People
‘People’ is one of the four pillars in the intro unit of fashion marketing. In the world there are 7.75 people who make it up (datacommons, 2022). Focusing on generation z, there are 2.56 billion people who make up this generation in 2022 (TrueList, 2022). People are the most important aspect of the fashion industry. Without people, there would be no one buying clothes, or clothes to be designed.
Generation Z is a very unique generation all about inclusivity, equality, and diversity. This generation challenges the ideas of the past and pushes boundaries especially in the fashion industry. As the New York Post states, “Generation Z and their loud and unapologetic fashion choices are here to stay” (Salemann, 2022).
In addition to this generation being unapologetically themselves, they are more intuitive to technologies such as the metaverse. As Drapers say, “61.6% of Gen Z say they are familiar with the concept of the metaverse, compared with 39.5% of millennials” (Drapers, 2022). Gen Z is the first generation to start putting their artwork and designs on the metaverse. As seen in figure 1, gen Z cares more about brand name than millennials and what is surprising is that they do not care as much about style, quality, or price.
To attract gen z buyers a brand should have a big social media presence. Instagram snapchat, or tik tok will attract the most gen z members. From gen z, 42 million people use snapchat, 37.3 million people use tik tok, and 33.3 million people use instagram (EarthWeb, 2022). As stated above, gen z’s audience also appreciates diversity and fluidity. These factors are also to be considered if trying to target gen z. Brands like Vivienne Westwood and Alexander McQueen have a great social media presence and are inclusive to everyone, they keep up with trends, and are trying to change the world in a positive way through campaigns and messages through fashion. As stated in Vivienne Westwood’s mission statement, “we use our collections, collaborations and catwalk shows as a platform to promote awareness and campaign for a better world” (VivienneWestwood, 2022). A survey was done by Drapers that says over 45% percent of gen z people prefer to shop online as shown below in figure 2.
References:
DataCommons (2022) Earth – Place Explorer – Data Commons. https://datacommons.org/place/Earth?utm_medium=explore&mprop=count&popt=Person&hl=en
Drapers. (2022) Gen Z and millennials 2022, Drapers. https://www.drapersonline.com/guides/gen-z-and-millennials-2022
EarthWeb (2022) Gen Z Social Media Usage Statistics 2022: The latest trends, Facts & Data, EarthWeb. https://earthweb.com/gen-z-social-media-usage-statistics/
Salemann, M. and Cannon, S. (2022) Gen Z fashion trends of 2022: 35 styles for a youthful aesthetic, New York Post. New York Post. https://nypost.com/article/gen-z-fashion-trends-style-aesthetic/
TrueList, Generation Z statistics – truelist 2022 (2022) TrueList. https://truelist.co/blog/generation-z-statistics/
Vivienne Westwood (2022) WWW.VIVIENNEWESTWOOD.COM. https://www.viviennewestwood.com/en/sustainability/