People
‘People’ is one of the four pillars in terms of sustainable fashion, which refers to both the consumers and society. A successful brand responds to different consumer needs with different marketing strategies and keeps up with the times.
Before the term ‘influencer’ was introduced, young people played that social role by creating and interpreting trends. Now a new generation of influencers has come onto the scene. Gen Z stands for the group of people born from 1995 to 2010 (McKinsey & Company, 2018). They are true digital natives from their earliest youth and have been exposed to the internet, social networks, and mobile systems. That context has produced a hypercognitive generation very comfortable with collecting and cross-referencing various sources of information and with integrating virtual and offline experiences.
For Gen Z, the key point is not to define themselves through only one stereotype but rather for individuals to experiment with different ways of being themselves and to shape their individual identities over time (Tracy and Fernanda, 2017). Therefore, what they are looking for are inclusiveness and uniqueness. To be more specific, consumers receive over 3,000 marketing messages every day on average from brands. It is no longer a competition against just the direct competitors, but against all the messages that bombard people’s lives. In a cluttered market with different products in various sectors, it is significant to create an edge, a unique position to clarify the customer profile. This not only helps establish the brand U.S.P. effectively, but also creates long-lasting recall for the brand (Tina, 2017).
Inclusivity is not limited to the idea and concept of sizing. It also means accessing and building creative spaces, agencies, and platforms that cater to a diverse community from designers, models, photographers, hair and makeup, people with disabilities, and the LGBTQ+ community (Thomasina, 2021). For instance, Rihanna’s Fenty brand is championing inclusivity with her vision and passion for inclusion striking a chord with consumers and coming across more authentically. By collaborating with plus-sized models and models of all races, the brand creates gender-neutral products that cater to a wide range of consumers as well as a more expansive and diverse society. ‘We don’t believe in the division. We do not believe in excluding anyone,’ Rihanna said. ‘That’s been our message from day one and it’s not going to change now because everyone is having that realization.’ (Tricia, 2022) The inclusivity and diversity eventually make Fenty Beauty become a successful beauty brand.
In addition, as digital natives, successful strategies of online retail will help brands to attract Gen Z consumers. About 51 percent of UK marketers are already working with influencers. In fact, two well-known fashion brands on platforms like TikTok in The UK are Shein and Pretty Little Thing (Statista, 2021). An effective way for brands to get social media influencer support—whether it happens organically or through a paid partnership-is with an already established presence on social platforms, such as Instagram, YouTube, TikTok, etc. (Jack, 2022).
Bibliography
Jack, S. (2022) ‘Social Media Marketing for Fashion Brands: A Strategy That Works (with Examples)’ Social Shepherd, 21 September. Available at: https://thesocialshepherd.com/blog/social-media-strategy-fashion-brands. [Accessed: 15 October 2022]
Statista Research Department (2021) ‘Marketers working with influencers on multi-platform campaigns 2020, by country’ Statista, 8 September. Available at: https://www.statista.com/statistics/1201403/marketers-work-influencers-multi-platforms-campaigns/. [Accessed: 16 October 2022]
Thomasina, R. (2021) ‘The importance of having a more inclusive fashion industry’CIAFE, 5 October. Available at:https://www.ciafe.org/post/the-importance-of-having-a-more-inclusive-fashion-industry. [Accessed: 16 October 2022]
Tina, N. (2017)‘5 Ways to Make Your Apparel Brand Stand Out’Entrepreneur India, 10 November. Available at: https://www.entrepreneur.com/en-in/marketing/how-to-create-a-unique-brand-identity/304526. [Accessed: 16 October 2022]
Tracy, F. and Fernanda, H. (2018) ‘‘True Gen’: Generation Z and its implications for companies’ McKinsey & Company, 12 November. Available at: https://www.mckinsey.com/industries/consumer-packaged-goods/our-insights/true-gen-generation-z-and-its-implications-for-companies. [Accessed: 16 October 2022]Tricia, M. (2022) “How Rihanna’s Fenty Brand is Leading in Diversity & Inclusion,” Indigo Digital, 3 May. Available at: https://www.indigo9digital.com/blog/fentydiversityinclusion. [Accessed: 15 October 2022]