Designers versus bloggers: this edition’s showdown pits Julio Reyes Cocka against Evan Biddell
TODAY’S MATCHUP: Julio Reyes Cocka of Fashionights has had a hard go of getting respect in this fickle industry, fighting near-daily battles to make Fashion Week ranks. His opponent? Beloved bad boy of Canadian fashion Evan Biddell, who wields his wit with withering precision. Take cover, because this will get messy.
When did you first start to notice the fashion blogosphere?
EB: When I started reading how much they all hated me after Project Runway in 2007.
JRC: Before starting my site, I was not at all interested in the blogging world. Whether it was fashion or any other topic, I had relied heavily on TV and magazines. Being in the realm almost thrust me into researching things and I just picked up on big names as I went along.
What is your opinion on fashion bloggers? Do they help you? Hurt you?
EB: They are just like people, only they keep their opinions public and get off on being impossible to censor.
Is the blogging market over-saturated? How can you tell the serious contenders from the dozens of fashion bloggers out there?
JRC: I think consistency, passion and dedication are all contributing factors that constitute a creditable blog, or makes one a credible media source. There are a lot of bloggers that seldom post, and if they do, their mediocre or lacklustre “articles” fail to impress. With my site, we pride ourselves on working closely with PR reps and leading brands to provide information our readers will find valuable.
Has the rise of the fashion blogger affected your sales?
EB: Nope, but neither has anything else.
Is getting blog attention just as important as magazine exposure these days? Just how strong is a blogger’s influence?
EB: It can give you some “underground street cred,” if that’s what you’re going for. You can’t get that from mainstream Canadian fashion magazines.
Has the rise of the blogosphere (and the immediacy and candor of blog postings) changed the way you conduct your press, or throw events?
EB: You’ll have to ask my publicist.
Do you think a blogger’s ability to be so candid and honest hurts or helps your press?
EB: Helps. If you can’t take it, you shouldn’t be in fashion.
JRC: Blogger opinions have gone unnoticed by some designers because, I feel, most bloggers tend to please the PR companies that represent the designer in fear of offending anyone (or seeing future refusal of work).
Is it important to you to have a mix of print and web media at your shows? What can bloggers do for you that magazines can’t?
EB: Bloggers reach the cool kids, and magazines reach people in the doctor’s office waiting to get their herpes treated. It’s important to pay respect to both in order to reach a broader audience.
Is there still a tiered hierarchy between the print and web media?
JRC: In Toronto? Yes. I constantly have the ongoing obstacle to battle it out with print media. We all understand it’s been around for years, but one must not also forget we’re living in the MTV generation, when things were hurdled to us via the television, and, most recently, the Internet. In Toronto, I’ve encountered numerous firms that will look past bloggers and other web media despite their substantial traffic and numbers. I face it every day.
What justifies a blogger getting front row at your show?
EB: He or she is a friend of mine.
JCR: I get asked this question regularly and it’s another hindrance and ongoing battle for me. But my response—as cliché as it may sound—is passion. How many editors and would-be “it” bloggers have I seen and read that confuse the most basic of things! Personally, I’ll never cease to comment on my personal love for fashion and style, and maybe others will get wind of my undying appreciation for the craftsmanship that is fashion design—despite the number of hits and support I get.
Would you be leery of inviting back a blogger that had slagged your show?
EB: Not if it was for good reason. I have taken some risks, and sometimes I wonder how I actually got away with it!
If you could change one thing about how fashion bloggers behave/write/act/attend shows, what would it be?
EB: I am happy they show up, dressed to the nines and all. They love fashion and that’s why I love them!
JCR: I might be stepping on some toes, but I don’t really care. I’d like to see some bloggers stop whining to PR firms because some other blogger got something they didn’t. The sense of entitlement some bloggers have for themselves and their blogs bewilders me—and there are a few in the city. Being amicable and supportive of others has always been my root, so the favour in return would be appreciated. Designers should become aware of their attendees at shows and acknowledge the lengths some bloggers take to attend, and to write and deliver to their readers. If there is no connection, what’s to stop a reader from taking their business to another designer? Think about it.
Good work Julio Reyes Cocka… you used your thesaurus for this one! You pulled out all the stops for Toronto Life… Bravo blogger boy, Bravo… p.s. I can see your man-panties.
Evan you rock my socks off. Don’t ever change.
I Am Addicted to Biddell. So funny and real.
Biddell is what fashion needs right now, his in your face personality is the cherry on top!! Addicted indeed. ;)
ADDICTED TO #FASHIONNIGHTS
Julio is passionate and great at what he does!
There needs to be more people as dedicated as you, Keep up the fantastic work!
LOVE LOVE LOVE FASHIONIGHTS
Meeting Julio at an event made me realize just how important bloggers really are! Getting familiar with fashionights.com made me realize Julio really has what it takes to keep his readers up to date in current fashion trends and events aswell as getting a taste of his sexy style. Keep up the good work Julio!!
How many people do you have to screw over to get to the bottom?
“Bloggers reach the cool kids, and magazines reach people in the doctor’s office waiting to get their herpes treated” Seriously? is this what you think about your customers? Epic Fail Evan!
Keep up the amazing work Julio! <3 Fashionights
I adore Julio! He’s so fabulous inside and out.
Always on his game
It would be interesting if this did actually get messy, but that would require some actual debate.
Biddell sounds bitter about not having any sales, yet if he put the same energy into actually building a business as he does into the cool kid posturing and this overly-rehearsed persona, he might get somewhere. Lots of people are talented.
Interesting to speculate on the effect blogs and bloggers have had on someone like Biddell. Face it, fashion bloggers are an easy group to win over – a shout-out, an after-party invite and a gushing review is sure to follow. Fawning blogs do indeed fuel hype but in short order it seems that hype starts to be mistaken for actual professional accomplishments.
And can there be a moratorium on referring to this dude as a “bad boy?” Is that in his press kit or something? He’s the opposite of a bad boy – he’s an ingratiating scenester who clearly reads every word written about him.
Yayayay !!! julio sooo proud of you !! Be in the loop Fashionights.com <3 <3
Both contribute to the entertainment that we lable Fashion….always love Biddell for his risk taking and his colorful interviews. Never boring which to me would be a fashion crime.
Love Biddell and am now aware of Julio!
Good luck to both.
Julio rocks everything he does, and we all need a little fashionights.com in our life.
Keep doing you Julio, it’s what makes you amazing!!