When Joel Knoernschild, designer of cult men's brand KZO, wanted to break the news of his collaboration with fellow L.A. label Unholy Matrimony, he skipped over big newspapers and apparel trade publications and went straight to his favorite blog, Trend Land .
"After it was posted on the site, all the other fashion blogs and websites picked it up," said Knoernschild, adding that KZO's inbox was soon flooded with requests for the new line.
FOR THE RECORD
Fashion blogger's name: Freelance writer and blogger Erin Magner's last name was misspelled as Manger in an article about fashion websites in Sunday's Image section.
Fashion blogger's name: Freelance writer and blogger Erin Magner's last name was misspelled as Manger in an article about fashion websites in the June 7 Image section.
The Santa Monica-based fashion and culture website -- which runs chatty reviews of designer and fashion collections-- is among scores of relatively new websites and blogs based in L.A. that are reshaping the tumultuous media landscape. As designers, advertisers and readers increasingly seek them out, these rising arbiters of style are rapidly gaining clout and cachet.
Independent brands and retailers have come to consider the Web an integral part of their marketing efforts, having seen established style websites like Daily Candy (dailycandy.com) and Fashionista (fashionista.com) help launch many a fledgling line.
"We were the first to write about Rebecca Minkoff's [top-selling] Morning After bag," said Daily Candy's L.A. editor, Crystal Meers. "We get to see a brand turn into something a lot bigger -- and sometimes things literally start as, 'Can you come over and see some samples in my garage?' It's exciting."
Los Angeles-based designer Jenni Kayne, who shows in New York each season, says that though she doesn't read many blogs, she makes sure reporters from the major ones, including L.A.'s WhoWhatWear (www.whowhatwear.com), are invited to her events. "Inviting the right bloggers is as important as inviting the bigger publications, and maybe even more important soon," she noted. "Magazines are getting smaller and smaller."
And the universe of the online fashion-obsessed seems only to be expanding. When Corinne Grassini, designer for L.A.-based Society for Rational Dress, was in Dallas earlier this year on a tour promoting a capsule collection she designed for Barneys New York, she made it a point to meet with Jane Aldridge, the precocious 16-year-old blogger behind the breathless online fashion chronicle Sea of Shoes ( www.seaofshoes.com). A blurb Aldridge posted early this year on the brand resulted in a rush of people signing the guest book on the label's website.
