Firstly. Sorry That I haven't written in so so sooo very long. It's been a long ride featuring mostly exams and a little bit of Christmas. 

and some thinking. 

Thinking about what this whole blogging thing means in a South African context, in a 2016 context and of course in a fashion context. 

South Africa: Blogging is growing at an astounding pace. Brands are recognizing bloggers and bloggers are recognizing what brand endorsements can do for them and there's a wonderful collaboration forming and entirely unique career path that's forging it's way through the fashion field. Brands have found a way to speak directly to their target market, skipping the queues of algorithms and case studies, and swapping that with an influencer with 10k+ followers. That's awesome. For the future of marketing and the future of DIY careers and the future of The Kids right?

But what about these bloggers?

There seems to be a culture that's growing, of mediocrity and homogeneous work and reviews upon reviews about "amazing" VIP events, or "amazing" products decorated with nebulous descriptions about nothing. Well not nothing. If you count "What I wore".. and "The food was delicious" and "It was amazing"or "It works amazingly" as something. Am I being rude? probably. But this is how I feel. It's too damn polite, and I'm not sure if we as the bloggers have ourselves to blame, or the brands. There seems to be a growing desire to blog to be famous, and no I won't exclude myself from this equation, coz with super bloggers like Chiara Ferragni and Margaret Zhang earning racks from major collaborations with colossal brands, why wouldn't you? But is that it? Is that blog culture? You dress well, are literate, and would like to be famous??

Few examples of thought provocation or unique creativity have reduced the community to a tribe of walking billboards. 

dololo...

2016: Reading is not a thing. Well at least for most of us. Social media platforms have become more and more instant, diminishing the desire for us to consume information in portions that exceed, 100 snap seconds or 140 characters. Where does that leave the blogger?

Fashion: Is fashion growing or slowing down as a result of the blogger? When I say fashion, I mean not the consumerist, capitalist now now now, fashion. I mean the the artform, topic of intelligent debate, reflection on society, Fashion.

How many bloggers are inspiring us to push boundaries, to think differently, to investigate what this language of clothing all means? 

How many bloggers are pushing us to Use [this-insert product name here] Product, to Dress for That Hot Date, to Wear this in 101 Ways?

dololo...

Haha let me stop with the fashion nihilism for a bit, and celebrate the innovation, unmatched talent and general smartitude of the likes of Trevor Stuurman, Susie Bubble, Jemma Richmond, Leandra Medine and of course Margaret Freaaking Zhang!

I will not allow for the SA fashion blogger rep to be diminished and the stereotypes of frivolous fashion to be perpetuated.... We're better than that.

So I'm taking some time off, to regroup, rethink and Refiloe all of this...

Bear with me.

drops mic