Are Influencers Ruining Fashion Week, or Changing Its Meaning?

BY ALEEZA GANI ’27

When I received an invitation to New York Fashion Week this September, I was astonished. I’m not a celebrity, or a fashion editor, or even a buyer. So why was I invited? To make content. That’s when I realized that Fashion Week has changed, and not necessarily for the better. Front row seats that were once filled with fashion experts are now replaced by content creators, whose presence is completely shifting the vibe. If I, a small high school TikTok creator, can get invited to one of the most important industry events in fashion, then can’t anyone?   

Sitting front row at my first show alongside other creators and a single journalist, something felt off. Don’t get me wrong, the energy was great, with everyone hyping up the designs, complimenting each other, and dancing to the music. But it partially felt performative and unprofessional. Everyone seemed to be watching through their phone screens, rather than with their eyes. They weren’t analyzing the designs, nor appreciating the moment, but instead curating their own version of the moment for social media. It felt inauthentic, almost like people were attending just to say they attended.

Fashion Week had always been exclusive, but whether in New York, London, Milan, or Paris, front-row seats at Fashion Week are designed for one thing: publicity. They have always been meant for critics, buyers, and editors to review and write about each collection. But as traditional forms of media shift to digital, a “Vogue” runway article, no matter how expertly written, can’t compete with the reach of a single viral TikTok. Knowingly and strategically, brands are inviting influencers to Fashion Week, causing a shift in power from those who understand fashion to those who understand marketing. 

So, brands are becoming more inclusive, but why is that a bad thing? Well, this inclusivity not only disrupts the fashion job market but also the trend cycle. Traditionally, trends would “trickle down” in a process that would take months. Designers would display their collections on the runway, fashion media would interpret them for the public, and retailers would translate those ideas into clothing that eventually reached common stores. This system is what made Fashion Week so vital to the fashion world, giving birth to next season’s trends. But with the rise of social media, this cycle is becoming a distant memory. Now, the trend distribution process has accelerated significantly, with new trends coming and going every few weeks. And of course, these micro-trends are leading to overconsumption and conformity. Fashion intern and model Linda Y. addresses this shift, explaining, “I’ve been attending Fashion Week for 4 years now, and each year I notice less and less creativity in the audience’s outfits. Like, we can’t all be wearing polka dots.”

The fact of the matter is, content creators, for the most part, don’t understand fashion, at least not to the extent that experts do. So why are we allowing them to replace fashion media and shape trends? The fact of the matter is, anyone can be an influencer. So whose opinion actually matters? 

However, to dismiss content creators entirely would be unfair and hypocritical, for I was beyond grateful to be there for the same reason I am critiquing. Social media has democratized fashion in ways unimaginable just a decade ago. Getting into the fashion industry alone used to be like winning the lottery, an achievable dream for many. With social media, the unheard voices of emerging designers and brands can create that reality for themselves, diversifying the industry.

So, are influencers ruining Fashion Week, or changing its meaning? Maybe it’s both. Regardless, it’s clear that the once-exclusive event will never be the same. Although the art of the runway designs is the same, the audience has changed, the number of cameras has quadrupled, and the front row is now a content carnival. By dominating Fashion Week, influencers are diluting its authenticity, disrupting the trend cycle, and raising questions about credibility. In the process of making fashion more visible, have we made it less special, or just more accessible?