Tony Liu
Co-founder of Diet Prada
Tony Liu is a New York based designer who co-founded Diet Prada, the Instagram account that since 2014 has called out copying, cultural appropriation and other misconduct in fashion. With co-founder Lindsey Schuyler he turned an anonymous side project into one of the industry's most closely watched watchdogs.
| Role | Co-founder, Diet Prada |
|---|---|
| Founded | 2014 |
| Co-founder | Lindsey Schuyler |
| Education | BFA, School of the Art Institute of Chicago, 2007 |
| Own label | YOU AS |
Who is Tony Liu?
Tony Liu is a designer born in New York City and one of the two people behind Diet Prada, the fashion commentary account on Instagram. He earned a BFA from the School of the Art Institute of Chicago in 2007 and has worked as a freelance designer in New York.
Career
Liu met Lindsey Schuyler while both were working at the accessories and millinery label Eugenia Kim. In 2014 the pair started Diet Prada, initially just for fun, by placing new runway looks next to older designs that appeared to have inspired them. The account was anonymous until October 2017, when Liu and Schuyler were revealed as its creators.
Liu has also run his own menswear label, YOU AS, which was covered by publications including Complex and Vogue and sold through Mr Porter. Diet Prada later became a full time business for the two founders.
Influence on the fashion business
In 2018 the account moved from light design critiques to wider questions of accountability. In November 2018, after a Dolce and Gabbana campaign in China was criticised as racist, Diet Prada published screenshots of alleged messages from Stefano Gabbana. The episode trended widely, participants withdrew from the brand's planned Shanghai show and the event was cancelled. Dolce and Gabbana said the account had been hacked.
The Business of Fashion called Diet Prada the most feared Instagram account in fashion in May 2018, and by March 2022 it had more than three million followers. Its influence includes:
- Pushing brands and retailers to apologise for or withdraw copied designs
- Giving independent designers documentation they can use in disputes over copying
- Raising public awareness of cultural appropriation
- Partnerships with brands, museums and fashion councils
Tony Liu and social media
Diet Prada is itself a social media business. It earns revenue from merchandise, brand partnerships and collaborations with museums and international fashion councils, and has run account takeovers such as one for Gucci. Critics have questioned whether such partnerships affect its independence, and some targets have reported harassment from followers.
Why it matters
Diet Prada shows how social platforms have shifted power in fashion. A side project with no institutional backing became a force that brands monitor closely, and Liu's work demonstrates how quickly reputational issues can now escalate into commercial consequences.
Frequently asked questions
Who is Tony Liu?
Tony Liu is a New York based designer who co-founded the Instagram account Diet Prada with Lindsey Schuyler in 2014. He has also run the menswear label YOU AS.
What is Diet Prada?
Diet Prada is an Instagram account that calls out copying, cultural appropriation and misconduct in fashion. It became widely known after the 2018 Dolce and Gabbana Shanghai episode and had more than three million followers by 2022.