Before the mid-19th century, clothing was a personal expression, created by hand at home or by tailors. However, with technological advancements and the rise of the fashion world, the fashion industry evolved in terms of production and distribution. Factories and retail outlets emerged, producing clothes in specific sizes and selling them at fixed prices. The media also underwent significant changes, and issues such as dress designing, styling credits, inspiration, reference, and authenticity became increasingly important. Various platforms began covering fashion trends and controversies to engage audiences.
Today, the fashion industry is a multibillion-dollar global market dedicated to creating and selling high-quality clothing. As Kate Spade once said, "Playing dress-up begins at age five and never truly ends."
The Fashion World: A Brief Introduction
While there is a minor technical difference between the fashion industry and the apparel industry, the gap closes with the latest fashion trends. Designs showcased in fashion shows by renowned brands may differ from mass-produced streetwear available in stores. The fashion industry encompasses the manufacturing and advertising of all types of clothing, from exclusive branded styles to casual wear. The goal is to break the monotony of wearing the same styles for years. As Kenzo Takada put it, "Fashion is like eating, you shouldn't stick to the same menu."
Diet Sabya and Diet Prada: Controversial Platforms
Like any other industry, the fashion industry faces issues such as plagiarism and bigotry. Novel and unique designs are praised, while copied designs are shamed. However, determining whether a look or style is copied can be challenging. This is where Diet Prada and Diet Sabya come in. These social media accounts act as fashion police, exposing copycat fashion and highlighting similarities in design. They also address issues like racism and bigotry within the industry.
Diet Prada
Diet Prada, with the tagline "ppl knocking each other off lol," consistently exposes brands and designers for copying fashion and styles. The account also responds to racism reports received from its Instagram followers, ensuring that designers are aware of scrutiny.
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Diet Sabya
Diet Sabya focuses on the Indian fashion industry, humorously exposing fashion inspirations and calling out celebrities for wearing international brands. The account also reveals edited and photoshopped images, which is why it is adored by its followers.
The Significance of These Platforms
There is a fine line between inspiration and copying. Diet Sabya often calls out Indian fashion designers who blatantly copy international designs. Copycatting has been a long-standing issue in Indian fashion, with design studios importing clothing from cities like Bangkok and South Korea and selling them under false brand names at inflated prices. In this scenario, it becomes necessary to target such designer houses.
Diet Prada has been working to improve the fashion world, and Diet Sabya's account recently received approval from designer Sabyasachi, who tweeted, "These guys are pretty good." Diet Prada uses a decent and elaborate explanatory tone, while Diet Sabya is more direct and amusing.
The Faces Behind Diet Prada and Diet Sabya
Initially, the owners of Diet Sabya and Diet Prada remained anonymous. However, after a feud with Dolce and Gabbana, Diet Prada revealed its founders in May 2018: Tony Liu, 32, and Lindsey Schuyler, 30. They met while working as designers under Eugenia Kin and launched Diet Prada in 2014. Now, they are not afraid to call out names in the industry. Diet Prada's Instagram account is followed by celebrities, supermodels, and stylists. The account posts side-by-side photos of copycat designs with the originals and shames the plagiarists in the captions. Diet Sabya is more sharp and direct, calling the style a "#gandi copy."
Rip-Off or Counterfeit Controversies
Diet Sabya recently exposed Erika Packard for wearing a shirt that was claimed to be an original design by Ikat Story but was actually made from her uncle's hand-me-down and a patch from her mother's bandhani saree.
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Another incident involved a couture collection lehenga showcased by Suneet Verma that had similarities to a design from Abu Jani and Sandeep Khosla's 2015 retail design.
Diet Sabya also called out Yami Gautam for wearing a red net gown that resembled Bella Hadid's original dress, captioning it "Bella Hadid from Bandra."
Diet Prada called out Olivia Culpo for wearing a dress designed by Retrofete that resembled one she launched in her collection.
A Chanel pearl vest worn by Linda Evangelista in 1991 was copied by a Korean brand called Blindness in 2018.
Designers Suing Giants of the Fashion World
Diet Prada and Diet Sabya target brands like Celine, Giambattista Valli, Calvin Klein, Nykaa, Lulu and Sky, Koovs, Dolce and Gabbana, and Masaba Gupta. However, the intention is not to pose legal allegations. While some brands issue apologies or public confessions, others, like Virgil Abloh, deny the accusations, claiming that similarities in designs can be coincidental.
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Controversies with Big Names in the Fashion World
Diet Prada faced a major controversy with Dolce and Gabbana when the brand copied Diet Prada's official merchandise. The feud between the two is still ongoing.
The Impact of Diet Prada and Diet Sabya on the Fashion Market
By being kind but offensive when necessary, both platforms have made designers and stylists more cautious. The main goal is to let creativity thrive. Diet Prada and Diet Sabya are against racism, bigotry, impoliteness, and indecency in the fashion industry, aiming to make it a safe place for everyone.
Fashion's Watchdogs: A Force for Accountability
Fashion critics and magazine writers who were once afraid to call out big names in the industry are now backed by platforms like Diet Prada and Diet Sabya. These accounts have amassed a large following and have become influential voices in the fashion industry.
Diet Prada was launched in 2014 by Lindsey Schuyler and Tony Liu, who initially ran the account anonymously. The account names and shames brands and designers by juxtaposing photos of new designs with older designs. Diet Prada also aims to root out misogyny, racism, and model abuse in the industry. The account exploded in 2018 following a string of public fashion controversies.
