Launching at a time when bloggers are perhaps more valuable than ever to brands–and at a time when brands are still trying to figure out how to connect with and how best to use bloggers–Fohr card has signed on some pretty big names.
You know how brands partner with bloggers to create editorial content and capitalize on their influence? And how those brands pay bloggers so they can make a living?
Fohr Card, a new start up founded by former Tumblr fashion director Rich Tong, Holly Stair and James Nord (all of whom met through Tumblr), aims to streamline that process for bloggers and brands alike.
We chatted with Tong’s co-founder Holly Stair about how the project came about, the response from bloggers and brands, and what’s next.
Lily Aldridge tweeted this adorable photo of her daughter (and probably future supermodel musician) Dixie Pearl being held in the air by poppa (and Kings of Leon frontman) Caleb Followill. Awwwww. {US Weekly} Good news: Michael Phelps gets to keep that Louis Vuitton ad that, er, doesn’t officially exist yet as well as all his Read more →
Looks like Tumblr may soon be looking for a new Fashion Director.
According to Betabeat, Rich Tong, who currently holds that position, is leaving the company. Apparently, the position called for more of an “abassador”-esque role, while Tong saw himself more in “an ‘entrepreneurial’ light”–or, if Betabeat’s sources are to be believed, someone who is sort of unaccountable. “[Tong]‘s been out of the office for much of the last three weeks,” Betabeat reported. “And [his] diminishing presence has not gone unnoticed by the rest of the staff.”
It seems the honeymoon between the fashion industry and Tumblr is officially over.
The first rumblings of a fall out came, as Mashable reported last night, from Jessica Coghan, director of digital marketing at Starworks Group, who voiced complaints about the platform–namely that Tumblr does not have an analytics board, making it hard for brands to measure their presence, and that the platform’s NYFW sponsorship proposals were unreasonably pricey.
Since then the floodgates have opened, with all sorts of people coming out of the woodwork to slam Tumblr–from Julie Fredrickson, who manages digital and social media at Ann Taylor and Raman Kia, director of digital and social media marketing at Starworks, to Tony King, creative director of digital agency King & Partners. Like Coghan, these industry players complained about Tumblr’s lack of analytics, absurd sponsorship price points and many of them also went on to personally call out Tumblr’s Fashion Director, Rich Tong.
Yesterday, we gave you a sneak preview of five of the 20 bloggers Tumblr is planning to send to New York Fashion Week next month. After a selection process that sounded quite intensive, Tumblr narrowed down hundreds of submissions down to 20 blogs–16 new ones as well as four of last year’s success stories. All 20 have just been announced and they are definitely ones to watch.
So, without further ado, here is the full list of the 20 blogging stars you might be seeing around the tents in two weeks, plus a little blurb about who they are, via Rich Tong (Tumblr’s fashion director)’s Tumblr.
Fashion took to Tumblr almost as soon as the microblogging platform launched. A match made in heaven, the image-heavy Tumblr was the perfect way to showcase fashion pix–from editorial inspiration to runway looks to street style. According to a recent report from Mashable, approximately 180 of the top 1,000 Tumblr blogs are fashion related so it made sense that the platform hired a fashion director, Rich Tong, and that it invited 20 Tumblrs to New York Fashion Week last season.
This season, Tumblr will once again import 20 influential fashion bloggers to New York to cover the shows. According to Tumblr spokesperson Katherine Barna, “the selection process for the bloggers this season was much more intensive; we put up an open call for submissions and recommendations, then spent a tremendous amount of time reviewing each and every single blog, evaluating each on original content, level of curation, unique voice, overall aesthetic, followers and traffic.” Candidates were then interviewed before the final selection was made. 16 new bloggers from Tumblr’s fashion community were chosen, and four are repeats from last season. Those four “produced incredible content and really capitalized on the opportunity to advance their professional careers,” says Barna.
So without further ado, here are five of the lucky 20 bloggers who will be at New York Fashion Week at Tumblr’s behest. Tumblr will release the full list tomorrow.
What do you think of Tumblr’s choices this season?
Rich Tong, the fashion director at Tumblr, just posted some exciting news for Tumblr users, especially those of you who specialize in beauty. It sounds like they’re sending a troop of bloggers to New York Fashion Week again to cover the spring shows this September, but they’re adding a focus on beauty and accessories.
This is fantastic news for beauty Tumblrs, of which there are many amazing ones. Here’s what Rich posted:
It was just over a month ago we told you Tumblr–the image-heavy platform that high profile luxury labels, fashion writers, fashion photogs, and fashion enthusiasts alike have become taken with–was sending over 20 of its users to New York Fashion Week.
Now we’ve got the list of bloggers and more deets about what they’ll be doing this coming week. It’s no surprise that Jessica Quirk (nee Schroeder) of What I Wore and Textbook‘s John Jannuzzi are two of the chosen 24. But maybe it’s a bit more surprising that Tumblr is flying in Party Tights‘ Ella Wood, a 16-year-old who Tumbls from Devon, England.
And if you were doubtful that Tumblr’s 24-strong fleet would have access to shows, they’re all set to attend Oscar de la Renta’s show on February 16, as well as get some one on one face time with Mr. de la Renta himself this Friday before his show. Erika Bearman, the brand’s director of communications (better known as @oscarprgirl), will also treat the Tumblr 24 to a tour of Oscar de la Renta’s studio.
Check out the full list of the lucky 24.
Now we’ve got the list of bloggers and more deets about what they’ll be doing this coming week. It’s no surprise that Jessica Shroeder (now Quirk) of What I Wore and Textbook‘s John Jannuzzi are two of the chosen 24. But maybe it’s a bit more surprising that Tumblr is flying in Party Tights‘ Ella Wood, a 16-year-old who Tumbls from Devon, England.
And if you were doubtful that Tumblr’s 24-strong fleet would have access to shows, they’re all set to attend Oscar de la Renta’s show on February 16, as well as get some one on one face time with Mr. de la Renta himself this Friday before his show. Erika Bearman, the brand’s director of communications (better known as @oscarprgirl), will also treat the Tumblr 24 to a tour of Oscar de la Renta’s studio.
Check out the full list of the lucky 24.
Tumblr, the image-heavy platform beloved by top fashion bloggers like Tavi Gevinson and Jessica Quirk (What I Wore), is focusing more of its energy on the fashion industry.
In fact, it’s sending more than 20 of its bloggers to New York Fashion Week. Participating Tumblrs include What I Wore; Peace, Love, Chanel; SaraZucker.com. About eight hail from New York, but the rest will be flown in for the nine-day event. They’ll receive complimentary flights, accommodation, and will be whisked off to lunches, dinners, and cocktails with a roster of to-be-confirmed brands and designers. And of course they’ll receive access to several New York Fashion Week shows, says Rich Tong, Tumblr’s newly-annointed fashion director. (Specific shows are also yet-to-be confirmed.) They’ll also be attending the the Independent Fashion Bloggers’ conference, the Bloglovin awards, and an end-of-week party. To make the bloggers’ coverage of events and shows even more visible, Tumblr will host a real-time feed of their content at Tumblr.com/nyfw, mixed in with content from other “media partners.”
