What kind of "fashion picket" that monitors whether others plagiarize, affecting geometry?

In 2014, Tony Liu and Lindsey Schuyler set up an Instagram account called “@diet_prada”, which was very simple, and put some new fashion products together with similar designs in the early years, pointing out the suspected plagiarism. The comment area usually has a "tsk tsk" (啧啧) sound, or regret, or anger.

Today, @diet_prada has close to 1 million fans. Account content is no longer limited to suspected plagiarism cases, but also includes criticism of various fashion industry phenomena: cultural appropriation, lack of model diversity, sexual harassment, etc. One of the most well-known recent cases is the D&G event last year.

Some of these contents have attracted brand dissatisfaction. For example, when @diet_prada pointed out that Kim Kardashian’s children’s collection last year looked like a combination of Vetements and Comme des Gar?ons, the latter issued a statement saying that his design was “tribute” Not "plagiarism."

Some do get the plagiarized niche brands to get attention, and those who are in a strong position admit their mistakes. In May last year, New York fashion blogger Danielle Bernstein and jewelry designer Lulu de Kwiatkowski designed a collection of accessories for the US high-end department store Nordstrom. @diet_prada then pointed out that it copied the independent jewelry brand Foundrae. The event ended with a public apology letter from Danielle Bernstein and some of Nordstrom's products in the series.

According to Tony Liu's interview with iD in the summer of 2017, everything was originally due to interest. Tony Liu graduated from the Art Institute of Chicago. After moving to New York in 2007, he founded the men's basic brand YOU AS and later became a freelance designer. Lindsey Schuyler works for a subsidiary of the eyewear group Luxxotica Essilor.

“We are browsing Style.com (the website of the Condé Nast Group, which is now closed). I was always surprised to see the latest show. “Isn't that the design that Galliano did in 2000? What are they thinking?” Finally we finally decided to put these Collect it and put it online for display.” Tony Liu told iD in 2017.

When interviewed by the Guardian last year, the two had new ideas. They believe that the biggest value of running this account is to "help small companies that don't have enough money to start litigation" and let people learn to consume consciously.

After @diet_prada, there are more and more accounts on instagram that play similar roles in the fashion industry. BoF combed this in an article published last week: @esteelaundry in the beauty field, Youtuber Luke Meagher will make Meme a hot fashion comment on the account @hautelemode, and @retailslambook focuses on the large clothing chain in Tucao Brand misconduct.

Their backgrounds and practices have some commonalities: they are all fashion industry practitioners; tracking hotspots in a timely manner, frequent updates; close communication with fans and often holding screenshots or first-hand sources in private conversations.

To some extent, these spontaneous fashion monitors fill the gap left by traditional media. In the past, the latter has been subjected to layoffs or closures due to the impact of social media, relying more on the investment of advertisers, and the content of the publication has been more controlled. Accounts such as @diet_prada can interact more directly with younger readers, and are blunt about the information that is often in the industry.

BoF pointed out that the reason why this kind of supervision culture rises on social platforms is more important because of the changes consumers expect. In an environment where politics is increasingly fragmented, cultural awareness is increasing, and more and more voices can be heard through social media, consumers seek more transparency and authenticity, hoping to work with designers and brand founders on products that may exist. The problem is more directly communicated. Social media monitors have become an important medium for this shift.

But it is worth noting that such personally operated accounts may also be the source of false information. They do not have a relatively complete fact-checking and proofreading department like an institution.

Last November, @esteelaundry called KNC Beauty's lip scrub to copy Glossier's Cloud Paint blush blush pack. Some fans pointed out in the comments that the pink packaging and the hose packaging of the octagonal lid are not Glossier's patents.

In addition, their huge social influence is sometimes accompanied by cyber violence. Some designers are afraid of being accused of choosing a more conservative design and are more innovative. Deanna Hutchinson, a fashion design student who has worked as an intern at brands such as Gabriela Hearst and Proenza Schouler, said in an interview with BoF: “Sometimes you will hear some designers say that you can't do that, you will be stared by Diet Prada. Up."

More importantly, although the reputation of the industry supervisors was initially established, their independence may become difficult to ensure as account operations gradually change from hobbies to commercial projects. This is similar to fashion bloggers.

The two founders of @diet_prada initially acted anonymously, but they revealed their true identity in an interview with BoF last May. When asked about the motivation for doing so, Tony Liu told the Guardian: "We have gained a certain position in the industry. Only when we open up, some business opportunities can be achieved."

@diet_prada has launched a number of peripheral products since last year, all with the theme of the account and the well-known brand "掐架". The best-selling T-shirts printed with "Kim des Gar?ons".

Although Tony Liu also said that "this does not necessarily mean that we have to compromise on what we have done - we know this very well", but some people think that they are getting closer and closer to some brands. Last February, @diet_prada participated in a marketing campaign initiated by Gucci and briefly took over Gucci's Instagram Stories. At the end of last year, they participated in a media event at Valentino. Others pointed out that Prada, the favorite brand of the two founders, released a monkey theme, a new product that is not sensitive enough on race issues, and they did not say anything.

“We are famous for being real. But this is hard to match any brand. After all, who is 100% true?” Lindsey Schuyler told The Guardian a year ago.