Thematic clusters and linguistic features of fashion anglicisms used by Russian fashion influencers

Abstract The study explores the use of Anglicisms in the discourse of Russian speaking fashion influencers on YouTube, focusing on the thematic usage and linguistic adaptation of English borrowings to the Russian language. This topic is highly relevant due to the unprecedented popularity of digital social media and influencers who manipulate consumers’ opinions. Research methodology implies content analysis of 30 videos on YouTube by famous Russian fashion influencers: Alexander Rogov, Diana Milkanova and Alina Charova. The analysis reveals twelve thematic clusters where Anglicisms are prevalent: general fashion terms; types of clothes, shoes and bags; textiles; colors; makeup; fashion images and styles; sales and retail; music; sports and vehicles; food; and digital content. It proves that fashion is not a separate artistic industry but an active, ongoing set of practices which can be witnessed through language, the use of Anglicisms in particular. Moreover, the survey examines key morphological processes such as suffixation (including diminutization), prefixation and compounding, and it demonstrates how foreign terms are transformed to align with Russian grammatical structures. The study also shows the use of Anglicisms on lexical and syntactic levels. These adaptations not only facilitate the incorporation of global fashion terms to attract and maintain the attention of the audience but also allow influencers to sustain a distinct professional identity, being Russian‑speaking individuals. This research contributes to the understanding of the interconnection of fashion with other social domains and it expands the studies of Anglicisms in the digital fashion discourse.