Just a few weeks ago, France signed off on a bill that banned all advertising for fast fashion brands, such as Shein, Temu and Ali Express, The bill includes restricting influencers from promoting or partnering with the aforementioned ultra-fast fashion brands. The reasons for passing this bill are clear – to reduce overconsumption as well as environmental damage, things that we can (and should) all get behind.

However the real question lies in how this affects the influencers who have made a living off of working with, and showcasing these brands. This isn’t the first time influencers who have partnered with the likes of Shein have been under the spotlight – having been whisked away to “innovation factories” that maintain working conditions for Shein factory workers are all above board, while undercover investigations have proved otherwise. So, if these influencers – not to mention the brands themselves – are able to freely project false narratives regarding how they operate and get away with it unscathed, who’s to say this bill will be the way towards change?

One thing is certain: this law carries weight. Influencers affiliated with these brands will need to pivot their strategy or face penalties. In 2023, Shein partnered with over 13,000 influencers worldwide, meaning that many of these influencers will not be targeted by the new bill that France has passed. However, one can only imagine (and hope)  that France’s stance will inspire other governments to act accordingly too. Maybe the real change happens here.

In fact, the shift may already be underway. More and more fashion influencers are now turning  to content that spotlights thrifting, second-hand, and self-made clothing, and on a wider scale apps like Vinted and Depop have made a real mark on the industry. Vinted for example, has become the number one fashion seller in France (in terms of sale volume) – meaning it’s surpassed even the hardest hitters. Hand-in-hand with this new bill, is it too ambitious to believe that this is the future for fashion?

Maybe so, but maybe that’s exactly what the industry needs.

Client Spotlight – Bon Chocolatiers

Rage has been on a journey with the wonderful team at Bon Chocolatiers over the past few months, giving a fresh new look to their luxurious, high-end chocolate packaging.

The brief? To develop and design packaging for their entire range of chocolates, each with its own unique theme. But,  just to make things a little more challenging, every design needed to feel individual yet perfectly aligned, regardless of flavour or theme. Above all, each one had to be unmistakably Bon Chocolatiers. Easy, right?

Based in Tullamore, Bon Chocolatiers handcraft the most delicious delights imaginable. Made with expertise and care, each chocolate is a true delicacy, and the packaging needed to reflect exactly that.

As our talented designers got to work, they drew inspiration from the fact that each Bon is individually hand-painted, just like the brushstroke in the brand’s logo. We thought, why not expand on this idea and incorporate it into the designs? Genius, right?

PR Round – Up

From rolling out a big event for Manor Farm at Bloom in May, to two influencer engagement campaigns in June – it’s safe to say that it’s been a busy few months for the VBPR team!

This time we were working with donnelly fresh, highlighting their new range of sides, salads and deli fillers, perfect for any picnic – delish! As we had launched the brand with them last May, not only did we want to showcase their new products, we also wanted to build on the brand awareness we had garnered last year. We executed this with a vibrant, fun, picnic oriented PR drop, as well as strategically targeted influencer partnerships that showcased the products taste and convenience. The campaign achieved the success we had hoped for, with an increase in reach and conversion from the previous campaign.

This was closely followed by our debut campaign with Zoflora – given their official launch in Ireland earlier this year. For this reason, we knew we needed to go big or go home! The Rage team developed some ‘scent-sational’ PR drop boxes for our campaign, which were filled with Zoflora products galore, from disinfectant wipes to concentrated solutions, as well as a bespoke dried flower wreath. The PR drop was sent to 30 influencers, targeting our relevant personas and audience, supported by influencer partnerships with four creators that truly went above and beyond for this campaign.

It’s safe to say that the campaign made a lasting impression – quite like the Zoflora fragrances, some might say?