It’s that time again: The autumn/winter 2011 New York Fashion Week at Lincoln Center officially starts today and goes on until the following Thursday.

Though NYFW has always seemed somewhat pretentious and exclusive, this year the organizers are opening doors to all members of the general public who love fashion — they’re opening the virtual doors, that is.

‘Thanks to a serious digital overhaul over the past few years, more than just the fashion elite get to check out the runway shows live, as a handful of them are being broadcast live online for the entire world to see,’ wrote blogger GeekSugar.

These recent trends to live stream shows and even live shots of backstage preparations and designer interviews stem from the growing popularity of social media. Consumers from all over the world, with different financial incomes, can finally come together under the same virtual roof to share their love for fashion.

Some of the most prominent labels, including Alexander Wang, Oscar de la Renta, Proenza Schouler and even our very own alumnus Betsey Johnson, will stream their entire runway show online through different digital outlets. Find where all the brands will be streaming through Fashion Week’s official site, www.mbfashionweek.com.

Though luxury labels are quickly embracing the digital world this Fashion Week, this is not the first time a designer decided to bring his or her label to the fashion layman via new media.

The most memorable live stream was definitely Alexander McQueen’s Spring 2010 show. His Plato’s Atlantis collection not only defined McQueen as a possible environmentalist but also as a designer who accepted the democratization of digital media.

‘When Alexander McQueen said he wanted to bring the brand directly to his audience and not be edited down, that was powerful stuff. It was a powerful breaking down of walls. He doesn’t want to be romanticized or glamorized in tabloids or the press; he wants to be heard,’ said Marc Gobé, the man behind branding the live stream, in an Oct.7, 2009, W magazine interview.

McQueen brought hope for fashion lovers. The most coveted and untouchable designer in the world was now vying for our attention through the computer screen.

Soon after, luxury brands followed in the steps of McQueen, and here we are in the present, with more than 20 high-end brands presenting their shows live and online.

Fashion is no longer about front-row editors and top celebrity placements. It’s not about Anna Wintour or the seating feuds between Vogue and Harper’s Bazaar.

Fashion is about the consumer, the aspiring college blogger hoping to make it in the industry someday. Fashion is about you, and it’s about me.

Vicki Ho is a senior public relations major. Her column appears every Thursday, and she can be reached at vho@syr.edu

Published on February 9, 2011 at 12:00 pm