Given this day and age of social media, there is a constant need for both individuals and brands to stay relevant. As evidenced by brands like Fashion Nova in the woman’s clothing industry and Gymshark in the fitness industry, social media has been the gateway to obtaining a mass fanbase. With the role of today’s media, it becomes increasingly essential for brands to place themselves in the spotlight and one method that has been utilized is by creating controversy.
Recently, the prominent high-fashion brand, Givenchy, has taken its moment in the spotlight. The brand was created by Hubert de Givenchy, a French aristocrat designer, who gained recognition after he premiered his design of Audrey Hepburn’s little black dress as featured in “Breakfast at Tiffany’s”. As reported by RBC Capital Markets, Givenchy was reported to have a drop in revenue from 917.7 million pounds in 2012 compared to around 250 million pounds in 2017. Looking at Givenchy’s trend in media, this significant decrease in revenue may have resulted from the lack of presence in social media and consumer engagement.
In the past year within media, it has become evident that certain companies will utilize publicity, particularly negative publicity, to increase interest within the company. With Burberry’s noose jacket and Gucci’s blackface sweater, certain brands do not seem to know where to draw the line. As for Givenchy’s recent makeup line, controversy has been generated around the limited foundation colors made available. Originally, there were only 10 colors from N1 Mat Porcelain to N8 Mat Amber, undoubtedly favoring lighter skin colors. With the recent backlash, Givenchy has taken the steps to improve the product, Matissime Velvet Fluid, and has added an additional color known as N9 Mat Cinnamon.
Whether or not this incident was meant to generate interest in the brand or not is difficult to determine. However, in seeing the recent surge in comments on Givenchy’s Instagram and social media, the effects are evident. Attention has been brought upon Givenchy as a brand and, as the Kardashians claim, all publicity is good publicity.
In considering issues as such, remember that these may still be sensitive subjects to certain groups of people who have been affected by the color of the skin they reside in or the history that they have faced. While it is difficult to navigate Givenchy’s or Gucci’s decisions for their brand, we as consumers can make an ultimatum based on our purchasing power. First and foremost, let us all be responsible for what we choose to invest and endorse our money in to. For the other responsibility that rests on us as consumers, let us be bold in calling out harmful company actions that go against our beliefs.