Is the era of selfie-centred fashion blogging coming to an end?
The fashion blogging scene is changing globally and Hong Kong's selfie-centred, freebie-obsessed proponents would do well to take note, writes Abid Rahman
Dressed to impress and armed with cellphones to keep their legions of social media followers happy, fashion bloggers are easy to spot at parties, runway shows and boutique openings in the city. Bloggers have demystified and democratised the once veiled world of high fashion and their number, and that of their followers, has rapidly proliferated.
The low barriers to entry and allure of free products and parties mean the fashion blogging scene in Hong Kong is booming. But as with the global phenomenon, what started as individuals' original comments on style have increasingly moved towards an economy of paid-for social media content. Bloggers' posts about fashion items and attendance at events are commonly paid for either in products or cash.
The free stuff is a bad cycle. There are less obvious ways to make money
Lately, however, the brands they promote, the agencies they work with, the public and even some of the bloggers themselves have begun to wonder if fashion blogging has become too repetitive and commercial.
The most vocal criticism is coming from the big fashion capitals but it's starting to be heard in Hong Kong, even as the local blogging scene becomes increasingly crowded.
"It's become a cool thing to be a blogger," says Davena Mok, founder of A-VIBE, a boutique fashion PR and marketing agency, alluding to the growing number and influence of Hong Kong-based fashion bloggers.
"Veronica Li, the girl behind Vnikali, is a good example of someone who has come up really fast and is doing a lot of campaigns now," says Mok, running through an exhaustive but incomplete list of bloggers. Seventeen-year-old Zoe Suen's Fashiononymous blog has seemingly come from nowhere to be one of the most popular in the city with more than 70,000 followers on Instagram.