LONDON, United Kingdom — According to network technology and services company Cisco, the number of people who watch web videos will surpass 1 billion by the end of 2010. By 2014, web video alone will account for 57 percent of all consumer internet traffic. Already, more than 2 billion videos are played each day on YouTube alone. With staggering statistics like these, it’s no surprise that fashion brands, both large and small, are investing in online video content, while agencies that represent commercial artists are urging their fashion photographers to reposition themselves as image-makers who can direct short films.

But what makes a good fashion film? And are these the same primary concerns that go into a good fashion photograph? While these questions have been circulating since SHOWstudio’s early experiments in moving image, this season, as the medium of fashion film matures, we saw the debate condense around two distinct points of view.

Some industry figures say that creating a successful fashion film is very different to creating a fashion photograph and underscore the primary importance of elements like narrative and acting. “What makes a good fashion film is exactly what makes any good film: direction, lighting, acting, script, sound,” said Diane Pernet, influential fashion blogger and founder of A Shaded View on Fashion Film. “These are elements that go beyond a static photo shoot,” she continued.

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London Fashion Week tent at Somerset House | Source: FashionSpot

British fashion industry now worth nearly £21bn a year (Guardian)
“The research highlights not only the direct impact of the fashion industry, including wholesale, retail and manufacturing, on the economy but also its effect on other industries including financial services and tourism.”

From Runway to Retail (WSJ)
“After a New York Fashion Week of dramatic and extreme, if gorgeous, clothes strutting down the runways, now the outfits must become shirts, skirts and pants women will actually wear.”

Dazed & Confused’s Digital Relaunch (PSFK)
“With their new site, which went live on the seventh of September, after a period of hiatus with nothing but a countdown visible, they’ve cemented their position as one of the most advanced and forward thinking British publications.”

Facebook ‘Places’ Campaigns Debut With Betsey Johnson (ClickZ)
“A Betsey Johnson store in California and a novelties e-tailer will each launch Facebook Places campaigns… The location-based efforts represent the first-ever Places initiatives.”

Does Fashion Make Good Theater? (NY Times)
“From a layman’s perspective, the jostling melee of entry, seating and the all-important photo-taking constitutes the liveliest part of the show. It’s a comedy of manners to rival anything on a Broadway stage.”

Screenshot of Dazed & Confused March Trailer | Source: Pokeware

NEW YORK, United States — “Moving image is the future of fashion communication.” It’s a mantra we’ve been hearing from influencers across the industry. Indeed, the number of unique viewers of online video has increased 10.5 percent year-over-year, according to The Nielsen Company, from 127.6 million unique viewers in February 2009 to 141 million in February 2010.

With this kind of reach and rapid growth, it’s no surprise that both fashion brands and publishers are investing in short digital films shot by some of the world’s best photographers and directors.

But while these videos have proven to be powerful and cost effective vehicles for creating emotional connections and buzz online, it’s been difficult to directly tie them to sales figures — until now.

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Jennifer Aniston by Steven Klein | Source: W Magazine

NEW YORK, United States — In recent seasons, fashion brands have learnt to think like publishers, creating original digital content to earn attention and attract fans who will carry their message across the internet. But the reverse is also true: squeezed by shrinking advertising budgets, traditional content creators like magazines are learning to think like retailers, embracing e-commerce to open new revenue streams and monetise their content.

“Publishers are the number one generators of purchasing intent for brands every day, but are being allocated an ever shrinking amount of ad dollars,” said Philippe von Borries, co-founder and publisher of popular fashion website Refinery29.com.

Indeed, “intent generators” like magazines are losing their fair share of sales revenue to “intent harvesters” like shopping sites at the end of the purchasing process, observes internet entrepreneur Chris Dixon in an insightful blog post entitled “A Massive Misallocation of Online Advertising Dollars.”

Mr. Dixon suggests that better techniques for tracking how publishers generate purchase intent could lead to a more favorable allocation of advertising dollars, allowing content sites to focus purely on producing content. But many magazines are hedging their bets, becoming both “intent generators” and “intent harvesters” by launching their own online shops and integrating them into their editorial platforms.

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LONDON, United Kingdom — As we enter the dog days of August, The Business of Fashion is going to take a holiday. But before we take our little sabbatical, we have a request for you, our loyal readers.

We were delighted to learn last week that BoF has been shortlisted for the first Dazed Digital RAW Blog Awards, in the fashion category. The awards have now been opened to a public vote — and the competition is fierce. We are honoured to share the nomination with several other excellent fashion blogs, including Jak & Jil, DisneyRollerGirl, and our friends over at the Fashion156 daily blog.

Everyday, thousands and thousands of you around the world log in to www.businessoffashion.com or enjoy our BoF Daily Newsletter on your Blackberries, iPhones and laptops as a free tool for research, intelligence and inspiration in your day to day work in the fashion business. Today, we are counting on you to click here and scroll down to find our BoF logo and vote for The Business of Fashion!

VOTE FOR BoF IN THE DAZED DIGITAL RAW BLOG AWARDS

Share the link with your friends on Facebook, Tweet it to the world and help us win. From all of us at BoF, thank you!