Emma Weekly

Profit is financial success, with the UK fashion industry being predicted to reach a worth of £60.1 billion in 2022 (Statista, 2020) it is an important aspect to be considered. With the industry statistically having high total sales, products produced and number of employees it is seen as a large global industry.

The industry as a whole is expanding with specific sectors such as jewellery and accessories expected to continue expanding at a CAGR of 8.1% (Matter Of Form, 2022). Due to the impact of Covid-19 the global fashion e-commerce sector is predicted to reach $765 billion in 2022. North America was the largest region within the fashion ecommerce market in 2019 and Asia Pacific is predicted as the fastest-growing region in this forecast period. (ReportLinker, 2020)

With fashion ecommerce growing at a substantial rate the opportunity for brands to optimize social media marketing and expand their online presence will be the key to success. Corteiz is an example of a streetwear brand that built success through only advertising on social media. Now gaining over 400,000 followers on Instagram and 120,00 on twitter it has become an established and incredibly successful brand. With social media marketing being cheaper yet more direct that traditional advertising it is easily a strategy that fashion brands can take advantage of. 

The global fashion influencer market is valued at $1.5 billion and has a predicted growth rate of 35.7% by 2027. (MillionInsights, 2021) This means that choosing influencers to collaborate with and use as tools of promotion is another way to reach a brands target audience and successfully build brand awareness across multiple consumer bases. This personal and more informal form of promotion meets the two-step flow theory by Katz and Lazarsfeld and implies that influencers act as opinion leaders. Therefore, they have the power to encourage and influence their ‘followers’ especially when the target audience for what they are promoting matches their own consumer base.

The role of a creative director is to act as the creative lead merging statistics with creation. They develop ideas and lead their team to create projects that match the overall aesthetic and house style of the brand as well as meets the promotional needs to engage and capture the interest of their target audience. A creative director’s main goal is to capitalise using creative techniques.

AGCAS Editors (2021). Creative director job profile | Prospects.ac.uk. [online] www.prospects.ac.uk. Available at: https://www.prospects.ac.uk/job-profiles/creative-director  [Accessed 24 Oct. 2022]

Chitrakorn, K. (2022). Why everyone’s talking about Corteiz. [online] Vogue Business. Available at: https://www.voguebusiness.com/fashion/corteiz-clint-and-the-future-of-streetwear [Accessed 24 Oct. 2022]

Mitterfellner, O. (2020). Fashion marketing and communication : theory and practice across the fashion industry. Abingdon, Oxon ; New York, Ny: Routledge [Accessed 24 Oct. 2022]

www.millioninsights.com. (n.d.). Fashion Influencer Marketing Market Size, 2027 | Industry Report. [online] Available at: https://www.millioninsights.com/industry-reports/global-fashion-influencer-marketing-market  [Accessed 24 Oct. 2022] 

MOF Team (2021). The Future of the Jewellery Industry: Trends & Insights | Matter Of Form. [online] www.matterofform.com. Available at: https://www.matterofform.com/news/articles/jewellery-industry-trends  [Accessed 24 Oct. 2022]

‌ReportLinker (2020). Fashion E-Commerce Global Market Report 2020-30: Covid 19 Growth and Change. [online] GlobeNewswire News Room. Available at: https://www.globenewswire.com/news-release/2020/07/09/2060323/0/en/Fashion-E-Commerce-Global-Market-Report-2020-30-Covid-19-Growth-and-Change.html [Accessed 24 Oct. 2022]

Shepherd, J. (2022). Social Media Marketing for Fashion Brands: A Strategy That Works…. [online] The Social Shepherd. Available at: https://thesocialshepherd.com/blog/social-media-strategy-fashion-brands [Accessed 24 Oct. 2022]

People are an important aspect that brands must consider ranging from consumers, the workers, general public and society as a whole.

Gen Z consumers are described as people born from 1995 to 2010. As a generation raised within the digital world they are consumers that are changing the way brands present themselves.

McKinsey & Company collaborated with a research agency focusing on the consumer trends and purchasing behaviours to investigate their impact. This generation values individualism and self-expression; avoiding labels and focusing on consuming brands that reflect ideologies and values that they also align with. The three implications of this generation stated within McKinsey’s research were ‘Consumption as access rather than possession, Consumption as expression of individual identity and Consumption as a matter of ethical concern’ (Tracy Francis and Fernanda Hoefel 2019)

For brands to be successful at attracting Gen Z a focus on authenticity is necessary. Building a brand identity focused on truth and transparency will provide an attractive base for Gen Z consumers. Globalised access to the internet makes consumers powerful as the increased understanding and sourcing has made most Gen Z educated about the realities of brands and therefore the problems.

Maison Martin Margiela Spring 1990 is an example of an experimental runway that broke down the barrier of diversity by providing front row access to individuals who otherwise would typically never of got close to attending a runway show.

The runway location was on a derelict playground within a North African neighbourhood on the outskirts of Paris. It was used by an association that took care of the local children and therefore Margiela saw it as the children’s space. The team didn’t want to seem disrespectful by taking the kids space so they decided to get them involved. Drawings by the local children become the invitations implied by Jenny Meirens, co-founder of Maison Margiela that it was ‘like they were inviting you to their place’.  (Quote taken from The Gentlewoman’s Spring/Summer 2016 issue). During the fashion show the children were allowed to sit right alongside the runway and join in to parade alongside the models.

Skills such as communication and collaboration are vital for success as the more diverse a team is the more ideas and inspiration that can be created. When a group of diverse people come together the outcome can only be better than those who are all the same with the same ideas.

The Business of Fashion. (n.d.). Remembered: The Game-Changing Martin Margiela Show of 1989. [online] Available at: https://www.businessoffashion.com/articles/fashion-week/remembered-the-game-changing-martin-margiela-show-of-1989/  (Accessed 15 Oct. 2022)

CR Fashionbook – CR Fashion Site. (n.d.). Maison Margiela’s Most Unconventional Runways [online] Available at: https://crfashionbook.com/fashion-g32070490-martin-margiela-most-unconventional-runways-fashion-designer/  [Accessed 15 Oct. 2022].

McKinsey (2019) ‘True Gen’: Generation Z and its implications for companies

Moran, G. (2022). Gen Z and Millennials 2022. [online] Drapers. Available at: https://www.drapersonline.com/guides/gen-z-and-millennials-2022 (Accessed 15 Oct. 2022)