People
‘People’ focuses on those at each touch point of the fashion industry and other industries that are connected to a fashion brand. People who come from all over the world are the driving force of the fashion industry, yet they are rarely represented. Diversity is the practice of including a variety of people and has not been a focus of the fashion industry in the past, thus becoming an integral value under the ‘people’ pillar.
Diversity is one of the most important values to the ‘Gen Z’ consumer, who are currently changing the way “people consume and relate to brands” (Francis & Hoefel 2018). Gen Z are people born between the years of 1995 and 2010, they are “true digital natives” (Francis & Hoefel 2018) as they are the first generation to grow up with exposure to the internet and technology. This generation of consumers highly value transparency within companies to ensure they align their values as “46.8% of gen Z shoppers say that they will abandon a purchase if the brand does not align with their values” (Drapers, 2022). Crucial values for the Gen Z consumer include ethical production, environmental sustainability, individuality, convenience and diversity and equality. It is important for companies to understand what attracts the Gen Z consumer and how they can implement this within their own brand. Convenience is very important to this generation and can be implemented through fast deliveries, which are important to about 45% of Gen Z consumers. This has been exemplified by ‘Skims’ who launched 2-hour delivery for Los Angeles based shoppers in 2022 (Drapers, 2022).
‘Djerf Avenue’ has responded to diversity with authenticity and sincerity. It was founded in 2019 by influencer Matilda Djerf and her boyfriend Rasmus Johansson and focuses on creating “a fashion brand that was completely welcoming and inclusive of everyone” (NY Times, 2022). They have shown this through the models they use on their website and their head office employees (see Fig 1). To represent the diversity within the brand, they shoot people of all sizes, races, ethnicities and those with disabilities. Specifically, recent drops have featured a model with Down Syndrome (see Fig 2) aiming to help “people feel less alone” (NY Times, 2022), normalising the use of models who previously been ostracised.
(Fig 1 – Djerf Avenue Head Office Team, 2021)
(Fig 2 – Down syndrome model, Nora Ahlstrom, modelling for Djerf Avenue’s new drop, 2022)
Key people skills can be based around the Inner Developmental Goals (IDG) framework which focuses on “what abilities, qualities or skills we need to foster among individuals” (IDG, 2022). Under this framework and within the context of diversity, openness is the most important skill to possess. Focuses on “having a basic mindset of curiosity and willingness to be vulnerable and embrace change and grow” (IDG, 2022) is crucial to diversity as without it, the industry cannot move forward from its Eurocentric and dated mindset.