I've seen a lot of references to diet Prada being "problematic" for lack of a better word but I can't actually find anything about it online. When I Google it it just brings up is stuff about dolce and Gabbana suing them. Anyways I'm just curious to hear your thoughts on them if you are at all interested in sharing ☺️
Of course!!
I've actually spoken somewhat about this when discussing an article I read a while back, on this old post of mine. Since you're looking for some specific instances of Diet Prada's icky behavior, I do still recommend reading the article, as it mentions some!
As for what I think of it now...
My original thoughts in response to two instances at the start of the article, about how Diet Prada doesn't really do its due diligence when reporting, has grown to be one of my main issues with it.
Diet Prada has no journalistic integrity. And it has none because no one that runs it is a journalist. (As far as I know, the team is still only the two founders, Tony Liu and Lindsey Schuyler. I couldn't find any word of additional personnel coming on.)
Things that a proper journalist would do like checking sources, translations, cross-referencing materials, seeking updates, etc., Diet Prada doesn't do.
And—ugh, I'm not fond of defending it, but—I think it doesn't do that because it was never made for that sort of thing.
Okay, so, like, in writing out this response, I've gone back and forth between this post and research. I've reread my original post and the linked article, unblocked Diet Prada on Instagram to see what it's up to now, and searched up various things to fact-check myself before putting them into this post (e.g., is Diet Prada still only run by Liu and Schuyler?).
In doing that, I've learned that the account originally started off as a "lighthearted way to call out similarities in designs" (via Wikipedia). It wasn't until 2018 that it started to take on more serious matters, which was also when the brand first got on my radar.
Sooo, I'm thinking that what happened with Diet Prada is that it grew too big for its own good. Because it was never intended to be more than, like, a joke account, the founders' decision to transition to more serious content due to its growing popularity, flopped because they never had the mentality for that sort of thing.
Just now I brought up that I was and still am doing research for this response as I type it, because, clearly, I am not a journalist. But because I intend for topics like this on my blog to be as informative as possible, and not only for myself but whoever comes across it as well, I hold myself to a much higher standard than if I was speaking only of my opinion. And I don't think Liu or Schuyler ever had that sense of duty. (This is AAALL speculation on my part, remember, remember.)
They may have tried to when they decided to take on more serious content and observations, but their attempts ultimately flopped because that's also when the complaints about Diet Prada started. It seems like they'd continuously forget that they weren't just joking around with each other anymore, until people clocked them on their misbehavior.
Which could also be a reason why they transitioned to more regular pop culture topics. Pop culture is as surface-level as you can get, with a headline being more than enough to send people into a tizzy. Most pop culture moments don't have the layers that a story in the fashion industry can have—and Diet Prada's "jokes" are in good company there. The transition is probably one of the smarter things Liu and Schuyler have ever done, even though I think it also regresses Diet Prada to a baby (The) Shade Room or TMZ.
Diet Prada, from what I've gathered, also has a history of ignoring indie designers who've asked for their help. (Very ironic since it seems to be focusing on going after SheIn now... Or dare I say, using it as damage control for this exact problem?) The instance of it I remember is this tweet from Destiney Bleu, a lingerie and apparel designer, saying that she'd asked Diet Prada to report on several occasions when big brands allegedly stole her work, but it ignored her. (Which, for the record, I don't think Diet Prada has to speak on everything it gets sent, but if it read it.......hello??? Could simply turn DMs off everywhere and ask people to submit cases through email—with a specific subject line, too—that way it's more of a toss-up on if it gets seen or not. Then it has something to hide behind when people are like "You saw this happen!!") And in the replies of this account, I found someone talking about how Diet Prada had ignored another indie designer, whose work had allegedly been plagiarized by Valentino, and even put them on blast for trying to bring attention to their story.
You can read more about that here. I've actually never heard of this before, and think it would be smart to discuss for a bit:
The designer in question is Sheridan Tjhung. Tjhung had made crystal veils that they accused Valentino of copying in its Haute Couture 2020 show. And...I think they had the right to do so.
Whilst I agree with Diet Prada in that similar designs have existed before, what it really comes down to is the strap that Valentino used to fasten the veil onto models' heads. So, not material or crystal placement, which I think would be harder to prove was stolen unless they were very unique. When compared to Tjhung's design, the Valentino straps do look very, very similar. And like Tjhung mentions in the article, it's likely someone working at Valentino saw their design on the celebrities it's been on, acquired their own piece, and decided to copy it. Like, if Valentino had pinned the veils or done something else, the coincidence could've been chalked up as the concept trending because it was seen on said celebrities. Especially since in this article Tjhung agrees that the crystal veil concept is nothing new, I don't think they would've made the accusation if things hadn't lined up the way they did, weird feeling or not.
Also,
In the article of my original post, there was this line about Diet Prada playing favorites with who does or doesn't get called out by it. I let it go over my head because I didn't know any context, nor sought it out. But upon learning of this situation, I completely understand why it was included.
See, Diet Prada had been invited to Valentino's runway. So, I'm much less inclined to take its opinion into account because it already could've been very biased due to that gesture. After all, Liu and Schuyler have gotten on brands' cases for a lot less—sometimes, very unwarranted. Yet, they decide to turn on the indie designer for this one? Hmm... This actually goes back to journalistic integrity, too~
I also take issue with it calling Tjhung "crabby." Like how rude and tactless, how apathetic.
And this is where I stop my deep dive into some of the problems with Diet Prada!
I really didn't expect it to grow as much, but such happens when you're fact-checking yourself, lol.
I briefly want to note that I'm also not a fan of how Diet Prada covers figures and topics in the Black community. I speak a bit of that in my original post, and their mishandling is further elaborated upon in the original article. Even though I don't like Kanye or Mowalola, Diet Prada did make a mess out of his Gap collaboration announcement with her at the helm. And I think it was pathetic of it to apologize on Twitter instead of apologizing on Instagram, where the mistake was originally made.
I hope this helped you get a better understanding of the Diet Prada situation. It actually made me more secure in my opinion of it, so I'm really grateful for your question. 😊😊
Posted by @diet_prada. Multiple designers approached by Ariana’s team to create costumes for the 2019 Sweetener tour have shared PDF moodboards sent to them for inspiration. The four page document features Rihanna and Cierra as reference, and also features several images of Yeha Leung‘s custom made bondagewear, which Versace replicated with minor changes.
