Introduction

This introduction explores why fashion discourse in mainstream media deserves academic focus, especially when discussing marginal societal issues outside traditional fashion journalism. The chapter outlines the book&s;s central argument that, although specialised fashion media remains commercially motivated and resistant to significant change – evidenced by analysis of contemporary fashion journalism practices – fashion discourse stretches well beyond dedicated fashion publications into broader mainstream media. Drawing on theoretical frameworks from Barthes, Foucault, and Lotman, this introduction argues that studying fashion&s;s order of discourse in non-fashion media contexts shows alternative discursive practices that are potentially less constrained by commercial imperatives. The chapter outlines the book&s;s structure, presenting five empirical case studies. Through critical discursive matrix analysis, the research explores who talks about fashion in mainstream media, what narratives develop, and how institutionalised fashion discourse patterns endure or change when engaging with marginal topics. The introduction argues that examining these practices shows whether mainstream media provides a real alternative to fashion journalism&s;s sales pitch or merely echoes the same commercial logic with a different vocabulary and for other economic or societal purposes.