Topshop’s going big on Facebook and Instagram at LFW, but is there a point to it?

With London Fashion Week kicking off today, it’s become clear that fashion brands are going big on using social media. We told you earlier about House of Holland and Metail teaming up and now Topshop has also announced that it’s debuting its new collection via Facebook and Instagram.

The Topshop Unique SS15 collection will be modelled on the London runway this Sunday, but selected items will not be anywhere near the catwalk, and will only be revealed on Facebook immediately after the show. Topshop is offering an immediate click-to-buy feature too, so we won’t be waiting months to actually purchase the items.

Instagram will also be playing a big part in Topshop’s time at London Fashion Week, as five users from the photo-sharing social network have been handpicked to curate Topshop’s social media for the entire week. Us mere mortals, on the other hand, can still get in on the Topshop/Instagram action by hash tagging #TopshopWindow, and, voila, we’ll apparently be part of a digital mirror in the window of the flagship store on Oxford Street. Weird…

I’m not sure if this inclusion of Facebook and Instagram actually adds anything to Topshop’s time at LFW. It alls seems very gimmicky, as if Phillip Green and co are just trying to be down with the kids. Surely, streaming the show online is enough so we feel like we’re on the FROW. I’m much more drawn to House of Holland and Metail’s bid at engaging with an online audience. Trying on the clothes in real-time? Yes please!

The Topshop Unique catwalk show is at 3pm on Sunday 14th September.

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