Is Vogue.com in the position to attack influencers?

Did you really think the "class struggle" between fashion bloggers (today, influencers) and fashion journalists was ancient history? Well no, it seems every time is good to dust it off – yes, even in 2016, over eight years since blogs first started to get some media attention.

The drama took place a couple days ago, through a storm of tweets and reposts, just like any decent argument today. Vogue.com published a recap of Milan Fashion Week written by four different editors, all right up until now. The problem occurred when, after all of the praises to the MFW, to its newfound creative impulse and the impeccable quality of fabrics and craftsmanship, Sally Singer, Vogue creative digital director, had the bright idea of having a dig at the whole blogger phenomenon: "Note to bloggers who change head-to-toe, paid-to-wear outfits every hour: Please stop. Find another business. You are heralding the death of style."

Singer's words caused a sort of chain reaction. Sarah Mower, Vogue.com Chief Critic, highlighted the colleague's critique, adding "So yes, Sally, the professional blogger bit, with the added aggression of the street photographer swarm who attend them, is horrible, but most of all, pathetic for these girls, when you watch how many times the desperate troll up and down outside shows, in traffic, risking accidents even, in hopes of being snapped."

Nicole Phelps, Vogue Runway editor, has even gone a step further, pointing to companies: "It’s not just sad for the women who preen for the cameras in borrowed clothes, it’s distressing, as well, to watch so many brands participate. No coincidence that Versace (note: actually the fashion house has often dressed influencers and it-girls who were featured on Vogue.com's street style galleries) and BV are two houses that don’t play the game."

Alessandra Codinha, Vogue.com fashion news editor, rubbed it in, questioning the role of those who we call bloggers: "Am I allowed to admit that I did a little fist pump when Sally broached the blogger paradox? There’s not much I can add here beyond how funny it is that we even still call them “bloggers,” as so few of them even do that anymore. Rather than a celebration of any actual style, it seems to be all about turning up, looking ridiculous, posing, twitching in your seat as you check your social media feeds, fleeing, changing, repeating... It’s all pretty embarrassing—even more so when you consider what else is going on in the world. [...] Looking for style among a bought-and-paid-for (“blogged out?”) front row is like going to a strip club looking for romance."

The whole discussion brings us back in time, to the famous episode when in 2011 Franca Sozzani posted on Vogue.it an article titled "Bloggers: a culture phenomenon or an epidemic issue?" The fact drove Italian fashion bloggers of the moment, headed by Chiara Ferragni, mad, as it firmly recited "They don't offer an opinion but only talk about themselves, take their own pictures wearing absurd outfits. What's the point? I don't even know who they are except a few names because they are so many and all the same, they are so worried about what to wear to get noticed that my eyes only see a crowd in the end."

At that time, we thought one of the reasons why bloggers were unable to get into the most renowned magazines' good graces was that in a sense they replaced the printed paper with brand new, super fast web content, updated daily – if not several times a day –, bringing a breath of fresh air through a series of trends directly from the street to our pc screen, inventing a job and above all a format print struggled to keep pace with. Today, magazines have made great strides, moving very well between algorithms and social media and conflicts such as that between web and paper can no longer exist. The anger against bloggers and influencers, however, is still vivid.

But why, if professional journalists now have the tools to compete with these more amateur figures? Why, if many magazines lean on leading figures of the social reality, just think of Grazia's It-Girls or L'Officiel's Le Filles? Why, if even Vogue.com posts content focused on Instagram's it-girls at least two times a day? Why, if at "Vogue Fashion Night Out", organised by the emblazoned magazine, many events are led by bloggers and influencers?

Susie Bubble, one of the pioneers of the 'fashion bloggers' phenomenon, but also an estimated fashion writer who has been able to earn herself a space on cult publications – such as Dazed & Confused –, felt involved and joined the debate with a series of tweets which reveal an annoyed and frustrated tone, that of someone who's tired of repeating the same things for years just to see their work recognized. "Firstly let's not pretend that editors and stylists are not beholden to brands in one way or another, getting salaries at publications…" she tweeted "Secondly, bloggers who wear paid-for outfits or borrowed clothes are merely doing the more overt equivalent of that editorial-credit system." "It's just that bloggers sadly don't have prestigious titles/publications to hide behind and represent themselves solely." she added. Plus, the blogger noted that Vogue.com is the first to take advantage of the reputation of some people, often featured in the street style column captured by photographer Phil Oh.

What emerges is a multi-faceted and quite interesting picture: a historical magazine, an authority within the fashion world, which – from the top of a capitalized system made of expensive ads for luxury brands, a journalistic policy avoiding all criticism carefully not to lose any contact, features about "insta-girls", influencers and everything else – lashes out at a patchy system of posers and wannabes who earn a living in the same way – through networking and good relationships with brands – but who are more manifest and botched, even "pathetic", about it. As with any situation, we need to make a distinction, because "blogger" is not necessarily synonymous with "ignorant and talentless." There are many bloggers, first and foremost Susie Bubble, who were able to turn their online space into a stepping stone to higher goals, into a chance to get noticed for their talent in writing and for their knowledge of fashion history thus becoming professional journalists to all intents and purposes, highly respected figures within the industry. Others, such as the it-girls Gilda Ambrosio and Giorgia Tordini – founders and designers of Attico – have proved their creative talent in another field, and, amongst a lot of bikini and t-shirts capsule collections "by blogger x", they were able to offer an original, high quality product, which easily ranks within high-end market next more historic brands.

In conclusion, yes, it is true, the so-called "peacocks" who live for the likes and to cross their eyes with a photographer's lens do exist and they also are a big part of the thing, but can Vogue.com really afford to act as the spokesperson for this cause? Shouldn't we expect the controversy to be brought up by a more coherent institution? That's a question we may reasonably ask.

But the real matter is upstream. In 2016, bloggers, influencers, figures who buy (or borrow) just to show off on social medias triggering in others the desire of purchase, are no longer a rising phenomenon. They're our reality. And not only that, we're talking about a dynamic that involves all of us – us who before even being individuals are buyers and who, when we buy something and produce content to be shared on social medias, automatically also become potential sellers. So, although it's always possible to hope for a revolution within an already stagnant scenario, to raise a fuss about the role of influencers sounds a bit anachronistic in an era where we are all 'influencers' to someone.