The Three Major Effects Of Social Media On The Emergence Of The African Fashion Industry

Social media platforms have expanded through the years. The current active social media platforms include Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, Pinterest, Tumblr, Snapchat, and even Google+. Social media has the influences the fashion industry immensely, especially the African fashion industry. With the aid of effects such as likes, followers, and sharing, brands are slowly starting to exploit the power of social media for their economic benefit. The African fashion industry has been misrepresented and now through social media, the African fashion industry is striving to redeem itself. The following are some of the ways by which social media influences the African fashion industry. Three Major Influencing Aspects of Social Media to African Fashion

1. It acts as a growth channel- Through features such as followers, sharing posts, and liking posts, African fashion has garnered up a local and international fan base. Social media platforms have highlighted the genuine characteristics of African fashion that bring about its beauty. Social media platforms such as Facebook and Instagram have a live video feature that allows users to capture events and shows as they happen. This helps potential customers view catwalks in real time and access the garments through various

2. It acts as a personalized avenue that supports interactions between designers and their consumers- Consumers can now review and provide some insight on what they prefer by directly communicating with designers from these social media platforms. Most of these social media platforms have avenues that allow the users to communicate privately on a one-on-one basis. This helps African fashion designers to incorporate new design requests and get feedback on their products from their target consumers. In addition to this, the interaction happens in real time, which allows the designer to act immediately rather than later.

3. It eases out the selection process for models- The modeling industry is connected strongly to the fashion industry. Nowadays, fashion designers look for more than just a good portfolio and referrals. The social media platform of the model is used to single out the models that will help the designer showcase their work. Social media is slowly reshaping the fashion industry. African fashion designing brands are slowly beginning to realize the economic power of a strong social media presence. Models with a strong social media presence are more prone to secure jobs than those who do not have. This is because when they were the products of the designer, they are bound to reach a greater following in comparison to the other models. Models with this quality are more prone to access and secure African fashion design campaigns.