Front-row (abbreviated: frow), is the front row of a fashion show, which any fashionista aspires to have. That’s why fighting, complaints, and even hand-to-hand combat between Influencers and Fashion Editor often happen.
KOL – influencer – fashion editor: uncompromising battle on the prestigious front-row seats
There is a classic saying that shows the power of this row: “If you are not on the first three shows, go home”. Go!). It must also be said that, from the very beginning, the front row has been an “opinion diamond” that affirms the status of those who are placed in that rank. influencers
The position of the guests will determine their influence in the world and even in society. The Fashion Editors (fashion editors) from major magazines such as ELLE, Vogue, and Harper’s Bazaar… are always the ones holding this important position. In particular, Vogue editor-in-chief Anna Wintour and veteran writer Suzy Menkes are two names that any brand wants to have in their collection shows. Even, the show will only start when the two women appear, which not any Influencer can do.
However, Influencers can really enhance brand value, especially their recognition on the media front, making the public pay attention to the show. Especially after the fashion houses decided to compete for a “fatty piece of cake” in Asia, a series of stars were chosen to send gold, placed on the Brand Ambassador table, automatically holding a ticket on the front row. row.
That’s why fights, complaints, and even hand-to-hand combat between guests often happen because they can’t sit in the power seats every Fashion Week season.
The opening event for this underground war between the two generations was the show of Dolce & Gabbana’s Spring 2010 collection. The fashion house invited the first 4 Influencers including Bryanboy, Tommy Ton, Garance Doré, and Scott Schuman for the front row. Soon after, a fierce controversy broke out.
Editors consider this an insult to the front-row hierarchy. They are ready to use the media, criticize, even mock and confront the Influencers directly. The matter smoldered for a long time and continuously became a hot topic of discussion in the world, making the relationship between the two sides become “unsatisfactory”.
Or at New York Fashion Week Spring-Summer 2013, Jennifer Eymere, editor of Jalouse Paris, felt offended and directly “physically collided” with designer Zac Posen’s media representative. The reason is that she is not allowed to sit in the front row next to supermodels Karolina Kurkova and Naomi Campbell.
Not far away, in the last Fall-Winter 2023 show, veteran editor Vanessa Friedman openly kicked and insulted the profession of Influencers present on the front-row seats of the Gucci fashion house. She said that “Influencers dress like clowns” and are disproportionate to the sitting position. She also publicly criticized Gucci for investing billions in brocade catwalks, but ranked dozens of Influencers in the best positions, while the editors seemed to be “ignored”, hastily booked to fill the space. Soon after, Bryanboy – who was present in this row, spoke out against Vanessa Friedman’s point of view. He thinks that the Influencers are here to admire the designs of the fashion house. They’re all about collection, cheering the industry on, and they’re really here for fashion.
In the past, when social networking sites were not as popular as they are today, in order not to be “out of fashion”, fashionistas would update news about the brand’s latest shows or designs through The magazine published monthly. Editors act as representatives of prestigious fashion magazines. They are the first to admire and look closely at each design shown.
The fashion Editor does not receive any compensation from brands for attending the show. Their assessment is objective, and fair, and resonates with the valuable knowledge they have learned and experienced. With their insights and insights, they can turn designs into trends of the year or turn the seemingly impossible into industry icons.
For example, “dress lady” Anna Wintour used to include a pregnant woman in a high-fashion advertisement; Isabella Blow spent £5,000 on Alexander McQueen’s graduation collection, making him one of the industry’s most illustrious designers; Suzy Menkes once criticized Chanel’s classic quilted handbag as out of fashion… And of course, the brand will always have to satisfy these objects.
Many fashionistas have taken the time to follow the careers of Fashion Editors, even knowing a lot about their personal lives. However, there is still an invisible gap between readers and Fashion Editors because elite status is hard to reach.
For Fashion Editors, Influencers are like outsiders. In addition to Fashion Bloggers, the Influencer here can be an A-list singer, a rising actor, a model, or a content creator who has a strong influence on social networks… But of course, they are. by no means a well-trained, well-educated person who understands the centuries-old fashion empire. However, Influencers are individuals with their own style, using fashion to express their personalities.
The 21st century is reaching the pinnacle of the digital age. Social networking platforms have developed dramatically and are invisible, making paper magazines gradually lose their position. To capture a new fashion trend, consumers can completely visit the Instagram Influencer’s wardrobe – where they wear the latest designs of the fashion houses. They cleverly put the design into flattering photos and videos and don’t hesitate to dedicate beautiful and beautiful words to the sponsor brand. So, in order to receive a fair review for a product, the Influencer does not really bring this value to the consumer.
But that’s not why Influencers rely on popularity, followers, or engagement on social media posts. They have been working day and night to prove their position and influence is worthy of their achievements. For example, Bryanboy, a Fashion Influencer who once had a few hand-to-hand battles with Fashion Editor, is now also the Editor-in-Chief of The Perfect Magazine and has been on the front row for decades. via.
Only during Fall-Winter 2023 Fashion Week, regardless of whether their fan community can be converted into real sales, real prices or not, the 5 most influential faces belong to Rosé (BLACKPINK), Jisoo (BLACKPINK), Jennie (BLACKPINK), Zendaya and Kylie Jenner. They brought in nearly $40 million in media value for the brand and were all front-row seats at fashion shows.
Not to mention, thanks to these faces, a series of expensive designs of the brand also “sold-out” in a single note. Typically, in February 2023, Jisoo “flipped” Dior’s Flared Mid-Length dress worth about 130 million VND on all fronts after appearing in Vogue France. Jisoo has increased Dior’s profit from 1,885 billion VND (in 2021) to 3,790 billion VND (in 2022).
That alone is enough to see how powerful influencers have in the luxury industry and they absolutely deserve the front-row ticket. From a consumer perspective, the influencer’s product use is like a friend’s recommendation.
After each show, social media will explode with posts looking for designs that stars have featured on the front-row seats. Even consumers are willing to swipe their wallets if the item is still on sale to look for a “cheap moment” with the idol. That’s why every year, brands are still racing “for money”, spending hundreds of thousands of dollars just to invite Influencers to sit on their front-row seats.
As for the editors, they do not receive a fee or special treatment for any fashion shows. Even if they weren’t sure if they’d get to sit in the front row, they’d still be excited about the job because this is an opportunity to learn a lot from the fashion village and expand relationships with people in the industry.
In general, although the relationship between Fashion Editors and Influencers is like an endless supply war, they are indispensable objects in the industry’s trade balance. They interact with each other and together create communication value for the brand.
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