How do we talk about fashion in Italy? The big players and independent publishers from 2000 to today: Transformations and orientations

Abstract

Abstract The article wants to shine a light on new orientations in contemporary fashion media in order to begin to understand the new playing field for the journalistic system from the point of view of the publishing economy. In the face of a global redefinition of the language, which has changed thanks to the entry into the press and publishing market of new subjectivity and communication platforms, the media shifts lead fashion journalism and publishing increasingly towards hybridization with contemporary audio-visual languages. The examples we will set out concern publishing projects that are being reconfigured as multimedia systems that hybridize the language of cinema, television, advertising, video games and interactive platforms. This article will begin by analysing how fashion, commerce and consumption have changed, acknowledging the transformation and evolution of the concept of Made in Italy since the mid-1990s to today and will focus on large and small players, independent publishing, praiseworthy online-only projects and the recent Italian experimentation of shoppable magazines, sponsored platforms and the return of house organs, which lead large and small publishers and brands to increasingly define themselves as media companies.