High Fashion Talk (HFT) is an online fashion discussion group that has seen considerable growth over the last handful of years. With accounts across Facebook and Instagram primarily, High Fashion Talk has found a niche concept in the fashion world. One that many publications and larger media based fashion outlets haven’t truly utilized, the concept of the fashion discussion forum. Now, High Fashion Talk is not the only fashion oriented forum on the Internet. There are a select number of fashion pages on Reddit, though, none of them really tackle the general topic of fashion as it exists. That’s where HFT comes in, paving the way for any and all people to discuss, share, buy, sell and geek out about fashion.
Founded by Welsh Photographer Iolo Lewis Edwards, High Fashion Talk quickly begun to garner followers all over the world with exceptional growth in 2019 and 2020. It is not a solo effort however; multiple people work alongside Iolo and help him curate the brand that is High Fashion Talk.
Iolo Lewis Edwards, founder of HFT. Photo via F Word Magazine.
One of these instrumental characters that works behind the scenes for HFT is Ryan Lowe. Ryan Lowe is an Indiana native with an intense passion for fashion for as long as he can remember.
A self-proclaimed Alexander McQueen enthusiast, Lowe has one of the most diverse and knowledgeable fashion brains you might ever come in contact with. He scours the internet to find fashion blogs and collections that most people skip over. He is an arbiter of fashion’s forgotten, as well as fashion’s most notable. He’s a curation-oriented social media presence, someone who has large aspirations for not only himself in the fashion community, but the fashion community as a whole. Whether high fashion or DIY, he has an eye and an appreciation of all things fashion.
Ryan’s online presence is one of pretty specific intention and it makes sense why he became a part of High Fashion Talk earlier this year. Ryan’s Twitter and Instagram is full of editorials, fashion shows, conceptual outfits, design history and fashion history nuggets. He wants everyone who comes across his posts to come away with some amount of new information or inspiration. As he knows how important motivation is in this industry and ultimately feels that can be achieved through exposing people to as many looks, concepts and ideas as possible. This translates into what he does as an editor for High Fashion Talk, having been a part of growing the group’s main Facebook page from 67,000 likes to over 100,000 likes since joining in February.
In addition to being a voice within fashion’s social media world, Lowe is a collector of fashion pieces from RAF Simons and Supreme, to more independent small-time designers. If you have a brand, Lowe will find the unique components that are incorporated within your ideas.
“Fashion has taught me so much in such a little amount of time,” Ryan says. “I’ve gained so much knowledge on my own from reading books & taking notes. I’ve created this part of me that I wouldn’t have recognized, mentally, 5 years ago.”
We need more purely supportive people in this industry, people that appreciate fashion’s history but understand what needs to be done to move forward. People that want to make sure they uplift all kinds of voices within fashion, people that want to absorb every single aspect about it. Ryan Lowe is this kind of person and High Fashion Talk is the space for these kinds of individuals.
