Abstract

This paper explores the construction of brand identity in the fashion industry through a linguistic analysis of the English language communications of three internationally-renowned Italian fashion brands: Valentino, Dolce & Gabbana and Giorgio Armani. Three datasets were compiled from web-based communications of each fashion brand and subsequently analysed with text mining software to extract keywords and descriptive adjectives that reflected facets of brand identity. The results indicate that the three brands present broadly similar lexical profiles that are closely aligned with fashion products, designers and events. At the same time, there were interesting differences in terms of the attributes of identity that each individual brand chose to highlight. The findings are useful for understanding more about how companies seek to utilise web-based communications to shape brand identity in an increasingly globalised marketplace.