Liwen Cheng

Brand purpose is about moving a brand towards greater prosperity, not just keeping it alive. Brand purpose is a concept that is more important than profit and is a key way to drive long-term business growth for a brand. A brand’s purpose is a long-term, core objective that is a key component of the brand’s identity, meaning structure and strategy. The purpose of a brand goes beyond the profitability of the brand, it gives the brand a certain link to the productive nature of the world. The purpose of the brand is more focused on bringing well-being to society as a whole and leading society and humanity as a whole to develop and progress; such brands do not have a singular emphasis on the actions of the self and are more likely to bring happiness to consumers. (Williams et al., 2022).

Nowadays, brands are no longer just an expression of the quality, functionality and monetary value of a product, but represent the philosophy, values, goals and self-affirmation that consumers use to explain their lives. A brand with its own set mission, vision and value proposition will be able to know exactly where it should be heading, and a brand philosophy will help consumers to better understand and appreciate the brand so that they can more accurately find a brand that matches their values and shares their vision. A brand vision creates excitement among employees, who are more likely to enjoy their role in the brand. A brand vision creates a sense of pride in employees and gives them a sense of purpose and motivation for their work, which enables them to better contribute to the profitability of the brand and serve the brand (Leslie et al., 1998). It is the brand philosophy that is the main support for the development of the brand in a deeper and longer-term way.

The sharing economy is defined as “a socio-economic system that enables the exchange of goods and services between individuals and organisations with the aim of increasing efficiency and optimising the use of society’s secondary resources (Munoz & Cohen, 2016: p21, cited in Hossain, 2020).” The sharing economy is a way for organisations or various individuals with idle resources to give up the use of their resources to others for a fee so that the transferor receives a return and the sharer creates value by sharing others’ idleness to access resources. Sharing underutilised assets in an efficient and sustainable way is the main purpose of resource sharing (Hossain, 2020). In recent years companies such as Uber and Airbnb have grown to become globally known brands. Airbnb is the leader in shared accommodation and is the originator of the sharing economy, a website for travellers and homeowners with empty rooms to rent. Airbnb has a strong brand, generates traffic through free channels and has lower customer acquisition costs than its peers. The sharing of the economy can reduce costs for consumers while providing them with great convenience (Wilhelms et al., 2017). In any case, it is believed that the sharing economy has a significant impact on society, the economy and the environment. It also contributes to sustainable development (Hossain, 2020).

The main consumer in today’s modern society is Gen Z. Gen Z is adept at using social media and the internet (Dimock, 2019). Brands that want to communicate their brand purpose to Gen Z should use the internet on a large scale and various social media that Gen Z use frequently to promote the brand, advertise, etc. Brands should be on all major social media, create their own social brand accounts, and post updates on the accounts. Fresh images can attract Gen Z to view them. Or brands can look for designers from the Gen Z generation who understand Gen Z better because they belong to Gen Z so that they can better communicate the brand’s mission to Gen Z. Brands can also look for influential accounts on social media to help promote the brand or develop collaborative products, which can help the brand better communicate the brand’s mission to Gen Z.

Reference list：
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Dimock, M. (2019). Defining generations: Where Millennials End and Generation Z Begins. [online] Pew Research Center. Available at: https://www.pewresearch.org/fact-tank/2019/01/17/where-millennials-end-and-generation-z-begins/ [Accessed 30 Oct. 2022].

Hossain, M. (2020). Sharing economy: A comprehensive literature review. International Journal of Hospitality Management, 87(102470). doi:10.1016/j.ijhm.2020.102470 [Accessed 29 Oct. 2022].

Wilhelms, M.-P., Henkel, S. and Falk, T. (2017). To earn is not enough: A means-end analysis to uncover peer-providers’ participation motives in peer-to-peer carsharing. Technological Forecasting and Social Change, [online] 125(38-47), pp.38–47. doi:10.1016/j.techfore.2017.03.030 [Accessed 29 Oct. 2022].

Williams, P., Escalas, J.E. and Morningstar, A. (2022). Conceptualizing brand purpose and considering its implications for consumer eudaimonic well‐being. Journal of Consumer Psychology. [online] doi:10.1002/jcpy.1324 [Accessed 29 Oct. 2022].

A large part of the success of an enterprise depends on profit, which is a reflection of the effectiveness of each enterprise’s operations, and the final outcome of the enterprise is also reflected in the profit point. Profit is a key factor driving the market economy and each business is also a key point that affects each individual and society as a whole. Profit is also one of the four pillars of the fashion industry.

“The fashion industry is the key industry that drives the global economy, that creates the world economy and is one of the most important industries in the world. Before it was affected by Covid-19, the fashion industry generated between $1.7 trillion and $2 buy billion in global revenue (McKinsey, 2017). The fashion industry has brought huge profits to society and has drastically boosted socio-economic development.

The root of profit is human labour, and the level of labour density set in the fashion industry is pretty incredible. The fashion industry employs over 300 million people in the design, distribution, retail, textile and production sectors (The McKinsey Download Hub, 2019). The availability of a large workforce has increased the total volume of production, which has resulted in the global fashion industry producing over 100 to 150 billion garments annually.

