Diet Prada: The Gossip Girl of the Fashion Industry
The #1 source for your fashion news. Also known as the most feared account on Instagram according to the Business of Fashion. You know you love me, xoxo Diet Prada.
Helpful or harmful? That is a question that surrounds the fashion watchdog Instagram account, Diet Prada. The Instagram news source often exposes injustices and discrimination within the fashion world as a way to lend their platform to smaller designers or individuals being wronged in such an expansive and overwhelming industry. While the account aims to denounce injustices, especially within fashion, their unfiltered commentary and distinct voice can either demand accountability or promote cancel culture.
Diet Prada owners Tony Liu & Lindsey Schuyler
In 2014, Diet Prada was created by fashion industry professionals Tony Liu and Lindsey Schuyler. The account was originally created for fun where Liu and Schuyler would document and expose designer copycats in side-by-side comparisons with witty captions. Today, the fashion news source now has over 2.7 million ‘Dieters’ with notable followers including Gigi Hadid, Jonah Hill, Marc Jacobs etc. Their ascent into Instagram fame didn’t happen overnight, however, as it took them nearly 2 years to hit the 1,000-follower milestone.
Diet Prada’s very first post comparing a Raf Simons copycat design of Prada.
Diet Prada continued to grow their account by continuing to faithfully call out designer copycats over the next four years until they recognized an uptick in interest and numbers beginning in 2017 after calling out an abusive photographer. Liu and Schuyler realized that their platform had the power to share more than just designer copycats and began taking on a more serious tone by reporting on other cruelties commonly seen in the fashion world such as fast fashion, model abuse, cultural appropriation and lack of diversity.
In 2018, Diet Prada exposed racist videos created by Dolce & Gabbana which amassed over 650k views and launched a series of heated back-and-forth exchanges with the luxury brand.
Today, Diet Prada comfortably and confidently reports on arrange of these different topics to keep their hungry ‘Dieters’ informed within the fashion world. They also use their platform to share current news stories such as following the Derek Chauvin trial and advocating for the BLM and #StopAsianHate movements.
An Instagram post dedicated to Xiaojie Tan, one of the women who lost their lives in the Georgia shootings on March 16.
“We just kind of realized there was so much more in this industry that needed to be talked about and a lot of these people have serious concerns and they don’t have a voice, they don’t have a platform. So we’re able to give that to them and highlight issues that the industry, for the most part, ignores. Diversity. Representation”
Diet Prada is not only a fashion news source, but an open platform that followers can use as a forum to voice opinions and injustices within the industry. They are unafraid to shed light and exposure on the shady behavior of bigger brands and designers that often take advantage of smaller creators. They singlehandedly continue to challenge the fashion industry each day by pushing for accountability and advocating for movements important to them. This has now resulted in some brands and designers acknowledging their existence as well as inspiring copycat accounts to follow their mission. Overall, Diet Prada has pioneered a new way to hold brands and individuals accountable while also being able to amplify stories that may never have been heard otherwise.
What are your thoughts on the Diet Prada Instagram?