The second week of July was a very busy week for me. A few months back I won an election for the post of the social director of the Quinessential Equity Chambers OAU and last week was a trying moment for my post. Leadership takes a whole lot and it is applicable to every aspect of life including Fashion. In fashion, we have the fashion leaders and the fashion followers.
Fashion leaders are individuals who are highly influential in fashion. Fashion leaders usually have a very strong interest in fashion and have a positive attitude towards change in fashion. Fashion followers are individuals who wear a certain style only after it becomes a popular trend. There are two major aspect of fashion leadership: fashion innovativeness and fashion opinion leadership.
Fashion innovativeness is a criteria of fashion leaders who have the tendency to buy new fashion earlier than consumers. Fashion innovativeness often leads to trend setting. There are various celebrities and designers that constantly determine the trend in the world. In Nigeria, we have so many fashion leaders: Mercy Aigbe, Toke Makinwa, Tiwa Savage,Yemi Alade and so on.
Fashion Opinion Leaders are individuals who communicate about a new fashion in such a way that other individuals are influenced to accept or reject the fashion. Fashion Opinion Leaders are usually bloggers and there are so many fashion bloggers that create new trends. In Africa, there are various fashion opinion leaders: Anelisa Mangcu, Fisayo Longe, Hanifah Abubakar, Lindi xo, Monica Awe-Etuk.
SO quick question: Are you a fashion leader or a fashion follower?
Good one. But I think one obvious point from the examples you gave and the images is that fashion leaders are usually celebrities a priori. An ordinary person wearing some of the things they were in those pictures in the name of innovation, would be looked at as… weird
Nice one Ann. Keep em coming.