Is everyone with a smartphone and an Instagram account now a fashion critic?

Once the territory of veteran journalists, has fashion critique now become more democratised? The Established takes a closer look at what it entails today

The exclusivity of fashion weeks in India and around the globe—once limited to industry professionals such as editors, buyers, and select clientele—has been significantly reduced in recent times owing to digital platforms. The world now watches from the comfort of their screens, armed with high-definition videos with a vantage point sometimes superior to those seated in the front row.  

This seismic change has made the industry more democratic and significantly altered the way we speak about designer collections. Once covered by seasoned journalists in magazines and newspapers, fashion commentary is no longer reserved for a specific set of people, since the advent of social media. Instagram is home to a new breed of fashion critics—each with a unique voice. "I love fashion and respect it as an art form but, to me, fashion is also a form of entertainment,” says content creator Sufi Motiwala (@sufimotiwala). “If we look at it rationally, we aren't saving lives; we are just playing with clothes. And clothes are supposed to be fun." His Reels cover fashion weeks as well as red-carpet style both in India and internationally but in a more sensational manner. 

Meanwhile, content creators like Rakshit Singh and Viren Shah of @fashunwithviren package their commentary with a different voice and format. "I think this democratisation of fashion is wonderful. It takes the industry from the hands of a few to the hands of many—and makes way for it to be accessible to anyone with an interest in fashion. Fashion is about the expression of individuality. Why would we not enjoy a time when communication or criticism belongs to everyone," says veteran journalist Nonita Kalra. We take a closer look at Instagram fashion commentators in India to understand their take on the industry. 

The critics

Before Motiwala, Diet Sabya had emerged on Instagram in 2018 as an anonymous fashion watchdog calling out copycat designers—despite being a copycat version of Diet Prada (the irony!). Over the years, their voice evolved to discuss pressing issues in India's fashion industry, red-carpet style, magazine covers, and commentary on fashion shows—a little bit for everyone on their follower list. 

Internationally, accounts like @Ideservecouture, @hautelemode and @slipintostyle have inspired templatised commentary accounts in India. For instance, Sufi Motiwala’s red-carpet rating Reels can be compared to that of Luke Meagher of @hautelamode—except Motiwala’s content has a more tabloid-esque tone. "Everybody's going to have a different opinion. I love that about social media—[there is] a plethora of opinions and different points of view. That is extremely interesting because you realise how different we all are," says Hanan Besovic of @Ideservecouture. Closer to home, each commentator’s popularity ranges from mass appeal to more restrained criticism—discussing an ad campaign, fashion week collections, highlighting the latest IT bag, expressing an opinion on celebrity-dressing or a style rating of “who wore what”.

For Singh, his content is always driven by facts. “People need to take away something or get some information when they see my Reels, and that's something I always keep in mind," he says. In one of his recent Reels, he broke down a Schiaparelli couture dress made from old gadgets such as flip phones, microchips, calculators, and a motherboard. In another Reel, he focuses on  the iconic  Alaia "heart" bag worn by Indian celebrities. For those  not well-versed with international fashion, Singh’s account is eye-opening about industry happenings. 

A year and a half ago, Motiwala began expressing his opinion on celebrity dressing through Instagram. The strategy has quickly gained momentum, amassing over 156,000 followers (at the time of publication). "Most accounts in India don't have a personal opinion. They usually notify their audiences about current fashion happenings. It's more educational, with existing knowledge being packaged into content. It's infotainment. What I share is less information and more entertainment—someone from a tier-3 city who may not know who Sabyasachi is can watch my content and enjoy it," explains Motiwala. On his feed, you'll find Reels rating celebrity outfits out of ten with his no-holds-barred commentary, using terms like "funny clown ghost," "pachrangi popat" and "algae fungus flop" to describe outfits he doesn't like. Last month, during the celebrity-packed launch of the Ram Mandir in Ayodhya, Motiwala created a Reel highlighting the fashion choices of the Ambanis, actor Kangana Ranaut and even prime minister Narendra Modi. The Reel garnered nearly 47,000 likes and over a thousand comments. 

Old World versus New World

With everyone being able to share their opinion on fashion on social media, the face of fashion reporting is fast changing. "Fashion journalism doesn't need to be restricted to newspapers or magazines. I am thrilled to see it spill over to new media as well,” states Kalra. “The old rules don't apply to the new world, so we must let go of the idea that critics must come from a certain background or have certain qualifications. If the end user wants their information from social media, then they have that right," she adds. However as the new world order changes, some traditional rules still apply: the foremost being fact-checking. “You can be educated or be self-taught, but if you apply the old-fashioned rules of journalism—research, research, research—you can be a top-level commentator on fashion," says Kalra. In magazines and newspapers, information is fact-checked multiple times but with online critics, aside from followers, no one can really call them out for incorrect information. Thus the onus is on them to do their due diligence and make sure the information is well-researched. Opinions are great, but passing on incorrect information may make them lose credibility among their followers, or worse, damage their relationships with brands. 

