How Italy turned on influencers in the wake of a charity Christmas cake scandal

With a fraud investigation into Chiara Ferragni under way, she and fellow social media stars are under sharp scrutiny

One of Italy's most powerful influencers, Chiara Ferragni, is struggling to maintain her prestige after a scandal over a Christmas cake. File picture: AP Photo/Antonio Calanni

Chiara Ferragni amassed a fortune through incessant selfie-taking as part of a marketing strategy that included imparting pearls of wisdom to her millions of online followers on how to be “effortlessly cool”.

But now the influencer – one of Italy’s most powerful – is struggling to maintain her own prestige after a scandal over a Christmas cake triggered a fraud investigation, leaving her empire teetering on the edge in what has become a cautionary tale for other social media stars.