Provided as a supplement to Fashion 2.0 | Why is Fashion so Anti-social?,
the following is a list of fashion and shopping related social networks and
online communities. With the global nature of fashion, social networks covering
international markets - particularly those of increasing importance to fashion
brands, are also included.
∙ Fashion and shopping focused networks
Not included at
Namechk, but worth
establishing a presence on:
Closet Couture
A community that focuses on blending the items in your closet with new
purchases. Advice from stylists is available, and closets can be shared with
friends
Etsy
Perhaps the longest running style community, Etsy is a marketplace and
community for designers selling custom made or individual fashion and jewelry
pieces.
Fashionising
Mostly fashion fans, community discussions tend to focus on celebrity style
and sharing of industry favorites.
ILikeTotallyLoveIt
The
modern or quirky product lover's answer to Digg, ILikeTotallyLoveIt users vote
on products to be featured on the homepage.
IQONS
A community for established and aspiring fashion industry professionals. More of
an industry focus, as opposed to shopping or consumer driven fashion
communities.
Kaboodle
Polyvore
Drag and drop magazine style collages are at the center of Polyvore's
site, but there's also an active community of users and the ability to
create groups based on shared interests
StyleFeeder
StyleHive
Similar to ThisNext, with a stronger focus on fashion and products for women
The Fashion Spot forums
Forums may be considered 1.0, but in fact they still offer targeted
and active communities. The Fashion Spot forums are invitation only,
though access can be requested through the site.
ThisNext
A shopping community based on recommending and discovery of individual products.
∙
International networks
Fashion brands targeting non-English markets may find the best social media
opportunities exist on networks that fall under the radar of English speaking
agencies or PRs. The fashion industry in emerging markets like Brazil, Russia,
India and China does not always work the same as in established markets such as
North America, Europe or Japan. A presence inclusive of networks popular in
these countries, or in languages other than English, can be invaluable for
gaining market insights and becoming familiar with consumer preferences.
Cyworld
The South Korean market leader by a wide margin. Facebook and MySpace combined
account for no more than 20% of Cyworld's South Korean audience.
Orkut
The market leader in Brazil and India, though Facebook is increasingly popular
in both countries.
Skyrock
In France, Facebook has recently become more popular, but Skyrock still
maintains a significant lead over MySpace. The community is based around blogs,
and the appearance and connections are similar to MySpace or Bebo.
Ameblo.jp and Mixi.jp
The first and second leading Japanese social networks respectively. Heavily
integrated with SMS updates and mobile messaging.
Vkontakte.ru
The Russian market leader. Very similar to Facebook - in fact early observations
suggested the source code may have been copied directly from Facebook.
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