Why FASHION WRITERS Matter More Than Ever Today

By: Karlyne Manrique

We find ourselves in a digital era dominated by social media, where the figure of the influencer permeates many of our swipes. In this context, our decisions have been invaded by what these influential characters think about a topic—whether they are right or not. In that digital world, fast and intrusive ads also push us to desire things we don’t really need, offering little context, but making it easy to make a quick purchase without even leaving the platform, as happens with TikTok Shop.

How many times have we anxiously scrolled to avoid seeing an ad on TikTok that, although made by a different creator, sounds repetitive and rehearsed? And yet, that ad manages to stick in our memory, pushing us to try to make a purchase—until we read the comments from real buyers who debunk the product claims made in the video.

In the midst of the invasion of micro-influencers who appear constantly, and the growing deception on social media through fake accounts and so-called experts created in a rush, it becomes convenient to turn our attention to authors and media outlets creating specialized content—those who today do the work that was once carried out by fashion newspapers and magazines, or in the 2000s, through blogs.

Writers and journalists who, through the weight of the written word, have the ability to carefully and thoroughly review a product, a brand, an event, or a collection through deep analysis and research. Breaking down the topic to publish it in a lasting and elegant way—unlike what is achieved with a short and fleeting video that highlights the superficiality of your brand or product.

This suggestion does not come solely from a desire to promote my own written articles that review brands, events, or collections, but also as a response or solution that arises in the midst of the decline of the influencer figure and the exhaustion caused by the harassment of social media, which overwhelms us with increasingly fast content. At this moment—when we need the calm offered by a refined text, even if published in a digital medium—and when authenticity is being appreciated by the younger generations, the beauty of written expression becomes a refuge we can find in platforms like Substack and WordPress.

Fashion media and writers with great intellectual capacity do not always match the characteristics that make an influencer popular: quick, flashy, and noisy visual content that must grab the massive attention of the general public through the topics they cover and how they cover them. In contrast, written content targets an audience looking for complete, thoughtful, and unique information.

In Latin America, this practice remains alive through creators who express a curated and thoughtful opinion based on their own expertise. In Mexico, we can find spaces with articles that express fashion through unique perspectives, such as those by the legendary  Talía Cu, Emiliano Villalba  (Semanario de Moda), or Juan Ramón Hernández  (Carpetas de Moda), to name just a few.

National and international magazines and brands should increasingly consider working with fashion media and writers if they truly seek to leave behind a tangible, real, and traceable imprint of their brand—and not just an immediate reel that vanishes among an endless stream of content.

A written article goes beyond a quick image and a look; it conveys the feeling of scent, skin, and texture through words—it takes you to an experience that embeds itself in memory, inviting you to live it. This is the perfect space to present new collections and products. On platforms like Substack, one can feel the hope of recovering that practice of talking about fashion in a thoughtful and curated way—a much-needed idea amid the suffocation brought on by this increasingly fast-paced and superficial digital life.