The fashion industry is divided into several sectors, which are market research, design, production, marketing and promotion (Admin, 2021). In modern times the fashion industry is also strongly developing the e-commerce sector. Each new generation of consumers has its own value judgement, and the main consumers have shifted to millennials and Gen Z. Using the internet to shop is now the main consumption pattern of Gen Z. The fashion e-commerce segment with the most users is clothing. The global fashion e-commerce market is worth US$668.1 billion by 2021 (Fashion E-commerce Global Market Report, 2022). A large number of luxury and fashion brands have expanded into the e-commerce space. For example, Gucci has partnered with Farfetch to achieve 90-minute delivery. There is also Instagram’s partnership with BigCom-merce and Shopify to add sales functionality to social media. The marketing department understands the needs of consumers and uses the internet significantly for promotion. A large number of advertisements are posted on the internet to enhance exposure and thus attract consumers.

In an unstable economic climate, fashion brands want to remain competitive. The first thing that brands can do to get the most tangible results is to reduce prices. With the economy in a bad state, consumers do not have the money to pay for expensive fashion items. The only way to remain competitive is for brands to lower their prices or open discount shops. Luxury goods can be sold in both discount and regular-priced shops. The regular-priced shops can maintain the brand’s premium image, while the discount shops can bring in a good profit, thus balancing the brand’s profitability and remaining competitive.

The Burberry Group has already begun to reposition and transform the brand, and from 2018 Burberry will begin to launch a new Drop model on a monthly basis, with a limited number of new products available on Instagram, WeChat, Line, etc. The Burberry Group has found a new sales model to increase the brand’s buzz by opening a hunger campaign on social media. The Group’s adjusted operating profit rose to 8% year-on-year at constant exchange rates to £178 million (Fine Textiles, 2018). Creative directors need to plan campaigns that are in line with the brand’s philosophy, and brand culture and that appeal to contemporary consumer perceptions and capture the consumer’s consumer philosophy. Creating innovative products and marketing techniques is the only way to make a profit. For example, if Gen Z is looking at sustainable products, the creative director will need to come up with solutions that use green and recycled materials, which will also reduce material costs in production and increase profitability.

Reference list：

bfashionacademy. (2021). What is Fashion Industry and it’s key factors of Fashion Industry? [online] Available at: https://bfashionacademy.com/key-sectors-of-fashion-industry/ [Accessed 24 Oct. 2022].

Borruso, M., Frey, T., Kostopoulos, E., Mathew, P. and Wilson, N. (n.d.). McKinsey Downloads | McKinsey & Company. [online] www.mckinsey.com. Available at: https://www.mckinsey.com/featured-insights/download-hub [Accessed 24 Oct. 2022].

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m.sinotex.cn. (2018). Will Burberry rise after changing its creative director? Profits rose 8% year-on-year: According to the latest performance report released by Burberry Group, as of September. [online] Available at: https://m.sinotex.cn/read.asp?id=138568 [Accessed 24 Oct. 2022].

McKinsey & Company (2021). The State of Fashion 2022: In search of promise in perilous times | McKinsey. [online] McKinsey. Available at: https://www.mckinsey.com/industries/retail/our-insights/state-of-fashion [Accessed 24 Oct. 2022].

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Human & Planet, Profit and Purpose make up the four pillars of the Fashion Academy. They are the key components of the fashion industry.

Dress scholars Mary Ellen Roach and Joanne Eicher found that dressing is one of the main ways people identify themselves and send social signals (Edwards, 2022). So people and the fashion industry are inextricably linked.

Gen Z refers to people who were born between 1995 and 2010. Because they were born between 1995 and 2010, they had early access to the internet and they are the consumers who are leading the fashion industry in society today. This is why their consumer philosophy is what is most important to brands today. Studies show that Gen Z as consumers are more concerned with novel technologies, they like simple things, they desire to escape from reality, and they crave security, have extremely high expectations and care more about experiences (Wood, 2013; Priporas et al., 2017).

Gen Z as a primary consumer differs from previous ones in that Gen Z is more innovative, likes to communicate with visual images, focuses on futuristic technology, etc. If wanting to attract Gen Z brands can drastically use social media, and virtual networks as new marketing, and promotional tools. Brands can place a lot of advertisements on the internet and social media. The content of the advertisements should be new and visually striking to attract Gen Z. To appeal to the emerging consumers who are targeting this group, more channels need to be used. Make use of more intuitive, interactive and shareable campaigns. This is because Gen Z’s main form of social purchase is online shopping.

Generation Z		Millennial (Generation Y)
5 screens		2 screens
communicate with images		communicate with text
create things		share things
future-focused		focused on the present
realists		optimists
want to work for success		want to be discovered

Figure 1: Differences to be considered in the generations approach (Sparks&Honey, 2021)

Source: adapted after Sparks & Honey, Meet Generation Z

The diversity of brands is important to Gen Z. ThirdLove is a lingerie company that has created a range of bras in 78 different sizes, including half-cup sizes, using millions of real women’s measurements rather than industry size templates. ThirdLove also uses real women of all backgrounds, sizes and ages as models for the brand (Pixlee TurnTo, 2022). ThirdLove is a diverse lingerie brand that offers a full range of ethnicity, colour, size and age.

