San Francisco Chronicle - (Sunday)
Style: Big questions about fashion and influencers.
The big questions about ambition, fashion and influencers.
What does the future hold? No one knows for sure, but we’ve been pondering the people and trends that will likely be important in 2019. Last week, we wrote about 10 pivotal, changing-of-theguard moments in 2018. Here are four burning questions we’ll continue to ask and explore in the year ahead. Please share yours with us: Email style@sfchronicle.com, tag @SFC_Style on Twitter, or comment online.
From the Marina to Marin to D.C.?
With former San Francisco Mayor and Lt. Gov. Gavin Newsom heading to the California governor’s mansion next year, we contemplate what 2019 may have in store for him and first lady Jennifer Siebel Newsom. We’ll leave policy speculation about the governor-elect to our colleagues in other departments at The Chronicle, but we can’t be the only ones wondering whether Sacramento is just a layover before a bid to take the White House. Speaking of the White House, will Newsom have more photo ops with President Trump given his ex-wife is former San Francisco prosecutor Kimberly Guilfoyle? She’s vice chair of the Trump super-PAC America First Action and is dating Donald Trump Jr. Only fire season will give us a clue. Newsom, who with his chiseled jaw and signature hairdo has oft been compared to other charismatic Democratic politicians like John F. Kennedy, has had a national profile since he took his stand for same-sex marriage during 2004’s Winter of Love. Siebel, who has said she
prefers the term “first partner,” is an actress, filmmaker and founder of the Representation Project (which advocates for gender equality in media depictions). Neither seem like they’re interested in doing things the old way. Siebel’s organization will no doubt continue to advocate for wider diversity in the representation of women in media (and for campaigns like #askhermore), but will her husband’s more prominent political role help boost her profile as a voice on women’s issues? Will Newsom’s advocacy for LGBTQ issues and environmentalism endear him to national voters? Will longtime Newsom friends the Getty family and other prominent San Franciscans continue to support the politician’s ambitions? And will he ever stop using so much hair product?
Are ‘influencers’ here to stay?
If you look at the numbers, the trend of brands using online “influencers” to help market products will continue next year. But at the same time, the term “influencer” is to 2019 as “hipster” was to 2015: an uncomfortable word everyone’s tired of saying, and a social category too awkward to be taken seriously. That’s not to say influencers are on the way out — we’ll just see them morphing from young faces with fabulous wardrobes and little else to full-fledged adults putting their real (and artfully curated) lives in the spotlight. This is a positive change, marking the end of Instagram’s initial glossy finish. We used to not know much about our influencers, aside from how they like
their lattes and where they work out. In 2019, the focus will shift to artists, makers and doers whose “influence” is a byproduct of their talent and career rather than their main gig.
We’ll be hearing more from people like Aleksandra Zee (123K followers on Instagram), the Oakland artist who already collaborated with Fossil and J.Crew; Alexandra D’Amour (19.7K followers), the founder of On Our Moon, a digital platform dedicated to spirituality; and Jen Pelka, PR maven and owner of the Riddler champagne bar, who recently appeared in a joint campaign by Uber and ChefsFeed. Brand collaborations will become longer affairs, with more local services and apps recruiting brand ambassadors for a season or two. We’ll see more influencers moving to Oakland (you can’t pay rent with gift bags), expanding the boundaries and perception of the Bay Area’s urban grid. And 2019 will be the year the LGBTQ influencers truly arrive. Watch for local gay icons in the making Damien Merino (@damien_merino), Justin C. Blomgren and Kendall Chase (@chasingkendall), who feature their adorable partners almost as frequently as swimming pools and brunches.
— Flora Tsapvosky
Is S.F. becoming the comfort shoe capital?
Who knew that a soft, ecofriendly shoe crafted from renewable merino wool would become the emblem of the tech set? No one — except perhaps Allbirds co-founders Tim Brown and Joey Zwillinger, who launched the footwear startup three years ago. The duo entered the “unicorn” realm in September after selling a stake to investors at a valuation of $1.4 billion, according to the Wall Street Journal. The $50 million Series C funding will allow the company to expand beyond its Jackson Square flagship to New York, the United Kingdom and Asia in the coming year.
But Allbirds wasn’t the only hot-footed startup: Rothy’s colorful 3D-woven flats also received a $35 million funding infusion in December, and luxe house slipper brand Birdies is rapidly expanding, with a shop on Union Street, Nordstrom distribution and special collections (not to mention the Meghan Markle seal of approval). Smaller local startups also mining the fashion influencer Instagram scene, while staying rooted in craftsmanship and wearability, include women’s lines Arno Collective, Freda Salvador and Bryr clogs and Santa Venetia Goods. Meanwhile, venerable sandal maker Birkenstock, whose U.S. headquarters is in Novato, opened a New York store to instant acclaim. Can San Francisco be far behind?
— Laura Compton
Will lifestyle magazines exist only as online portals?
The media are evolving. It isn’t just how we view fashion and lifestyle content that’s changing, it’s what we expect when we pick up a publication. Two magazines that took their content in a more social and political direction, Teen Vogue and Glamour, ceased their print publications this year and moved online. But they didn’t ditch the glossy fashion spreads or stories on beauty products — they were still there, along with essays on everything from the #MeToo movement to cultural appropriation. Former Teen Vogue editor-in-chief Elaine Welteroth explained frequently during her tenure that lifestyle content didn’t have to compete with the news and personal reflections; rather, they were an integrated part of the brand’s identity.
2019 will likely see this continued melding of traditional style content with stories about politics and culture as publications continue to move online. (The writing is also on the wall at Californiabased Sunset magazine.) Why? Society has changed since the foundings of these publications, many of which are over 100 years old. Readers want more: Newer lifestyle sites like Refinery29, Goop and the recently folded Rookie found success by casting a wider net and opened the door for curated newsletters. More and more, our politics and social views are expected to influence what we consume and how we consume it.