Law And Order

Lindsey Schuyler and Tony Liu are the brains behind Diet Prada, the digital watchdog that’s holding the fashion industry more accountable, one explosive Instagram post at a time. They tell Divya Gursahani why they do what they do.

- Divya Gursahani

New York-based fashion aficionados Lindsey Schuyler (30) and Tony Liu (32) are akin to Batman (with the runways being their Gotham), swooping in to save the underdogs when big players steal from them, keeping influencers honest, and righting other fashion injustices. Their weapon? Instagram. Since they first posted on their account Diet Prada in December 2014, their following has grown to over 6,00,000, thanks to their biting wit and deeply researched posts. On a breezy afternoon at a Williamsburg café in New York City, the creators of fashion’s greatest watchdog let us into their process.

ELLE: How was Diet Prada created?

Lindsey Schuyler: Tony and I met through work. We would be going over the runways, always talking about fashion and where our love for it came from. As we clicked through the shows, we’d spot copies and say, “Oh, that’s so Prada,” or “That’s so Galliano,” and “Who are they really kidding?” We would pull up references and place them side by side, and it was just like, “Oh my God, I can’t!” So, we started making collages and texting them to our friends.

Tony Liu: We would tell everyone that we had a new post up, and everyone would stop and check it out, and just giggle in their corners. So, it was a way of comically passing the monotony of working at a fashion company.

ELLE: You are often referred to as fashion vigilantes. How do you feel about that title and the responsibility that comes with it—especially now that you have revealed yourselves?