How the fashion industry is leading the way in digital

“Luxury retailers are leading the way with in-store technology” was the title of an article that I read recently and something I have been watching for a while. Yes, because I have a natural interest in fashion but also for me I really believe that the fashion industry is leading the way in digital innovation.

Let’s take London Fashion Week #lfw as one example. Here was a traditional event that was very exclusive and only certain people and press were privy to all the content and collections coming out of it. But this year’s London fashion week has undoubtedly been the most social savvy yet with over 45k tweets posted in just one day. Even for people that aren’t a fan of fashion, you can appreciate the amount of noise and importantly social engagement this industry is making.

But, how has this transition happened?

You could argue that it all started with Burberry and their ‘Art of the trench’ campaign. There was a very iconic and traditional brand starting to flag and under the leadership of a very strong CEO who recognised the opportunity for consumer engagement via digital, the brand was transformed into the “media content company” that it is today with the consumer fully at the heart. What Burberry did (and where the wider fashion industry followed) was re-think consumer engagement, trialling different channels and techniques under one precis: “The higher the engagement – the higher the propensity to purchase the brand someday, somewhere, through some channel.

That’s what I admire about the fashion industry is that they aren’t afraid to try things. That’s something I always say to my clients, marketing is about “trial & error; learning what works for your audience”. You need to try different engagement methods and techniques and find what’s right.

If you were following #lfw this year besides live tweeting / live feeds you would have seen brands doing this experimenting with everything from apps, instragram and vine edits, to pop up tweet shops, and even using Google+ for live hangouts. If ever you wondered how these platforms could work for marketing and consumer engagement opportunities, do a google search after reading this article and see for yourself.

As we all know, consumers are more tech-savvy than ever and what the fashion industry has got right is true integration not just between marketing channels but between the offline and online world. I’m excited to see what the fashion industry does next as with a consumer base that is relatively fickle and moves with the trends it’s certainly one industry that is kept on its toes.

Latest Posts

Open your feed today and you’ll probably scroll past dozens of AI-generated images and videos. Some are clever, some are beautiful, and some are just off. AI can be both a time-saver and a trust-breaker. Used well, it accelerates creativity. Used carelessly, it can make campaigns feel soulless and detached…
Read More
Social Snapshot 22.10.25 banner, blue globe background, bold white title and date. Newsletter issue on long-form social video with platform specs, paid limits, YouTube TV viewing, TikTok Creator Rewards (>1-minute), Instagram 3-minute Reels, measurement and AEO tips
Read More
this post unpacks why b2b isn’t boring and how it’s moved from nice-to-have to mission-critical. it argues for trust as a working system (clear claims, named sources, human voices), puts short, sourced answers where people and ai look (linkedin, youtube, communities), and shows why people beat logos for credibility. it backs hybrid buying journeys that give control and timely human support, and it tracks intent signals like saves, sends and branded search. if b2b is your world, join us at socialday b2b forum 2025 at bounce, shoreditch on 12 november to go deeper.
Read More