For over a decade, Chiara Ferragni was the undisputed sovereign of the digital fashion world, a woman who successfully translated a personal style blog into a multi-million-euro empire. However, as 2025 draws to a close, the “The Blonde Salad” founder finds herself in a starkly different setting: a Milanese courtroom. The “Pandoro-gate” scandal, which began as a regulatory investigation into misleading charitable claims, has metastasized into a criminal trial that threatens to dismantle her legacy. With prosecutors now seeking a nearly two-year prison sentence and her highly publicized marriage to rapper Fedez having crumbled under the weight of the controversy, Ferragni is facing the ultimate test of her resilience. Once the benchmark for influencer success, she has now become a cautionary tale regarding the legal and ethical boundaries of the creator economy, where the cost of a “communication error” may be measured in jail time.
The Prosecutor’s Demand: 20 Months
The legal drama reached a fever pitch on November 25, 2025, when the Milan Prosecutor’s Office formally requested a sentence of 20 months (one year and eight months) for Ferragni on charges of aggravated fraud. The case centers on the 2022 “Pink Christmas” Pandoro collaboration with the confectionery brand Balocco. Prosecutors argue that the marketing campaign led consumers to believe their purchase directly contributed to bone cancer research at Turin’s Regina Margherita Hospital. In reality, a fixed donation of €50,000 had already been made by Balocco months prior to the launch, and none of the profits from the increased sales—which retailed at more than double the standard price—actually went to the charity.
The trial, which has seen Ferragni appearing in person at the Milan courthouse, rests on whether her companies, Fenice and TBS Crew, intentionally misled the public for financial gain. While Ferragni’s legal team, led by Marcello Bana and Giuseppe Iannaccone, maintains that the incident was merely a “misunderstanding” or “communication error” handled in good faith, the prosecution describes it as a systemic deception. As of December 2025, the court has heard the final arguments from the defense, and the fashion world is now waiting with bated breath for a verdict expected in January 2026.
The Financial and Reputation Collapse
The fallout from the investigation has been financially devastating. By late 2024, Ferragni had already paid approximately €3.4 million to settle various regulatory fines and antitrust cases, including a €1.1 million fine from Italy’s AGCM and an additional €1.2 million to a children’s charity to resolve similar issues regarding branded Easter eggs. Beyond the direct fines, the “Ferragni Brand” has seen a mass exodus of major partners. Long-term collaborators like Safilo and Coca-Cola severed ties early in the scandal, and her once-overflowing roster of luxury sponsors has dwindled significantly.
Estimates of Ferragni’s net worth in 2025 now hover around $20 million, a significant drop from the peak of her power when her companies generated nearly €20 million in annual turnover. The scandal has also led to the “Ferragni Law” in Italy, a new set of regulations aimed at bringing transparency to the “charity landscape” by requiring influencers to declare specific fees and the exact nature of their sponsorships. For an entrepreneur who once taught case studies at Harvard on the efficiency of her business model, the shift to being the namesake of a restrictive consumer protection law is a bitter irony.
A Marriage Undone by Controversy
While the legal battle played out in court, a parallel drama unfolded in Ferragni’s private life. The “Ferragnez” era officially came to an end in 2024, with the couple signing divorce papers after months of separation. Reports suggest that the Pandoro scandal acted as the final wedge in a marriage already strained by high-profile tensions. Fedez reportedly felt that Ferragni’s legal troubles were negatively impacting his own business ventures, while Ferragni allegedly felt unsupported by her husband during her most vulnerable moment.
The divorce agreement, finalized in 2025, involves joint custody of their two children, Leone and Vittoria. In a move that reflects the modern digital age, the agreement strictly dictates how the children’s images can be shared on social media, requiring the approval of both parents for any public posts. While both have moved on—Fedez with French model Garance Authié and Ferragni reportedly with Giovanni Tronchetti Provera—the end of their union marks the collapse of what was once Italy’s most powerful media alliance.
The Strategy of Silence and Survival
Throughout 2025, Ferragni’s social media presence has undergone a radical transformation. Gone are the relentless “daily life” updates and constant product placements. Instead, her feed has become a carefully curated mix of family moments and high-fashion editorials for regional magazines, a strategy designed to distance her brand from the “accessible” persona that led to the fraud charges. She spent a significant portion of the year away from the public eye, only returning to fulfill essential contracts and attend necessary court dates.
Leaving the courthouse in late November, Ferragni told reporters she remained “confident” and that her “innocence will come to light.” However, the damage to the “influencer” as a concept in Italy has been profound. Whether she is convicted or acquitted in early 2026, the era of the “unregulated” influencer is over. Chiara Ferragni’s journey from the front row of Fashion Week to a criminal defendant’s chair is a stark reminder that in the world of modern branding, trust is the only currency that truly matters—and once it is spent, even the most polished image cannot buy it back.
