People
At the Fashion Business School there are four pillars to achieving the goal of sustainability: Planet, People, Profit and Purpose. The “People” pillar emphasizes on inclusivity and diversity within the fashion industry. It is also based on how people are involved in the fashion industry and how it effects society as well as how different generations of people consume fashion.
Different generations contribute to the fashion industry in different ways and often, brands will market and cater their goods in ways to attract the consumers they want. Gen Z are a group of people born between 1995 and 2010 and are the “true digital natives” having being exposed to technology, such as mobile phones and the internet, from an early age (Francis & Hoefel, 2018). The use of social media has made Gen Z consume differently to the previous generations. Gen Z are actively the largest users for social media apps such as TikTok, and will often buy fashion pieces that are trends at that moment in time. Furthermore, when online shopping, they seek “fun and inspiration” and in addition to this they also look for “convenience and speed” as a factor to their experience online (Drapers,2020).
Brands must be able to satisfy several requirements to appeal to Gen Z. Inclusivity and diversity are major aspects of a brand that Gen Z look out for. Furthermore, the brand must align with the values and ethics of Gen Z. Sustainability and whether the production of the goods is ethical plays a huge role in whether Gen Z consume from a brand or not. The Drapers 2022 report states that 46.8% of Gen Z have abandoned a purchase because it did not align with their values and that 51% of Gen Z are willing to pay more for sustainable and ethically made goods (Drapers, 2022).
Fenty Beauty, a makeup brand found by Rihanna, showed success by being diverse and inclusive and the changed the way that brands cater towards people of different colours. The line consists of a 40-shade (now 50) foundation range which included shades for everyone (Vogue, 2020). The brand took in a revenue of $100 million in its first 40 days on the market (Forbes,2019). Since then, multiple beauty brands have also been extending their shade ranges to satisfy to a wider range of skin tones – this is known as the “Fenty Effect” (Vogue, 2020).
For a brand to be successful, communication and relationship building skills with consumers are very important. By being transparent with the production process of their products and aligning their values and ethics with consumers, brands will gain consumer trust and loyalty.
References
Winged. J. (2019) Rihanna’s ‘Fenty Beauty’: A Leadership Case For Customer Inclusivity. Forbes
Moran, G. (2022) Gen Z and Millennials 2022. Drapers
https://www.drapersonline.com/guides/gen-z-and-millenials-2022
Francis, T. Hoefel, F . (2018) “True Gen”: Generation Z and its implications for companies. McKinsey & Company
Fetto, F. (2020) How Fenty Beauty Changed The State Of Play In The Industry. Vogue
https://www.vogue.co.uk/beauty/article/rihanna-fenty-beauty-diversity