Is it time to stop fighting against millennials in fashion?

Source: Models.com

They’ve been dubbed as ‘instamodels’, ‘family feeders’ and, perhaps most strongly, ‘undeserving’. The models dominating our magazine covers and billboards all share one big attribute: Instagram. They have been attacked in recent years for their ways of attaining fame but is it time to accept this as a shift in the ever changing media industry?

Nearly every development in Kendall Jenner’s modelling career has been welcomed with backlash and controversy, accusing her of “nepotism at its finest” and simply “being famous for being famous”, but perhaps, along with Gigi and Bella Hadid, she happened to be in the right place at the right time. At a time where social media, particularly Instagram, has been adopted as the ultimate tool for marketing, it can be hard to ignore just how influential those ‘insta famous’ accounts are. Modelling agencies are moving on from the traditional scouting in the streets technique and are instead scrolling the ‘gram for potential new faces. It’s clear that in this day and age your number of followers are more important than how well you photograph but this doesn’t have to be all bad.

The digital age has allowed us to step away from traditional standards, especially when it comes to the fashion world. Models are no longer restricted to their accounts and are now stepping out onto real runways. I for one believe this is just another way in which technology is adapting parts of our society. Though it can be implied that this change means many models are ‘getting it easy’, surely it can be argued that fashion is all about change. Runways have never stayed the same. Trends have never stayed the same. So why should our models be restricted to the same criteria?

Something that comes to mind when discussing nepotism and Hollywood families is the ‘Dolce and Gabbana Fall/Winter 2017-18 Show’. It immediately received criticisms for its star studded line up with singers, bloggers and a string of second generation celebrities including: Sofia Richie, Madison Beer and Dylan Lee. D&G, however, made sure it was obvious that their theme focused on the idea of famous millennials and family by casting Steve Harvey’s son and daughter-in-law as well as their own two children.

But what people don’t realise is that D&G got what they wanted, they got everyone talking about their show. The more criticism they received, the more recognition came with it. Plus, the show was centred around family and truly represented uniqueness in both its style and model choice. Take Starlie Smith for example, she is not a usual face in the fashion industry and its obvious that her sibling relations to model phenomenon Lucky Blue had played a significant part in earning her that role in the show, but she brought variety to the runway. Her 5’5 petite shape brought something different to the show and by strategically placing her alongside her two towering sisters D&G were able to embrace the differences that the new generation of social media models have by using those that represent all types of bodies not just the bodies we are used to seeing. 

Not only did the family theme bring diversity to the runway but it demonstrated just how this generation of models are bringing in new customers. Fashion and couture are no longer aimed exclusively at the middle aged rich list, it is also becoming accessible to younger people. Sure, most 17 year olds can’t afford a Burberry coat but more and more teenagers and young people are following the fashion movement. Girls who once looked up to the Jenner sisters are now finding interests beyond the magazine pages and the fashion world has opened up to everyone. The fan bases that these models create provide yet another unique factor contributing to the fashion universe. Upon seeing their role models display different trends, more young people and fashion enthusiasts will put their own spin on the style.

Being able to see these trends influenced by top designers and portrayed by their favourite models in real time can only be described as incredible and empowering and in terms of the fashion industry, media and millennials are critical to its progression.

Thank you for reading!

Aman