Rebecca Minkoff reveals runway pieces via Snapchat

Starting from 2pm EDT Friday, Rebecca Minkoff's fans will be getting sneak peeks of her latest collection via the Snapcha t video messaging app.
Snapchat allows users to send short (there's a maximum limit of 10 seconds) videos which self-destruct once they've been watched. The show will then be livestreamed in collaboration with American Express at 3pm EDT for fans to see the clothes hit the runway in real-time. As if that wasn't enough, the designer has also been unveiling previews of the shoes using her Instagram account.
It's all part of a recent trend for the democratization of the fashion week spectacle which has seen the (once high) walls tumbling down around shows as tech-friendly brands like Burberry and Topshop share digital assets with fans online.
The development hasn't gone unnoticed by the established fashion heirarchy. In fact there's also been something of a recent backlash against the so-called "fashion circus" of late with critic Suzy Menkes writing a blog piece this spring for the New York Times which asked: "if fashion is for everyone, is it fashion?" Meanwhile fellow New York designer Oscar de la Renta announced that he would be scaling down his show this season by cutting the guest list in half -- "why have 20 million people with zero connection to the clothes?" he asked WWD.
Uri Minkoff, the CEO of Rebecca Minkoff was positive about all the sharing: "we believe in a different approach. We believe the consumer is part of [fashion week], and that their inclusion is going to grow. The consumer has a voice and say in [our] brand, they should get special perks even if they can't attend the show," he toldMashable .
So the democratization of fashion looks like it's set to continue as long as these online consumers are still engaging with and buying the product.
Source: EURONEWS VOGUE