From Anna Sui to Zimmerman, designers and enthusiasts alike gathered in the Big Apple for http://cdn.blog-sap.com/innovation/files/2014/09/fashion-week.jpgwhat is arguably the most iconic event in the business -
Mercedes-Benz New York Fashion Week. It is here where creative genius is displayed and the world will once again fall in love with trending fashions.
When Nicholas K started the week early morning at the Pavilion stage, the industry was abuzz. Which designer or trend will come out on top for
the season?
For when it comes to fashion, we all know that one day you’re in, and the next you could be out.
Social media has transformed how fashion is received and reciprocated globally. Fashion Week shows were once limited to fashion’s elite guest list. However, social media gives the world an inside-look onto the runway, of the audience, and even back stage. The popular opinion takes precedence instantly, making the stakes high for designers, models, and retailers alike – can they keep the pulse of fashion in real-time? SAP knows how quickly style trends can change. We’ve analyzed the social conversations throughout the week to give you
the runway rundown.
Insider vs. influencer picks
Traditionally, fashion experts set forth the trends for the rest to follow. However, now we are seeing an exciting interplay between what the critics pick
and what the consumers favor. SAP’s analysis of the social buzz surrounding designers didn’t always agree with fashion insiders’ top picks.
Fashion insiders focused their attention on many of the ready-to-wear collections from designers that week, like the classics expected from Ralph
Lauren, who juxtaposed neutral and bright hues against a spectacular 4-D illustration of the Polo brand in Central Park, while social media
conversation centered more on the high-end collections from designers, like Alexander Wang, whose display of sports-inspired designs made way for high-end sneakers to hit the runway. Let’s not forget to mention his socially powerful front row, boasting celebs like Rihanna, Nicki Minaj, and later that evening there was the much-tweeted appearance of a scantily clad Miley Cyrus at his secret after party.
Based on SAP’s analysis, celebrity influence carries quite a bit of weight on brand driven chatter. With celebrities driving the chatter surrounding Calvin Klein, Michael Kors, and Kate Spade – brands can clearly be affected by the celebrity company it keeps. Retailers should keep an eye on the brands that celebrities are wearing to better anticipate how consumers will want to snag these looks for themselves.
Movers and mentions
The collections and celebrities alike gave everyone something to talk about. However, not all mentions resulted in higher sentiment for designers. SAP’s
analysts found that some of the most talked about designers were Alexander Wang, Marc Jacobs, Victoria Beckham, and Ralph Lauren. Although Wang and Kors had people not only talking but expressing favorable interest in their designs, Diane von Furstenberg’s fashions were favored the most online. Other most favored designers included Oscar de la Renta and DKNY.
SAP has suggested that mentions have no direct correlation to sentiment (wesee this with the most mentioned designers, whom may not always be the most
favored). The same applied for color palettes –black and white designs had the most mentions (27,535), however purple (2,477) and nudes (8,831) had the highest percentage of sentiment at 93% and 94% respectively. Black and white only reported a sentiment rate of 69%.
Throughout the week we analyzed social conversations. From day one of Fashion Week, sentiment was 99% at the day’s opening. On Saturday following Luis Antonio’s show, mentions peaked for the day at 10, 014. Unfortunately, sentiment dropped from 91-15% following Miss Cyrus’ exposé. On Thursday mentions peaked to their highest for the entire week at 21,500 perhaps due to Pamella Roland’s “live stories” offered on Snapchat during her show. Expectations were also high during Ralph Lauren’s show with sentiment up to 94% at the show’s start.
The analysis conducted by SAP allowed for brands to understand the meaning behind their social buzz in order to provide the products that will increase
customer loyalty, market share, and, ultimately, share of wallet.
Who and what will you be wearing?
Regardless of whomever wore it better, social analysis provided by SAP gives brands and retailers the full picture of what’s hot – and what’s not- when it
comes to fashion. When shoppers will be running to designer racks next spring, retailers will know how to not only stock their inventory effectively but also
provide customer experiences that meet the expectations of their changing tastes. We have learned that the styles that struck a pose on the runways may
not necessarily resonate with consumers.
Learn more about our social media insights from Milan, London, and Paris on our Fashion Week infographic landing page.