As the fashion industry grows increasingly reliant on digital platforms and social media, the Internet is becoming more fashion-savvy.As the fashion industry grows increasingly reliant on digital platforms and social media, the Internet is becoming more fashion-savvy. Case in point: Yahoo's appointment of Bobbi Brown as editor in chief of its online beauty magazine—the latest in a series of high-profile hires (including Katie Couric and Matt Bai) targeted at ramping up Yahoo's original news and lifestyle content.

Reportedly, Yahoo will make several other related announcements later this week. No doubt Yahoo president and CEO Marissa Mayer has been involved in this shift of focus. Recruiting Brown, however, has brought about necessary examination of the journalistic ethics involved here. Will Yahoo place restrictions on Brown promoting her own products? While that matter has yet to be determined, it's safe to say that the line between editorial and advertising will only get blurrier.

Yahoo isn't the only Web titan campaigning for a well-heeled audience. Amazon has been raising its fashion profile by offering a more high-end designer selection (not to mention curating its style site like a magazine). Intel is doing a "smart bracelet" in collaboration with Opening Ceremony. Meanwhile, Apple has a buzzy (and very expensive) iWatch far into development, in addition to championing the new ASAP54 app, which is like "Shazam for fashion." The format looks a lot like Instagram, with users posting inspirational pictures to their feed, which a team of stylists reinterprets, and then makes related shoppable suggestions. So it seems Yahoo's move is just further proof that Fashion and Tech have reached the next level in their promising relationship.
POST: 2024-04-25