The Influencer Effect on Coachella
- Julia Mrochko
- 2 days ago
- 3 min read
Here ye, here ye. Order in the court. Class is in session. TRUST, y'all I'm back from my softball filled hiatus. I felt like I had to share my take on one of the biggest days of fashion of the year, COACHELLAAA. WOOOOOO. or is it really woooooo? This may be all over the place but just follow along please.
Historically, Coachella has become the place for boho outfits like queen Vanessa Hudgens is known for. Flower crowns, crochets, flowey skirts, scarves. Anything to feel like you're in your indie dream listening Tame Impala and Florence and the Machine. Brands saw the number of celebrities flowing into the festival and saw an opportunity to market, which how could they not, and campaigns like H&M's #HMLovesCoachella in 2015 were born paving the way for influencer houses and brand houses like the Alix Earle x Poppi house in 2024. This shift from the love of the music to a way of promoting brands and creating shareholder value is something we will touch on in todays session. From this marketing style and the rise of technology, Instagram, Tumblr, TikTok, influencer and celebrity presence soared. The circular approach of "we fly you out, house, feed, clothe you and you post some content" has been used since the dawn of time now (it's been 10 years lol). Compared to the typical camping, influencers are housed at mansions and Airbnb's with luxurious amenities. The question becomes, how has this shift in marketing affected the way that Coachella goers dress?
In the picture to left if you are on the computer (Idk where it'll be on your phone), we see 2015 style. I feel like freedom is a common theme. Flowing skirts, shirts. Straw Hats, headbands. This is the beginning of campaigns. No one is saying in any regard that they had to live in a hole, BUT I am sure they weren't having as luxurious of an experience as now. Maybe there was like a Forever 21 photo booth lol. Anyways, the ability to move freely and enjoy music had to have some sort of influence on the clothing choices, and maybe they were asking themselves "how can I stay cool during the heat in the day and chill of the night?" "Are my shoes going to be walkable all day?" You see what I'm saying? YES, people still ask this question now, but celebs and influencers, if they went, I mean probably had to stay if you pick up what I'm putting down. Freedom, music, and community I feel like radiates from this. Imagine some old indie music comes on like Rex Orange County and then you're going to see Daft Punk later. Yes it was about clothes but also experience. Now you see influencers pulling up in clothing that looks immovable. It almost appears as if they lost any sort of style except what the brand that brought them there wants them to dress in. Additionally, on the other end, it seems like people are grasping at STRAWS to look trendy or "cool." Like I almost cried
laughing looking at Haylee Baylee's outfit with the weird long pink braids and like fishnet rhinestone overlay dress. LIKE WHAT IS THAT. I am not sure if this is related to anyway when there were different entrances for VIP so they would come for pictures basically and that's it (that has since changed this year), but I KNOW if you are dancing and there for the music, you are not surviving in that outfit. I'm all for ripping the outfit for looks but festivals are long and grueling. One of the only influencers who's outfits I enjoy is Zoifish. She puts on a fit EVERY TIME that actually seems functional (she the girl at the beginning of the post). Per usual, is this rhetorical in nature and is there an answer, no. I just be word vomiting. BUT, I definitely feel like the influencer invasion is taking away from the fashion of Coachella. The style of it, the freedom of it, has shifted to a more restricted feeling of clothing and garment creation that I cannot say I enjoy. This year has been extremely disappointing in my eyes, and until we start to find a way to bridge the gap of status and wealth, expression through clothing will continue to be performance based and creativity will be missing. But maybe that should be the focus. Maybe people should focus more on the ARTISTS and art there than promoting themselves online. Who knows.
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