Fashion went through diverse medium-related transformation during history.
Nowadays, in the digital era, social media and multiple online platforms serve as vehicles for new ways of com- munication. They are preferred by some over, so-called, traditional media for a number of reasons, such as the fact that they are quicker, more direct and easily accessible from a great number of people.
Social medias with the “platformization” brought a big changing factor in the fields of fashion scandals. If on one hand brands can now reach much wider audience, at the same time the audience can now intervene and take action translatable in bad reviews, posts but even boycott and mass gathering.

We can say that the arriving of social media implemented a shifting of power factor across the world of fashion, now entering in the Platformization era.
The so called “Platformization” it’s a new intricate organisation that redefine the boundaries of fashion.

If in one hand brands can now reach much wider number of persons, in the other it’s very difficult to meet ev- erybody’s ideals, exposing the brands to open critics and making them more vulnerable. The irreversible switch to platforms shifted to the center the power on the path of a more democratic fashion system as mass access interactions with fashion contents is now possible helping to promote dialogues and public debates across the whole fashion chain elevating the customers from passive to active receivers.

One of the big steps of this process happens in the 2010s, the so called “Age of Instagram” increasing exponen- tially the weight of platformization in the disruption of fashion. Instagram is a social media platform launched in October 2010 and founded in the USA by Mike Krieger and Kevin Systrom, counting now over one billion active users(2019). It is one of the most used applications with Tik Tok and Facebook.

It embodies a space where all the fashion community is represented, from costumers to brands and medias. Ins- tagram plays a capital role in the disruption of fashion communication. Because of his huge popularity nowadays not only big firms but also retailers, and all kind of smaller business has joined the “hub” of Instagram.
His popularity has enabled brands to have a more digital presentation of their shows through the media. For example Prada in collaboration with Raf Simons designed a full digitalised show in 2021 for their collection. This decision was also linked to the pandemic situation at that time, and, after Miuccia Prada, dealing with all the “many questions that are now really moving” going from diversity, to the ecosystem and so on, and being a part of the changes.

In these years if a fashion scandal is not started already inside the social media, a part the action surely gonna move into Instagram. Posts, comments quickly diffused across the globe opening up the debate. Throughout social medias information voice is no longer controlled by the brand. This speed of diffusion it’s part of the new impredictable nature of the contemporary fashion scandal. It’s here that brands loses control and more and more scandals strike them in surprise. Media pages followed by their comunities are enhancer of this process.

Contemporary scandals shows that the bonds between consumers and brands are complex and ephemeral. The consumer outrage is a strong negative morally charged reaction from the audience translated in sudden discharge of interventions able to lower the value of the brand.

Since the platformization, we can sense a raise of expectation toward brands to “improve” in moral and ethic questions, pushing them to be more criti- cal and active in debates. But the voice of public opinion wouldn’t be much effective without the intervention of social fashion medias. Playing a major role in the democratisation of fashion These accounts share the fashion news trough posts, working as a social-media-converted fashion newspaper.

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The most known fashion media is Diet Prada, active since 2014 counting now 3,4 milion of followers. With is

founders Tony Liu and Lindsey Schuyler, it is “the most feared Instagram account in Fashion” (BoF). Like oth- ers Diet Prada shares fashion news by reviewing the collections or posting memes, but they’re best known for denouncing unethical behaviour inside the fashion chain. Diet Prada has conquered this figure of paladin of fashion, helping to end once for all the era where the industry could turn around issues.

Since their big community, wich is called the “Dieters”, the consumer outrage can be very strong, flooding the author of the threats with critics, sometimes aggressive messages, and exposing them to boycotting, irremediably affecting the relation between the audience and the fashion companies. As a result of these dynamics the defini- tion or conception of fashion scandal changed as well changing the whole turn out.

These dynamics gived birth to the so called “calling-out” or “cancellation” of a brand, that means that they are forced to take action to counter the problem and opening themselves to be more inclusive.
Just until a few years ago, especially luxury fashion brands were considered to be exclusively for the upper class. However, nowadays, it is not uncommon to see people on the streets wearing an outfit by fast fashion companies topped with a luxury accessory, such as a Balenciaga bag.

To help them to prevent scandals, most of the brands re-shaped they’re marketing in order to celebrate the greater aspect of their creative business. But brands that add ethical values to their communication often are not activists brands.

This happened with Loro Piana for example. The brand is stating to “represent a key economic support local- ly, protecting and fortifying the demand and the value of the vicuna fiber, regardless marketing dynamics”. The vicuna fiber comes from a relative of alpacas almost brought to extinction during the ‘60s.

But in reality Loro Piana uses unpaid Peruvian labor in harvesting the vicuna fiber while setting ultra exclusive price ranges. As Diet Prada shares, workers dont get enough money to pay everyone needed for the harvest. Hired outside laborers get about $20, but locals are expected to work for free.

Establishing or re-establishing a healthy link with consumer is crucial for fashion brands if they want to preserve themselves from fashion scandals. An active community will help building up a new brand image, influence per- ceptions and eventually help other users in making decisions.

In this situation, inclusiviness is the key.

One of the answer most adopted in the industry is to hire managers like the Diversity officer, charged evaluate if the brand policies meet the standards and goals. But it is still questionable if those are actually game changers tool or fruit of a diversity-washing marketing technique.

Gucci is one of the greatest example of brand promoting inclusiveness in the fashion system through his social media profile. To do so Gucci team used online marketing communication strategies. For example the use of
the concept of common experiences where the audience can easily identify and feel included. The evocation of everyday life comon activities it’s used to present the brand on a more lowkey level and accessible for everybody.

Posts are a very reliable communication methods since they are istantly diffuse and accessible to everyone. A post can also work as a more strong positioning statement. In 2020, when the brand creative director was still Alessandro Michele, the Instagram account would post a picture of an actress showing of at a Repro- ductive Rights Rally in Washigton D.C wearing a Gucci jacket with written “MY BODY MY CHOICE”. This post wanted to show case the involvment of Gucci in human rights demonstra- tion as well as the support to women trough their clothing.
These strategical post is in alignement with the cultural push that Platformization underlines.

When the positioning of a brand is clearly communicated, then they will have a positive influence on the audience, setting good condition for growth.

Since the Platformization and the spread of global awareness, nowaday the audience would follow a brand after his engagment and positioning toward modern challenges. To “position” means to “create a distinct place for your brand in the mind of the consumer and that key messages are derived from that posittion.”

Sources

Prada 2021 show https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yKw39s55vOM

Diet Prada https://www.theavenuemag.com/fashion-blog/2022/5/5/the-fashion-industry-diet-pradas-victim

Inclusiveness https://thesis.eur.nl/pub/57187/Pliakogianni-Katerina.pdf

Annamari Vanska & Olga Gurova Understanding Fashion Scandals https://www.bloomsbury.com/us/understanding-fashion-scandals-9781350248939/