The Future of Fashion Blogging, According to The Sartorialist

One of my photos from London Fashion Week, where street style photography and blogging was as prolific as ever.

The legendary blogger Scott Schuman, a.k.a. The Sartorialist, recently spoke to Independent Fashion Bloggers about his perspective on the blogosphere, and what he said was worth us all taking note. There's been a slight backlash against blogs recently, albeit in a tongue-in-cheek way, with The Man Repeller wearing a t-shirt that states 'All blogs are the same', and it can be hard to differentiate between clumps of bloggers in the same genre if you're looking from the outside in. 

The predominant factor is 'good content', which he calls 'the thing that will set you apart'. That means not just recycling what you see elsewhere and posting images without adding insight, because what you need to provide is something unique - and I don't mean an Instagram collage of your day with a special focus on your dog. If you're writing about fashion then write about it from your own angle, whether that's a product review, a shop visit or your favourite t-shirt. 'Just because someone says something, doesn't make it interesting', as Scott puts it.

This clutch bag I spotted at LFW says it all.

What's more, you don't need to be on the front row to have that all-important eye on the world, especially in today's media-savvy age. Thanks to the slew of websites providing coverage on brands and catwalk moments, from the big hitters like Elle, The Guardian and Vogue to the indies like The Genteel, there are plenty of ways to see what's making the news and then present your own take. Even if you miss a live stream or an entire Fashion Week (because sometimes you have deadlines or perhaps a holiday to somewhere with terrible Wi-Fi), there are great quality show reports and trend reviews to catch up on. 

The crucial thing is not to retell the news exactly as it stands, because essentially you're just repeating what's already been heard, and also you could easily run into trouble for stealing people's content - something which Google, and your average hard-working journalist, certainly does not encourage. Scott believes that those who are able to 'analyze what's going on and have a point of view' will stand out amongst the rest.

The lesson to take from this? Express yourself in your blog and hone in on what you love writing about or photographing. Don't just add to the noise - bring something different.