"There was a time when fashion journalists would write nuanced and in-depth reviews—that no longer exists. The absence of this gave rise to online critics,  many of whom don’t have a formal fashion education. However, at least they have an opinion which leads to a conversation," says celebrity stylist Ayesha Amin Nigam. With old-school journalists slowly diminishing and magazines relying heavily on luxury brands for advertorials, fashion critiquing has a more “everybody gets a medal” approach. Additionally, in the past, there was a fear that brands might ban certain members of the media if they criticised their collections. For example, in January 2008, notable journalist Cathy Horyn was famously banned from Armani fashion shows. The reason? In a review for The New York Times, Horyn described—or rather dismissed—Giorgio Armani’s collection as: “...there was nothing lurid or in bad taste about Mr. Armani’s clothes, but neither was there anything subtle or particularly inspiring.”   

Many online fashion critics originally started as a way to highlight issues with the industry across runway collections and styling faux pas. For instance, Motiwala, too, had a similar start. “I was very opinionated in class and my friends challenged me to say what I felt in front of other people. I created a few videos and they did well,” he shares. Furthermore, for creators who do this for free, social media becomes a platform to share unfiltered views and can become a refreshing way to critique—provided it's dignified and well-researched.

However, Instagram doesn’t spell the demise of an old way, explains Kalra. “Both must co-exist, and an occasional clash will lead to a better articulation of information.” A look at Besovic’s @Ideservecouture, the barrier of understanding the nuances of high fashion becomes remarkably thin, irrespective of one’s prior knowledge of the field. His insightful reviews, reflective commentary on runway aesthetics, discerning thoughts on advertising campaigns and magazine editorial critique—all captured in under-60 second Reels, ensure each viewer learns something. His creative flair and sense of humour with fashion-forward memes offer a pause in the thoughtful discourse. "I started with Instagram because I wanted to complain about fashion. I didn't see many people talk about fashion the way I wanted to, so Instagram seemed to be the most logical channel to express my points," says Besovic.

He adds that he loves to know more about fashion than what is being presented—what inspired the dress, the materials, how long it took to make—all the details many skip while trying to understand the work and dedication that goes into each garment.  

The real-world impact

In our current era of comment culture, critiquing can easily turn into trolling. "There's a thin line between healthy humour and being mean to someone to get the views. While that moment of trolling can get you that engagement, how long it will last is the question—that's something I don't align or synergise myself with," explains Singh.

For Motiwala, fashion isn't meant to be taken seriously, so he has no qualms about making his content entertaining, even if it may be perceived as catty. "It's always just been about the clothes. And if you're being bitchy towards the clothes, I don't think anybody other than bad stylists can take offence," he says. While he agrees that videos with a negative bent do get a lot of engagement because they become a conversation, he also notices that his followers increase with positive videos. Recently, Motiwala heavily criticised actor Alia Bhatt’s outfit styled by Priyanka Kapadia, quoting, “That ’s a minus-your-stylist-out-of-your-team out of ten”. Kapadia, who often styles Bhatt and other Bollywood celebrities, is well aware that people will judge her work and will comment. “Every time I put a look out there, I'm confident. Some may work, some may not—those are the chances to take with fashion,” elaborates Kapadia.

Accounts set up for entertainment purposes online have to make their narrative clear from the get-go so that people stumbling across such profiles know not to take them seriously. Additionally, they have to think long term—is their content serving any purpose? Is it original, or are they simply looking for hits or five minutes of fame? Asking these questions will go a long way in determining the commentator’s longevity once the hype associated with the account has died down.

Besovic, on the other hand, understands that he's talking about somebody's work, so if he has a negative opinion, he tries to minimise the level of negativity as much as he can. "I don't want to discredit their vision—I'm just speaking my opinion on it," he shares. 

Ultimately, one cannot escape the digital world. In an ever-changing fashion industry, how fashion is reported is also evolving—whether via accounts that package educational information through bite-sized content or rating red-carpet looks in a tabloid-ish way. The conversations are no longer limited to elite fashion circles or fashion school graduates. "I think there is a place for all kinds of content, especially on social media, where people come to be entertained. I think most Instagram users curate their feeds according to their interests and are most likely aware of whom to follow for fact-checked news and whom to follow for fun, opinions, and gossip. Just because it is on social media, it doesn't become a fact! And most smart users know that. You then have the freedom to subscribe to the opinion that best suits you," concludes Kalra.

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