It should come as no surprise that celebrities influence our choices for clothing, jewelry, and accessories. But I’m not sure everyone has realized how far the cult of personality has come when it comes to starting trends and fads. In fact, the world’s traditional fashion hubs, New York and Paris, have lost prominence over the past decade simply due to celebrity endorsements of their favorite personal products.
A powerful example of this social trend is Japanese television personality Rinka, who enjoys global influence in women’s fashion simply by sharing her passions. By exploring how Rinka uses modern media, she can see how anyone can take advantage of her favorite ideas, brands, and social causes simply by supporting what she believes in. This is the power of authenticity in fashion!
Rinka’s story
Rinka is a Japanese celebrity, most famous for her pop single “Millions of Kisses”. Although she started in show business as a model, it is her bold personality that has made her a popular TV celebrity in Japan. Most recently, she was featured on the cover of Sweet magazine.
Rinka often reviews her favorite looks on TV, but that’s not how she’s influenced the looks of women around the world. No, she owes it to her blog.
Wait, a celebrity with a blog?
It’s unheard of in the United States, where even MySpace pages are updated by employees, not the celebrities themselves. But Rinka’s personal blog gave her the opportunity to delve into her favorite fashion styles and trends, taking snapshots of herself before going out in public.
Rinka’s personal style is unpredictable: sometimes she promotes her favorite women’s hoodie, and other days she posts an entire exposé on her favorite luxury bathrobes. This “inside view” of a celebrity’s life made Rinka fans for life, and that’s why anything Rinka talks about immediately causes a stir around the world.
Internet and fashion trends
Rinka’s story is a “canary in the coal mine” for the fashion industry. Thanks to modern media such as social networking sites and personal vlogs, anyone who is passionate about a topic can share their personal experience. We’ve seen it with videos like “the kid from Star Wars” which has resulted in a cult of personality that no one could have predicted!
However, when semi-public figures or rising TV personalities also use these grassroots media platforms, they have an unprecedented ability to sway public opinion in such a way that no one is the “authority” on what’s hot, what is important or what is sexy. The trend here is towards transparency in personal recommendations, not just for celebrities but also for online shoppers in general.
I wonder, for example, what would happen if Angelina Jolie started her own blog that focused on her vision of the future… I guess her most recent fight with Brad would be less talked about.
The future of women’s fashion is diversity
Of course, fashion trends can never be predicted with 100% accuracy, but clearly the traditional power structures in women’s fashion are losing ground in the face of the wave of personal choice promoted by 21st century media, such as blogs, social networks and personal promotions. This is great news for women around the world and also for the fashion industry in general, because diversity is healthy for all of us.
It’s also sexy.