A news article caught my eye the other day about a French Fashion Blogger who had been flown half way around the world to to unveil a collection of fashion illustrations.
A fashion critic was heard to say, that fashion bloggers, or “digital dress dictators” as he called them…”had no right to their new places beside the real critics and publishers”.
The blogger in question, Garance Dore and Scott Schuman her partner (also a fashion blogger with his Blog The Sartorialist) attracts 300,000 pairs of eyes to their blogs each day and her rise to the top is a fashion fairytale. Four years ago, Garance Dore was a frustrated illustrator, sick of boring commissions and the isolated life of a freelance artist. Today the French artist is one of the most sought-after one-woman brands in fashion, a photographer, illustrator and blogger who rubs shoulders with the famous and fashionable, then shares their world with her 70,000 subscribers. How do Dore and Schuman make their living and generate cash flow?
At the moment it is indirect income off the blog from being “famous”.
- A book with Penguin
- Collaboration with Burberry and an
- Advertising campaign with Verizon Communications
At another fashion event IMG Fashion has accredited 20 bloggers for press coverage at Fashion Week, which starts next week. These bloggers are not being paid but blog because they are obviously passionate about industry.
Two of the higher profile bloggers, Susie Bubble and Tommy Ton, are not being paid for their coverage but IMG Fashion is picking up their airfares and hotel accommodation.
The promoter and organiser, Graeme Lewsey says the investment is worth it. “That debate [between bloggers and journalists] is probably never going to go away but it’s all about the eyeballs and about reaching consumers,” Lewsey says.
Chris Brogan a top blogger in social media who generates cash flow from affiliate marketing (which is promoting a product or service that someone else has created to your community with the hope of providing benefit to that community, and to be compensated for that promotion) expressed his frustration recently in a post regarding the negative attitudes to bloggers who do make money:
“Affiliate marketing. It gets such a bad rap from some. Just the other day, someone likened it to “getting kickbacks,”
He went on to say “My motivation in talking about affiliate marketing with you is..that I think with these tough economic times on us, many of us could use a few extra bucks. When done ethically, and with full disclosure, I feel that affiliate marketing is a great way to make some additional income”
So should bloggers earn income from blogging about their passion? Vote Now.
To view results at any time just click on the “view results” button.
[polldaddy poll=3188293]
