter and  Instagram.