People

The people pillar in the fashion business school is the idea that only one type of look is valued in the fashion industry and we as humans strive to be valued and therefore fit ourselves around the idealistic value. Historically fashion marketing loves women’s insecurities and thrive off it to make sales by capitalising off insecurities. Dr Taeyon Kim explored the double eye lid surgery “surgically altering slanted eyes became a mark of good and trustworthy Asian”. Surgery is a personal choice but it’s difficult to imagine this procedure without eurocentrism. 

Gen Z are people born from 1995-2010 and have been exposed to internet networks since youth. Gen z is described as “hypercognitive generation very comfortable with collecting and cross-referencing sources of information” (Mckinsey 2019 ‘True Gen’) The generation is known to be highly influenced by the media and by others, “young people have become a potential influence on people of all ages and incomes, as well as on the way those people consume an relate to brands” Francis & Hoefel (2018) quoted from Mckinsey 2019 ‘True Gen” 

Brands have bought into this idea of Gen z being a highly influenced generation by using popular figures in the media to promote their brands which in turn soars their sales. For example, PrettyLittleThing takes the popular figures from the media and creates clothing lines with them therefore making the people of Gen Z buy the clothing as they’re ‘influenced’ to fit into the idealistic value. Francis & Hoefel (2018- Mckinsey 2019 ‘True Gen’) suggest three key applications brands should consider to attract gen z; consumption as access rather than possession, consumption as an expression of individual identity and consumption as a matter of ethical term. 

Diversity is not only the complete inclusion of all types of people but also putting this idea into practice. Brands such as Fenty beauty, strongly took diversity as a term on board and has been named the most diverse make up brand with 40 different shades making $100 million in the first 40 days (https://jilt.com › blog › fenty-brand-positioning)  

Therefore, for a brand to be successful the key skills they need all fit into the idea of diversity. According to Susanne Ricee (2021 – All types of diversity blog from diversity.social) there are 4 types of diversity; Internal, which is what were born with and what belongs to us, External, how people are influenced, Organisation in the workplace ensuring the brands diversity polices are throughout the brand rather than on face value for media purposes. Lastly, world view where the brand understands and practices different cultural, political and historical views. 

References 

• Mckinsey 2019 ‘True Gen’
• Francis & Hoefel 2018 (quote from `Mckinsey True Gen’)
• Susanne Ricee All types of diversity https://diversity.social/workplace-diversity-types