Chiara Ferragni: Scandal surrounding Italy’s most famous influencer

It’s one of those social media accounts that can make you dizzy at first glance because of all the pomp and glitter: the influencer Chiara Ferragni shows her fans a world full of expensive jewelry and designer clothes. Between greetings from St. Moritz and photos of her small children, the 37-year-old skillfully packs advertising messages, for example for oat milk or mousse. More than 29 million people are interested in this on Instagram alone. Ferragni is a star, not only but especially in Italy. But since shortly before Christmas nothing has been the same in her glamor world.

Accusations became public that Ferragni had used unfair means to promote a special Christmas cake. The impression is said to have arisen that a large portion of the proceeds go to a hospital for children with cancer. Only a small sum arrived there – and it didn’t come from Ferragni, but from the cake manufacturer. The 37-year-old was fined, but since Tuesday it has been clear: the public prosecutor’s office is also investigating her for fraud. There is a suspicion that the cake campaign was not an isolated incident.

Become a millionaire with a ten euro investment

It’s the first stumbling block after a picture-perfect climb. Ferragni, born in 1987, grew up in northern Italy with two sisters; his father is a dentist and his mother is a writer. She became interested in fashion from an early age and landed her first modeling jobs at the age of 16. In 2009, her career took off: Ferragni became one of the first fashion bloggers of the moment and started the blog “The Blonde Salad” together with her boyfriend at the time. She posed in her favorite outfits, he photographed the colorful looks and her trademark blonde mane. Your investment in the project back then: ten euros.

But Ferragni is in the right place at the right time and will soon get tickets to Milan Fashion Week. While she initially has to stand with her feet sore in the back row, she soon takes a seat in the front row. And not just in Milan: New York, Paris and London follow. Her first own shoe collection appeared in 2011 and sold out immediately. Since then there has been no stopping her: her blog is now a digital fashion and beauty magazine and marketing agency in one, she has her own shop, her own shoe and fashion brand, a perfume line, yes, even a Barbie -Doll was named after her. There are also countless contracts as brand ambassadors, from Pantene to Nespresso. The entrepreneur is said to collect around 60,000 euros per Instagram post.

Chiara Ferragni turns her entire family into a brand

Also very helpful: Her husband is the well-known Italian musician Fedez, himself a social media star (over 14 million followers) with a penchant for lucrative advertising deals. The couple had their wedding sponsored in September 2018, from the water bottles to the wedding ring. The creative director at Dior designed three wedding dresses exclusively for the influencer. The photos that went around the world are said to have brought the fashion house an incredible advertising value of five million euros.

Chiara Ferragni regularly appears on Italian TV, and she and her husband even had cameras follow them privately for a reality series: “The Ferragnez” can be seen on Amazon Prime. The two are considered an influential couple in the country and also position themselves politically in the public eye. For example, during the corona pandemic they advocated the wearing of protective masks or supported a law that would punish discrimination against homosexuals more severely. Your reputation, especially among the young target audience, is enormous. But there, credibility counts more than anything else.

Now Chiara Ferragni has to worry about her million-dollar empire. This year she was uninvited to be a co-presenter at the Sanremo music festival, which is popular in Italy. Worse still: the specially intended commercial with Coca-Cola was withdrawn by the beverage giant. In an Instagram post, she appears confident and speaks of “communication errors” and “misunderstandings.” The gray wool jumpsuit she wears in the video quickly sold out. The Chiara effect still works. The only question is how much longer.

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