You may know him as the Artistic Director of Louis Vuitton Menswear. Or maybe as Kanye West’s “Creative Director”, the “genius” behind G.O.O.D Music’s merch and album covers like “Watch the Throne”. You may also know him as a DJ. And, if you’re a devout follower, you know he’s studied architecture and engineering. But he’s so much more than that. He’s an Influencer with a capital “I” and the embodiment of everything wrong with today’s youth culture.
We live in a world where clout is now a relevance metric prioritizing “likes” over artistic vision, where wifi and narcissism trump talent and hustle, where fame is a science, and where authority is self-professed and widely accepted. Where Kylie Jenner is the most popular designer in the world right now – beating out Louis Vuitton. Smh.
Alas, there’s no unsubscribing; it’s reality. And if fashion is any reflection of society’s current state, substance is at high risk of extinction.
The hot brands right now are Gucci, Supreme, Balenciaga, Vetements and Yeezy because they’ve nailed Streetwear – a newly crowned influencer-lead zeitgeist pulling from skate culture, heavy metal, an alarming amount of 90’s “nostalgia” (ironically venerated by those born that very decade) and couture. Sounds pretty dope, right? But this thumb-stopping content leads to “need-it-now” hyperventilation, “crazy eyes” and false fame – all side-effects of “hype”.
And if you’re not participating, you have FOMO. Marketers included.
Influencers have nailed the “hype” Formula. You know, the aesthetic of structured pieces, minimalist background and street arrogance, “content creation” by “influencers”, off-brand branded “collabs”, and the vagueness of one’s personal brand.
It’s not rocket science. In fact, it’s so easy, anyone can become someone (cue “micro-influencers”), and everyone is a “creator”. Everyone is everything. And everything means nothing.
No one is single-minded.
No one is an expert.
And nothing is new.
With a formula so simple, of course everyone’s copying each other. Everyone looks the same, and everyone’s famous. More than ever, “influencers” are subjecting themselves to brands objectifying them as media buys. Because, fame. Obvi.
Thus, our feeds aren’t safe, and neither is the tangible world: we can’t attend a party without it being branded, hosted in a multi-purpose “gallery”, and with “speakers” leading “talks” on topics that feel titled specifically to be vague and innocuous, all in the name of content.
The whirlwind is exhausting. And it’s all our fault. We’re liking, following, and worse, hiring and pitching. People who technically aren’t influencing much are now influencing our briefs– aka our lives – all in the name of FOMO and Formula.
We’ve allowed Instagram and Youtube to dictate culture, and legitimize the illegitimate.
We’re the ones who’ve put these influencers on a pedestal so high, they’ve transcending into highly coveted jobs in the traditional space.
LVMH considered – as in, actually contemplated– Virgil as Riccardo Tisci’s successor for Givenchy before awarding him the artistic direction of Louis Vuitton menswear (lesser than womenswear in the fashion hierarchical scale, but nonetheless). IN-SA-NE. This prestigious role – the highest honor in the fashion world, actually, which once required the legitimacy of experience – has officially shifted into the legitimacy of cultural clout. There goes art.
If it can happen to fashion, it can happen to us. Us, as in marketers.
They’re already “Creative Directors” and CEO’s. Hell, they’re even presidents.
But it’s not too late. We forgot that we are the real influencers – we are the manipulators of messages. We’re the O.G.’s. We’re the artists summoned to shape society. That’s what we signed up for. The power is still ours. So if anyone can burst this bubble of “sameness”, “nothingness” and “hype” to save culture, it’s us.
It all starts with the brief.