The Rise Of The Men’s Fashion Blogger

 

This is the age of personality. Whether it be a celebrity, brand or blogger, in order to stand out, above the digital noise, there needs to be a singular voice or personality to communicate through those all important social media channels.
I’ve always said social media is a little bit like skimming stones: sometimes those tweets or instagrams just plop and sink without a trace and other times they can bounce on and on, much further than you imagined.
These streams of digital information need to catch our interest. Everybody is competing for the same slices of people’s time and attention, not to mention wanting to broaden their marketing net by gaining followers and likes.
Bloggers have risen up into this space to become the editors of the Internet and help brands keep that stone skimming. Driven by a passion for their subject, these guys are now the opinion formers, influencers and leaders of modern menswear: real people with a real passion.

The Rise Of The Blogger

The blogosphere has changed dramatically over time. When I started TheChicGeek.co.uk five years ago, of course there were already bloggers, but it was seen as something of a hobby or an amateur form of fanning or geeking out over something.
At the time, I wasn’t happy with being labelled a ‘blogger’ as it had negative connotations and I was a professional journalist. But now I’m proud to say ‘blogger’, when asked what I do. I’m pleased to say I make a living doing something that is difficult to make a living from. Being a blogger, there is nowhere to hide – you need to know your stuff.
You’re out there 360 degrees, exposed to the world and people realise if you know what you’re talking about within five minutes of looking through your social media accounts and blog posts. After all, unlike a magazine, there is no masthead and various layers of sub-editing and correction to make you look good.
While still a relatively nascent business, the economic recession suppressed the development of the blogging industry with limited budgets and no extra money from brands for digital projects. Today, however, magazines are contracting and a vacuum is sucking in the style bloggers. It’s actually become something of an achievement to be a professional, full-time blogger.

Key Players

Yet the problem with the Internet is there’s a lot of information, but too few people actually saying anything. You need to be able to tune your digital antennae to focus on those individuals you want to hear from and, ultimately, respect.
To be a good style blogger you need to have something relevant to say – whether through words, images or both – that’s different or more informed than somebody else.
With this in mind, here are some of the most visible players currently in the menswear blogosphere:

SchoolboyCouture

Jefferson Pires started SchoolboyCouture in 2009 as a place to express his creative side and talk about things that interested him. Since then, he has worked with brands such as Leica, Bang & Olufsen, Topman and Mr Porter.
Pires is based in Manchester and describes his style as being centred around comfort. He doesn’t tend to over-think his outfits and each piece has to be something he feels completely comfortable in. He also steers clear of overly branded clothing and is naturally attracted to pieces that are well made.
Pires’ style would probably be best described as ‘street’ with an artistic slant.
Web: schoolboycouture.com
Twitter: @SchlBoyCouture
Instagram: @schlboycouture