Guy Trebay, one of the Times’ most prominent fashion critics, sat down for a rather in-depth Q&A with WWD, covering all the bases from commercial designers versus non, Paris shows he’s looking forward to seeing, and yes, Tavi. It wouldn’t be a proper week without some comment on the young bloggers of the world. But Trebay’s views on Bryanboy and his compadres are probably the most balanced we’ve seen yet.
WWD: Do you think that bloggers like Bryanboy and Tavi Gevinson are entering the “influencer” category?
G.T.: I’m certain they are and I’m certain that in 10 years the business will be quite different. I’m all for that kind of dispersal in a general sense but for the moment we’re not there. It sounds like a very Establishment view, but I think that the Establishment is composed, in general, of really skilled people. It isn’t like the people we see in the front rows at shows are there accidentally. And I don’t think that they are prepared to cede the power and I don’t think the power is going to be wrested away from them by Bryanboy, although he seems like a clever and devoted guy and is into the subject matter. But personally, I don’t think that fashion is really clothes. My first interest is not the commercial applications or whether Bryanboy gets excited by a handbag or something; it’s really the core design piece that’s most interesting to me.
Trebay goes on to talk about how he doesn’t understand Twitter yet and that social media has shrunk the time it takes to make an impact. But the best part, and what we think sums up the impact of the web and social media, is his response to what the future of fashion is.
G.T.:… There’s great, great art production in Kansas City, so fashion cannot be far behind, or Salt Lake, which is a very big art town, unexpectedly. I think people will always have to come [to New York] to make themselves known and sold but, creatively, I don’t see that there’s any reason why you have to be here. At a guess, I would say that’s somewhat the future.
The future of fashion is everywhere. Which means we’ll be packing up and blogging from a warm, sunny beach.
Q&A: Guy Trebay[WWD]
