Scenes from the Free People Blogger Retreat

Here are some pictures from the Free People Blogger retreat I attended with Kaitlin on Friday! It was hard to act calm and collected since I had been anticipating this event since November. Needless to say it was more than I imagined it would be and above all such a great learning experience. This was my second time at URBN headquarters. I had visited before for a networking event and I also work for Urban Outfitters. I absolutely love coming to the Naval Yard in Philly. 

The retreat taught me so much! As a public relations and communications graduate I came in knowing what I was already taught for 4 years and left with even more new knowledge. It is always great to hear from those in the field and even better from a company you admire. The presenters brought an informative and reali life view on topics and answered all our questions. 

Needless to say I went back to work the next morning and was bombarded with questions about the event. I don't think my words were enough to explain my experience from the Free People folks. I simply had a fantastic time and left feeling more sure of myself and my future dreams and passion for writing. If I were to leave with only one thing in mind from the retreat it would be simply this from the editor Shani Silver:

"Blog for yourself don't lose yourself in blogging. If it's something you wouldn't say yourself don't write it and most of all if blogging ever seems like it's becoming a dread, take a break form it and reevaluate why you were blogging in the first place."

Some doodles and notes taken.

Beautiful seasonal display when you enter Free People offices.

Good grub is good.

For some reason the overcast of the day seemed perfect with the ships.

Kaitlin and I - prints on prints on prints on textures on textures

Wall of vases

Lounge time although it was too pretty to be wrinkled by my tired bum!

Ditch the Magazines and Hikes to the Mall and Just Get a Blog Already!

The PR fashion industry is always changing with the latest trends and yes, social media, of course. With the rise of instablogging sites such as Tumblr and Instagram, the publics' demand for instant user-friendly fashion is growing every day. Before, fashionistas and aspiring designers would turn to hard copy magazines to get their daily fix on the industry but now the content is free and shareable on blogging platforms, which have become a favorite of fashion PR agencies to see the ongoing atmosphere of their audiences. Top designers and industry gurus such as Rachel Roy, DKNY, Vogue, and Urban Outfitters have official Tumblr blogs where they not only share products and company news, but also draw out inspiration from other fashion bloggers and followers globally.

This has turned the fashion industry from an "insider only" view, when in order to be in on the latest trends, you had to either work in the industry and be connected to someone, to a more friendly and personal one where literally anyone with a unique style and love for fashion can share and be updated on content. According to PRcouture.com, fashion is no longer exclusive to only a privileged few but has "established a new way of experiencing and connecting to like-minded readers through style, outfit photos and DIY, carving out places online that made fashion personal and discoverable through weekly posts."

This surge of fashion blogs does not necessarily mean that print editorial, photography and the runway show aspect of the industry are dying, that will always be there, but it does mean that fashion is becoming more disseminated to the masses and that diversity and accessibility is a key measurement of business and success. The industry has simply figured out where a new untapped public of fashion inspiration lies and is not wasting time looking over its market and creative potential. More importantly, social media sites have started a new wave of jobs for fashion companies that are highly in need of bloggers and trendsetters to manage their social media accounts and update them on the latest street culture and style of everyone else - and what better way to hire these people than from your own pool of followers? The industry has overall become less exclusive and all together more inclusive of everyone.

So if you're in need of your daily fashion fix or just want to share your diverse style then get a blog, follow your favorite designers and get inspired! Remember, you never know what designer could be using your style as an inspiration for their new Fall/Winter 2012 line someday!

This guest blog was written by PRowl Public Relations staff member Jessica Lopez.

Original post can be read here.