Anna Wintour’s opinion isn’t the only one that matters in fashion, and Holt Renfrew knows it. “Social media is such a huge phenomenon,” says John Gerhardt, Holt Renfrew’s creative director. “It’s democratizing fashion.”
And that explains Gerhardt’s idea to recognize six influential style-watching bloggers in the Canadian department store’s summer window campaign. For 17-year-old shoe lover Jane Aldridge (seaofshoes.typepad.com), who’s designing a shoe collection for H&M this year, a window displayed a wave of heels and sandals mixed with metallic sea creatures and shells. Tommy Ton’s (jakandjil.com) postings of models at fashion shows were recreated via a tent-like awning covered with photographs. And for Anita Clarke (iwanigot.geekgirl.com), apparel hanging from a mannequin’s outstretched arms represents the scales of justice and the balance of “wants” and “needs.”
“We try to play on wit and irony,” says Gerhardt.
The campaign garnered attention on Facebook, Twitter and across the Internet for its recognition of fashion bloggers, as well as a growing partnership between retailers and those who tweet about their every move.