For a brand to be successful, it needs to be responsible and have a greater emphasis on social inclusion in its marketing and advertising campaigns. Following a vertical brand extension strategy, the brand’s marketing manager needs to consider the specific context of the brand’s development and the brand’s target consumer group in order to develop a strategic and appropriate market positioning and overall brand management concept (Nadine Hennigs et al., 2013).

References:
Edwards, V( 2022). Fashion Psychology: What Your Choice in Clothes Say About You. [online] Science of People. Available at: [Accessed 15 October 2022].

Hennigs, N., Wiedmann, K., Behrens, S., Klarmann, C. and Carduck, J(2013). Brand extensions: A successful strategy in luxury fashion branding? Assessing consumers’ implicit associations | Emerald Insight. [online] Emerald.com. Available at: [Accessed 15 October 2022].

Kratofil, C(2018). ThirdLove Attacks Victoria’s Secret in New York Times Ad. [online] Peoplemag. Available at: [Accessed 15 October 2022].

Priporas, C., Stylos, N., & Fotiadis, A(2017). [online] Research-information.bris.ac.uk. Available at: [Accessed 15 October 2022].

pixlee.com( 2022). 4 Brands Embracing Diversity in Their Content | Pixlee TurnTo Blog. [online] Available at: [Accessed 15 October 2022].

Tunsakul, K(2018). Generation Z’s perception of servicescape, their satisfaction and their retail shopping behavioral outcomes. Human Behavior, Development and Society, 19(1), 123–133. [Accessed 15 October 2022].

Wood, S(2013). GenZConsumers.pdf – Generation Z as Consumers: Trends and Innovation Stacy Wood Langdon Distinguished Professor of Marketing, College of Management, | Course Hero. [online] Available at: [Accessed 15 October 2022].

The planet is one of the four parts of the Fashion Business School’s study, Planet, People, Profit and Purpose.
The planet is an integral part of our humanity and one that is most influenced by the fashion industry. While the fashion industry is booming, there is growing concern about the industry’s impressive array of negative impacts on the environment (Baidu, 2020). Fashion production accounts for 10% of human carbon emissions, depleting water sources and polluting rivers and streams. About 2.4 billion items of clothing fall on shelves in the UK every year, with the average household putting in the wardrobe more than 20 items of clothing that are never worn (Baidu, 2020). The water, energy and labour required to produce these discarded old clothes, as well as the industrial pollution behind it, the exhaust gas from transportation tools, the plunder of the land by raw materials such as cotton and linen, etc., will all be counted at the head of fashion. superior.

Under such a harsh environment that the fashion industry affects the planet in modern society, people have begun to advocate a new economic model called the circular economy. Circular economy, the complete expression is resource recycling economy. An economic development model that is characterized by resource conservation and recycling and is in harmony with the environment. Emphasizes the organization of economic activities into a feedback process of “resources-products_renewable resources” (Wikipedia, 2022). It is characterized by low exploitation, high utilization and low emission. All materials and energy can be used reasonably and lastingly in this continuous economic cycle, so as to reduce the impact of economic activities on the natural environment to the smallest extent possible (Lu Xiongwen, 2013).

Sustainability for the fashion industry means considering fashion from many stakeholders, such as users and producers, all living things, and future inhabitants of the planet. The SDGs aim to completely solve the development problems of three dimensions, namely environmental sustainability, social sustainability and economic sustainability and turn to the path of sustainable development (Xinhuanet, 2015). Take, for example, Adidas’ performance running shoes that are fully recyclable. The running shoe is called Futurecraft. Loop and all components are made of 100% reusable thermoplastic polyurethane. Adidas can spin this material into yarn, weave it into shape, and melt it clean without the use of glue. When the shoes reach the end of their useful life, they are sent back to Adidas to be sterilized, ground into pellets, and melted back into raw materials to create a new pair of shoes (Zhihu, 2020). Such material recycling reduces material costs, greatly reduces environmental pollution and damage, and drives economic development. This involves environmental and economic sustainability.

Maher Nasser, Director of the Outreach Division of the United Nations Department of Public Information, said in his speech that the fashion industry is more and more closely related to sustainable development, and the United Nations is paying more and more attention to the commitment and action of the fashion industry in this regard, and the creative industry is becoming more and more visible. Willingness to cooperate with the United Nations. More and more fashion brands are focusing more on sustainability. For example, Gabriela Hearst is an Uruguayan female designer. She is the current creative director of CHLOE. In 2015, she founded her own brand of the same name, Gabriela Hearst. Her goal is to not use any new fabrics until 2022. In production, he used an Uruguayan women’s non-profit organization to make clothes. The workers are women living in the countryside, creating jobs for people who would otherwise be unemployed (Li Yanxi, 2021). At this point, he achieved the sustainable development goals of decent work and economic growth.

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