Two years ago Jeremy Scott was named the director of the Italian fashion house Moschino, an irreverent brand that was incredibly successful in the 80’s but had declined since its founder, Franco Moschino, died in 1994. Scott, who is forty, is the designer of choice for pop stars: he made the futuristic flight-attendant dress that Britney Spears wore in her “Toxic” video and the beach-ball-inspired number that Katy Perry wore during last year’s Super Bowl halftime show, the one with the dancing sharks. (Widdicombe, Orlean, and Levy, 2016) 

Scott has made the label relevant again, only now it’s relevant to a new demographic. Moschino runway shows, in Milan, are nothing short of a spectacle. Katy Perry, Miley Cyrus, and the K-pop star CL fill the front row, and Scott’s designs tend to include meme-worthy content. A streetscape-themed show, last fall, included models in hard hats and a working car wash that sprayed bubbles. A typical response from one of Scott’s fans on Instagram: “did you seeeeeeeeeee thisssss omggggg.” (Widdicombe, Orlean, and Levy, 2016) 

The excitement has sent sales up twenty per cent. Ken Downing, the fashion director at Neiman Marcus, says, “The ability to take a brand that had such deep roots in an eighties sensibility and bring back the humor, the extravagance of production, and take the tongue-in-cheek chic of the brand and reinvent it for a new customer has been nothing short of brilliant.” (Widdicombe, Orlean, and Levy, 2016) 

Scott is a champion of the kids, and kids are a champion of him. He is an advocate of blending high fashion with street style, and his collections include items such as T-shirts and iPhone cases, aimed at young fans who are aspirational consumers, they want a piece of the hype but can’t afford the more expensive items. His designs do especially well in the Instagram era (Widdicombe, Orlean, and Levy, 2016)