People

People are seen as one of the key pillars of fashion sustainability at the Fashion Business School at the University of the arts London. The idea of people focuses on diversity and inclusion within fashion. Not limited to the consumer, this also focuses on the people involved in the production of fashion such as designers, design influences and labourers. 

At the centre of the conversation of People within fashion it is important to look at the Gen Z consumer. Gen Z have lived throughout the development of Globalisation thanks to the Internet and social media ,which has interconnected the politics allowing with more connections with people and businesses worldwide (Conde Nast 2020). Along with this and living through a global pandemic makes Gen Z a unique consumer base. For example 48.6% of Gen Z consumer prefer shopping online for reasons of finding the best price or the convenience whilst in store shopping is seen as a day-out (Moran,Drapers,2022). Gen Z compared to other generation are far more concerned about the ethics of a brand and almost half said they had abounded purchases from brands that didn’t align with their values such as environmental sustainability (Moran,Drapers, 2022). Considering the behaviour of Gen Z consumers brands have to focus on building an ethical brand ethos for this growing consumer base.

In order for a brand to become more attractive towards Generation Z consumers it has to put a priority and make shifts towards sustainability. Gen Z have shown clear willing to invest more in sustainable products going beyond labels but a consistent mission inherent within a brand (Londrigan & Jenkins 2018). Gen Z consumers also value authentic brands. With an after pay report on 1000 Gen Z consumers, of half said a lack of diversity would affect their perception of a brand. Furthermore, indicates why small businesses hold more Gross Merchandise (GMV) value than big corporations today ( Business of Fashion 2020). Implicating if a brand needs to be successful in a Gen Z market they need to strong commitment to a sustainable, ethical, diverse brand mission ; along with a sensitive understanding central to their consumers.

A brand which has responded to the increased demand for diversity is Savage X Fenty the lingerie brand founded by Rihanna in 2018. Diversity defined as the acknowledgment and respect of differences within people and culture (Conde Nast 2020) Rihannas show included models from a diverse range of ethnicities, body shapes and gender( Hakeem, 2020) showing a broad spectrum to accurately represent her prospective consumer market. The inclusion and wide diversity of the Savage X Fenty line leads it to be a threatening competitor to industry proponents such as Victoria’s Secret (Iqbal,2019). The impact of such a young brand implicates that the values of people such as Gen Z are a important factor within the success of a Brand.

Business of fashion.com 2020.How to Communicate and Connect with Gen-Z Consumers.

https://www.businessoffashion.com/articles/retail/afterpay-communicate-and-connect-with-gen-z-consumers/ (Accessed 16/10/2022)

Condenast.com. 2020. Condé Nast Launches The Sustainable Fashion Glossary.

https://www.condenast.com/news/conde-nast-launches-sustainable-fashion-glossary (Accessed 16/10/2022)

Hakeem, F., (2020) “Examining Body Positivity in Rihanna’s Savage X Fenty Lingerie Runway Show”, International Textile and Apparel Association Annual Conference Proceedings 77(1). https://doi.org/10.31274/itaa.12011 (Accessed 16/10/2022)

Iqbal, N. (2019, September 8). Could Rihanna’s new lingerie line turn out to be her greatest hit?. The Guardian.

 https://www.theguardian.com/music/2019/sep/08/rihanna-lingerie-savage-x-fenty- victorias-secret-new-york-fashion-week (Accessed 16/10/2022)

Londrigan, M.P., & Jenkins, J.M. (2018). Fashion Supply Chain Management. New York: Fairchild (e-book)  https://libsearch.arts.ac.uk/cgi-bin/koha/opac-detail.pl?biblionumber=1449128 (Accessed 16/10/22)

Moran, G. (2022) Drapers, Gen Z and Millennials 2022

https://www.drapersonline.com/guides/gen-z-and-millennials-2022 (Accessed 16/10/22)