Diet Prada has called out Kim Kardashian, Prada, and Christian Siriano. The most notorious controversy is the ongoing feud with Dolce & Gabbana, which led to the cancellation of the brand's Shanghai show in 2018.
The Evolution of Diet Prada
As the fashion industry undergoes a radical reconsideration of its approach to diversity, Diet Prada is broadening its coverage to include politics and social justice. However, the account has faced criticism for missing the mark and upholding tokenism in the industry.
Some fashion insiders believe that Diet Prada often searches for inflammatory angles instead of working towards a cohesive platform for a reformed fashion industry. Others argue that "canceling" people doesn't give them the opportunity to fix their mistakes.
New industry efforts, such as the Black In Fashion Council and The Fifteen Percent Pledge, aim to challenge racism in fashion and promote accountability.
The founders of Diet Prada have expressed agreement with these efforts and suggest that "callout culture" may become less necessary as more individual leaders emerge.
Diet Prada has adapted a new format with magazine-style headlines and deks, providing screenshots, comments, and other visuals as evidence. The account has also posted about news outside the direct bounds of fashion, such as Black Lives Matter protests and stories of statues of slave traders being pulled down.
However, efforts to broaden the scope of coverage have led to some unfortunate optics, with critics questioning the account's priorities and credibility.
Ultimately, Diet Prada will need to decide its role in the fashion ecosystem and make its stances on various issues public.
Diet Prada's Impact on the Fashion Industry
Diet Prada's posts generate high engagement and often result in action from those posted about, such as apology posts, disabled comment sections, or deleted accounts. The account has democratized the fashion industry, giving ordinary individuals a platform to share their opinions of fashion brands and professionals.
Diet Prada helps smaller players in the industry feel heard. For example, the account has repeatedly called out Danielle Bernstein for plagiarizing other designers' work.
Diet Prada is also known for exposing big names in the industry, often sending "Dieters" to flood the DMs and comment sections of the account's latest target.
However, Diet Prada also reports on designers from all levels of the industry, such as the Brooklyn indie brand, Meg by Meghan Kinney.
Diet Prada's ability to spread the word of injustice and the results that decisions like those create are a testament to the power of social media and the account's ability to stand for those who previously had no way to voice their grievances.
The Power Dynamics in the Fashion Industry
Diet Prada has changed the power dynamics in the fashion industry. The interactions between the public and large brands or powerful influencers no longer have one-sided weight. A single DM to Diet Prada can lead to a post with hundreds of thousands of likes and apology posts from brands and individuals that would have previously never been held accountable.
Whether Diet Prada should hold its targets to more long-term responsibility for their actions is debated by many. Some suggest that Dieters turn their support from the social media account to organizations that promote long-term change.
The Dolce & Gabbana Scandal
In 2018, Dolce & Gabbana faced a major scandal after producing videos of a Chinese model struggling to eat Italian food with chopsticks. The videos were met with criticism for being racist and perpetuating outdated views of China.
Diet Prada shared the post and commented that the video was "hella offensive" and "a tired and false stereotype of a people lacking refinement."
Stefano Gabbana's verified personal Instagram account responded to the post, leading to a heated exchange with a follower. The follower posted screenshots of the exchanges and tagged Diet Prada.
Diet Prada posted the screenshots, and the controversy boiled over into scandal. Models and staff fled the convention center, and Chinese A-listers disavowed Dolce & Gabbana. The brand's Shanghai show was canceled.
Dolce & Gabbana flew back to Italy and released a video apology. Diet Prada archived its posts in an Instagram Story labeled #DGTheShitShow.
However, Dolce & Gabbana later sued Liu and Schuyler for defamation, claiming upwards of $665 million in damages. The lawsuit is ongoing.
Diet Prada's Evolution and Controversies
Since the Dolce & Gabbana scandal, Diet Prada has expanded and become more divisive. The account has faced accusations of hypocrisy, bias, ignorance, bullying, and failures in "doing the work."
As Diet Prada grows, Liu and Schuyler have found themselves in a difficult position, facing pressure from both their followers and power players with deep pockets.
In recent years, Diet Prada has granted interviews only in writing. The account's name refers to watered-down imitations of the work of Miuccia Prada.
Diet Prada started as office chitchat between Liu and Schuyler when they were working as accessories designers for New York milliner Eugenia Kim.
The account skewered legends and documented phenomena usually discussed in whispers, such as cultural appropriation and sexual harassment.
Diet Prada's fans have sometimes included those they criticize. For example, Gucci collaborated with Dapper Dan after Diet Prada called out the brand for seeming to rip off the Harlem tailor.
Today, Liu and Schuyler both consider Diet Prada their primary occupation. They have a manager and have worked with brands such as Ferragamo and Tommy Hilfiger. They also sell merchandise and premium subscriptions.
Diet Prada's ethics prevent some collaborations by rejecting "fast fashion with its exploitative labor practices" and brands that lack diversity.
By the time Liu's and Schuyler's names became known to the public in 2017, they had already achieved a level of clout that some spend their lifetime chasing.
The Dolce & Gabbana Lawsuit
The Dolce & Gabbana lawsuit claims that Diet Prada engaged in a "smear campaign" that spanned five years and "reached peak pervasiveness and aggressiveness on the occasion of an important Dolce & Gabbana event and show planned in Shanghai."
By the time of the Great Show, exposing racially insensitive moments in fashion had become part of Diet Prada's stock-in-trade.
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