Bharat SainiLast Updated on July 28, 2014 by Bharat Saini
Online fashion magazines have been increasingly popular over the last decade. Many print magazines have been struggling to retain readership with the growing demand for online accessibility. Many established fashion magazines have launched online editions that have been enthusiastically received by readers. Online fashion magazines have the capacity to embrace technology, increase diversity in the fashion industry, increase engagement with readers, decrease overhead costs for publishers, and they are great for the environment too. This is why online magazines have been so positively received and are the wave of the future in the fashion industry.
Online Fashion Magazines Embrace Technology
Our society is surrounded by technology today. This has changed the expectations of magazine readers. Readers of fashion magazines have come to expect video, audio, and interactive features to enrich their reading experience. Of course this creates unsurmountable limitations for print magazines. Readers of online fashion magazines can see footage of fashion shows, interviews with designers, and comment on photo spreads and clothing, or even access a platform to purchase items. This is achievable with online editions of magazines. An increase in digital publications may also bring in more male readers. Men are not as likely to go out and buy male fashion magazines, but they are a lot more likely to check out digital editions of fashion magazines aimed at men.
Online Fashion Magazines Promote Diversity
Some online fashion magazines have started from humble beginnings as a fashion blog. This provides a way for people to weigh in on fashion trends and news. In turn, this will result in more perspectives and voices in the fashion industry. This will allow fresh talent to overcome the barriers to entering the world of fashion writing and journalism. The fashion industry has also been accused of portraying only one body type in their publications-very tall and thin. Most average women are not as tall and thin as the fashion models placed in these magazines. With online magazines, producers do not need to be as wary of taking a risk on showing diversity in their magazines, because their overhead cost is so much lower, and things can be changed on the fly very quickly. This is a great thing because the media should show the range and diversity of fashion and women’s bodies.
Online Fashion Magazines Decrease Overhead Costs for Publishers
Between costs for photographers, models, writers, and printing, producing a magazine is an expensive endeavor. The nature of online magazines can eliminate costs for the printing and transportation of hard copy subscriptions. This means that readership may increase as prices for subscriptions go down and availability of fashion magazines begins to increase. It is very convenient for people to simply visit a website and pay for a subscription and look at the magazine, this attracts a lot of younger readers.
Online Fashion Magazines Encourage Engagement with Readers
Online magazines can also increase engagement with readers through social media, apps, comment sections, and promotion of events. Modern readers want to interact with the creators and editors of the magazines that they read. They crave being able to provide their feedback and connect with other readers about fashion. Readers do not want to be passive consumers of the imagination of magazine editors. They want to actively engage and shape fashion. Online editions of fashion magazines promote this engagement between magazine creators and editors.
Online Fashion Magazines Are Good for the Environment
Online fashion magazines are also beneficial to the environment. Since they are uploaded directly onto the internet, they require no paper for printing. Also, no transportation of hardcopies to vendors is required, so no fossil fuels are burnt to transport them. This lessens the impact on the environment and increases accessibility at the same time.
The growth of the internet has put print media in a very difficult situation. People are turning to free online websites to get their fashion fix when they used to turn to print magazines. Although the fall of the print magazine has been apparent for quite some time, the possibilities of online fashion magazines offer some really exciting possibilities for producers and readers. If online fashion magazines continue to be innovative and engaging to readers, the trend of digital fashion magazines will only continue to grow.
This article was written by Felishia. L. Oksan, a fashion journalist, author and consultant who writes and edits fashion industry news, gossip and analysis.
