We all seem to have an unprecedented amount of free time these days, so whether you're in school writing papers or you're desperate for a creative outlet, you're still on the lookout for content. This list I have compiled addresses resources that can be fun and creative or provides content that’s analytical and rivals the insights of political news outlets. SSENSE If you loved Polyvore up until its end, you probably held a tiny bit of resentment for this company, the company that bought them out. Well, don't. They are an underrated platform that is styled like an online magazine with interviews, trend reports, and color concepts. Plus, you can enter any luxury fashion brand, Indie or world-renowned, big or small, and find the brands ready-to-wear items this season and shop directly on Ssense. They branch out their content to be a little bit broader than the fashion industry, but even that content does still tie-in to sartorial trends. Shoplook.io Again, if you loved Polyvore up until its close, you might still be looking for a creative outlet that could somehow replace it. Shoplook is constantly changing and adding amenities. As of April, there is a premium version of the website where you can add higher quality images and fonts to your creation. You can upload your own images via URL, and in the regular version, they coded a clipper. There are contests where if you win, it boosts your engagement and your artwork is plastered all over the front page. For the creating process, it is not an overwhelming number of buttons thrown at you: ALL the images are separated and categorized between frames, drawings, editorial images, clothes, and blog title clippings to create and organize your ideal mood board or virtual lookbook. its a creative outlet, a portfolio booster, and a unique way to shop.
21 Buttons
What better way to find out what's hot than to literally buy from your likes? 21 buttons is like Instagram except every single post or outfit has links directly attached to each post. Now, you don't have to go on a manhunt to find out what your favorite Instagram model is wearing, or search for keywords because the link in their youtube bio was a dummy. It's also a good place to grow your following and see how many people are into your style. Anyone who gets a good amount of engagement on Instagram should take advantage of this platform. WGSN Worth Global Style Network is the world’s leading trend research resource. They partner with companies from all over and in many different industries, not just fashion, to provide insight, but their specialty is fashion. They offer many kinds of reports that range from long deep dives on sustainability and effective window displays for retailers, to libraries of looks from runway shows of designers from all over the world. To access WGSN though, you need to be logged in through your school as a student. If you are not a student and have no access to the exclusive reports, they have a free-to-view blog that is up to par with their exclusive reports and a YouTube channel that evaluates street style seasonally. This is the best resource for people who love diving into research, case studies, and consumer behavior and want to pursue this as a career one day. Fashionista
For a website that has the most directive name towards this topic, it is not commonly discussed as a resource or hub among people I talk to about fashion. It is the only website on this list that is strictly fashion based online magazine. Their news section is essentially the quickly digestible and free version of BOF. There's a job posting board, and it is broader in brands that are growing and looking to expand their workforce. Everything is categorized very specifically, since no matter where you go, the whole site is about fashion. I specifically like that, because the "style" articles are written completely different from the "shopping" article. One is full of opinion pieces about celebrity fashion and history with insights, and the other is full of lists that make my life easier when I'm trying to find a new trend to try out.
Business of Fashion The Business of Fashion is an intelligence resource targeted to navigate the trends and actions within the fashion industry. They are going to be your best resource for your essays where you have to think of the consumer and how they are affected. You can search for any key term, and depending on how broad you are going, you will be able to choose between "intelligence" articles or "news and analysis" articles. BOF, like WGSN, gives you the most content if you are logged in through your school, as a non-student, you must buy a subscription, as you would with the Wall Street Journal. The added services make them most useful as a diverse service platform. There are job postings from all over the globe for all levels of experience, from entry-level to director status, as well as online courses that can specifically cater to what you will use the knowledge for, whether you are building your brand or your career. It is the dream company for a serious fashion writer, especially if you are a critical thinker and problem solver. Pinterest I threw Pinterest on here because, for a veteran social media website, it is vastly underrated. Fun fact, it is specifically designed for blogs (such as the one your on!) Honestly, this is how I found most of the websites in this article. You not only can search for specific styles or fashion designers but the majority of well-photographed images to “pin” are found and connected to this website through an external source. If your not a blog owner, it is the platform made for you to find and organize your personal aesthetic if you are only in the mood to look at fashion as the eye candy that it is and nothing more. It reminds me of tumblr but with more ideas to choose from, and easier to browse in website structure. I can't think of another website that you can access vintage editorials or runway pictures faster.
As an Official member and college graduate, I couldn't continue this list without giving a shout out to my community. I honestly, from the bottom of my heart, wish I had found this community sooner. If you are even glancing at this article with merging fashion and social media branding as your interests, the cf community would be a great start for you. CF has a website and blog, and on this website is where you can fill out a short and easy application to be a community member. The CF blog has student-written articles about fashion and beauty trends that are specifically relevant and helpful to us in school. It is not only a website and blog but its a free and easygoing community of young like-minded college students who all have one thing in common: they love fashion. It feels like a virtual sorority with the way everyone lifts each other up.
Good On You is a great tool to get started and stay on track when switching over to sustainable shopping. Without a disposable income and time, it becomes too easy to not think about how our clothes are made by our nifty fast fashion stores. Good On You goes through thousands of brands and rates them based on the research they completed when doing a deep dive of these brands for you. There's even a downloadable rating-system just to put us at ease. Good On You discloses all details: the based their rating on how these brands treat their people, the planet, animals, and if they use certification schemes. This is the easiest was to shop conciously.
Whats your favorite fashion website? Comment below!
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