Which values are broadcasted by fashion brands during Spring 2020 in Instagram?

 Fashion now has unprecedented influence on the audience, as everybody’s gone online. People of fashion are confused about the future of the industry, so every day the leading authorities go live to discuss what we are going to expect. The main fashion brands has become very flexible, developing new communicative strategies on social media. That’s why in my estimation it would be riveting to see how pandemic has affected a brand expression via Instagram. 

1. Alberta Ferretti encourages readers to love themselves, support each other and think positive. They created a series of posts «You can’t separate our bodies from our hearts we may be physically far, but we all are emotionally close and in this together», «Love me everyday» and masks «Every day I love you» and «Dream from home»

2. Alexander McQueen created a hashtag #McQueenCreators. They promote #DIY trend —  and invite everyone to make paper dolls. They also supported creative photographers by featuring their photographs in the feed as a part of #McQueenCreators and #McQueenNature.

3. Balenciaga shares #nofilter creative photographs with a quarantine mood: social distancing, social isolation and a fashion without people.

4. Balmain publishes #archives making them up-to-date, like a series dedicated to the Mother’s Day «Les mamans Balmain». The house supports its "army" by creating live performances and IGLives with #BALMAINENSAMBLE

5. Chanel accompanies their audience at home with an exclusive playlists #TheSoundofChanel and beauty narratives with #StayHome posts. They tell us fascination stories of Gabrielle Chanel's life and her impact on the culture and art of her time #InsideCHANEL. Creative series on the Mother’s Day composed of children’s drawings has also an association with time spent at home, doesn't it?

6. Dior determined their strategy by showing a deep respect for Christian Dior, telling people about his hobbies, favourite dishes, inviting everyone to join the virtual excursion to his house, etc. Dior team has created a lot of #DIY activities — like dance classes and cooking. Another noteworthy and beautiful idea was to show how an haute couture atelier on 30 Avenue Montaigne continues to work during the lockdown.

7. Gucci released series of posts, resembling a diary about creatives. «Creative time shared as key to solidarity, generosity and well-being, a message from talents and artists for the #GucciCommunity», — they say under inspiring stories about artists, musicians, photographers. The visual language of the narrative differs — phone pictures, collages and animations.

8. Jacquemus’ page is kept as a visual diary of Simon Porte Jacquemus: memories and nostalgic posts are combined with lovely moments of the quarantine. Facetime photoshoots fit  the aesthetics of the instant photos feed harmoniously.

9. Valentino announced #ValentinoEmpathy claiming that people are connected not by the Internet, but by emotions and for the new campaign Pierpaolo Piccioli promised to provide a full Valentino look for their admires who are to be photographed against a white wall by the family member during the lockdown. The other novelty was a virtual photoshoot of animated characters, wearing brand’s clothes.

10. Versace presented their new SS20 campaign dedicated to the power and the role of technology in modern communication. «I feel this image has taken an even deeper meaning in these days of self-isolation because we have turned to technology like never before. It has allowed us to stay connected and become a stronger community, no matter where we are in the world.” — Donatella Versace.

  As far as we can see, each of the following brands adapted their communicative strategy to the global change. The most relevant values now are health, solidarity, uniqueness, sincerity and creativity. Two opposite trends are technology and handcrafting (virtual reality, augmented reality, animation vs illustrations and paper collages, vintage film photography). The importance of health is closely related to ecology, conscious consumption, which leads to sustainable fashion. The values of uniqueness and sincerity mean that people should be themselves. We want to read real stories about real people. In photography it has found a reflection in natural post-production or instant photos. The solidarity embodied in endless lives and video chats, FaceTime photoshoots and online master classes. The creativity is everything that was mentioned above — the talent of generating something new in limited conditions. 

  So, let's bring these beautiful values into our lives and overcome this period with gratitude and strength. 

#staysafe #2020