On Bottega Veneta's Deletion of Its Instagram Account: Where Is Fashion Now?

Note: Today's post is more about business than law.

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Daniel Lee, the creative director of Bottega Veneta

Today, I am sharing my observations and views on the state of fashion. I've been watching this industry for the last 15 years of my life, so I do have certain opinions that I have come to form over the years. Admittedly, I'm not an insider and thus do not pretend to know its inner secrets. That's why I usually shy away from expressing my own thoughts in the public space. Just like most of you, I read various interviews of industry professionals to have a glimpse into what ideas its leaders have in mind for the world of the sartorial. Still, I've witnessed its ebbs and flows, just enough, dare I say, to give my verdict.

Just a couple of days ago, Bottega Veneta disappeared from the public view all of a sudden. The Milan luxury brand deleted its much-followed Instagram account. A score of commentaries have poured forth since then, but I found GQ's analysis most thought-provoking. In her piece, Rachel Tashjian makes a really interesting observation, which, in my opinion, throws a pivotal question to the industry driven by the (sometimes misplaced) desire for "the new". She makes the following comment:

"The idea of a billion-dollar brand existing without social media is titillatingly original. If only the fans of a brand are posting about it, perhaps it will move like a secret throughout the industry, with It items popping up organically, by dint of consumer taste (imagine that!), instead of beaming down like a mandate from the corporate account."

Am I the only one who found the comment profound? I am in total agreement with every word. Nowadays, blessed (or cursed, depending on how you view it) by the omnipresence of social media, we're living with the deluge of brand-promoted images that dictate the next big thing in fashion. To my taste, things have worsened with influencers that are out there, either brand-sponsored or self-styled. Now, fashion items have to "look good" on the social media universe where influencers can always slightly tweak colors or silhouettes at their fingertips, if they wish to. Do denizens of Instagram now even care how a dress flows in real life in rhythm with each step its wearer makes, not in the digital world where every movement is carefully choreographed? Okay, I will stop my fuming here. Maybe, I'm just a man in his 30s who cannot catch up with the latest trends, which might well be true. However, reflecting back, when designers made big in fashion one or two decades ago, it was largely the consumers who created the buzz, as the GQ piece perceptively points out. When Tom Ford debuted in Gucci, A-list Hollywood actresses bought Tom Ford's Gucci (of course, without today's "in paid partnership with" frenzy), and, most importantly, his aesthetics to dispel then-critics' prediction that his overly sensual pieces wouldn't fare well in the market.

Still, I am optimistic about what's going to come out of the industry moving forward. I'm just averse to making rosy predictions, as you've already guessed at this point. Fashion has always found its creative ways to be reborn. The industry is now in its turbulent metamorphosis to rise up to its unique challenges. Brands and designers are currently experimenting with different ways of showcasing fashion. The grip of the traditional fashion week calendar has slowly loosened, although it will continue to serve as a focal point. Most importantly, the manufacturing cycle is seeing some real changes, almost for the first time. Brands such as Gucci, Saint Laurent and Dries Van Noten are leading the pack in this particular direction. They seem to envision a new era where there is no blind obedience to the current cycle marked by seasons. It is in this particular context that I think Tashjian's critique matters the most. Inventory management will be the key for many fashion businesses, and what better idea is there than letting the customers decide what to desire for themselves? I love fashion so much, so much that I will soon become a lawyer in the service of the industry. I truly hope that I can bring in creative ideas to solve intractable issues in every corner of fashion. As one of my professors once told me, a good lawyer is a problem solver, not a troubleshooter.