Fast fashion brand Fashion Nova is facing backlash from the public after their recent attempt to drive sales to their website. On Wed., April 15, Fashion Nova sent out a mass text to their customers encouraging them to spend their stimulus check on their clothes. This quickly gained attention and the growing backlash and comments landed Fashion Nova to trend at #6 on Twitter.
The reasoning behind the stimulus check is for people to be able to stay afloat by buying necessities such as groceries or to be able to make payments. After the text was sent out, people quickly hopped on Twitter to express their feelings about the matter. Many were shocked they would do this and called it insensitive.
“Fashion Nova is so wrong for this, the stimulus check isn’t for shopping it’s for people who need it during such hard times, this is so ignorant,” one person on Twitter said.
Another person said, “Fashion Nova really said “Spend the money you just got” as if people aren’t unemployed and the economy is tanking.”
Francesca Maslin, senior writing major, was shocked at how low it was for Fashion Nova to exploit people like this.
“For clothing, makeup, non-necessity companies to try and convince and lure people in with deals is disgusting. People will spend their money how they want and that makes sense, but for companies to get into people’s heads and give them these ideas, I think is terrible,” Maslin said.
Maslin continued saying how there are thousands of people dying, struggling to make payments, get food, etc. and that this check is supposed to be a temporary financial support for people for necessities.
Sean Thornton, sophomore digital communications major, agreed, saying they [Fashion Nova] should let people use their money for their priorities such as paying their bills.
Some people on Twitter also noticed Fashion Nova’s promo code, STAYIN80, and called it “tacky.”
“As far as the code I don’t think that’s awfully insensitive. I think many other sites are using codes like that, I don’t see the harm in it,” Maria Merino, senior education major, said.
Advertising professor Jen Gatta, offered insight on if this was a smart tactic for Fashion Nova to use.
“I think Fashion Nova’s decision to send this text was not well thought out. It makes them appear completely tone-deaf. Many companies are reaching out to consumers during the pandemic with messages about what they’re doing to keep their employees and customers safe or to provide useful information. This is not the time to be opportunistic with your marketing messages, and Fashion Nova missed the mark,” Gatta said.
Others had a different reaction to this situation saying that Fashion Nova wasn’t forcing anyone to buy their clothes but instead used this as a marketing opportunity.
“Everyone got their checks. Yes, those checks are meant to be used to help compensate the people who have bills and groceries to buy and are out of work, but at the same time, not everyone is going to spend that check the same way,” Amelia Ballard, sophomore accounting major, said.
“I don’t think it was really all that harmful to say. They’re not forcing anyone to spend their money on their clothes and were ultimately using this as a marketing opportunity and I don’t think it should have been taken so seriously,” Ballard said.
Fashion Nova has not responded to the situation.
