Rethinking Fashion Brands in The Era of Digital Media

Issue 11.1 of ZMJ is dedicated to the relationship between fashion and digital, in particular to the process of mediatization, that is to the cultural and social transformations induced by the media. A topic that is, it would not even be necessary to underline it, of crucial importance in this historical period in which all forms of digital have become accentuated or even have taken new directions — from magazines, to fashion presentations, to the ways of communicating. The fashion system, as it is well known, has often been accused of being late with regard to digital issues, almost guilty of a fatal error capable of compromising its established leadership as a trend setter in the world of consumption and communication. On the contrary, this issue offers a formidable reflection on the many ways in which digital is present in an innovative way in the fashion marketing and in the construction of the identity of fashion brands — from the relationship with the audience, to the organization of fashion shows, to the relationship with bloggers and influencers up to the challenge of sustainability. The editors, Mariachiara Colucci and Marco Pedroni, thanks to their complementary experiences, economics and business management on the one hand — sociology of communication on the other, propose for this issue of ZMJ a careful selection of essays aimed at representing the quality, the variety and the global perspectives of fashion branding in the digital age.