Yingxi Hu

“People”  are the component of four pillars (planet, profit and purpose) and it is the main point of not only the organizations in all kinds but also the fashion business industry. It has been argued that ‘profit’  is the most important part in fashion business, however, ‘people’ are becoming more and more influential since “people” contain culture background of organizations, collaboration, diversity and relationships of the whole society (LCF Lecture, 2022). 

Gen Z are the group of people who born from 1995 to 2010. According to the report from McKinsey & Company, Gen Z’ are more likely to pick the product that makes them stands out and being unique rather than choose a particular brand. Approximately 40% of Gen Z’ s (age 18 to 23) shopping behavior are influenced by social media (McKinsey & Company). As the bar chart illustrated, the shopping behavior of majority of Gen Z (age 13-17) buying an item or a brand are influenced by their friends or family (35%) and 28% of Gen Z (13-17) are influenced by social media. The situation twisted in the age group of 18-23 which they are more likely to be influenced by social media and website instead of friends or family (McKinsey Generation Z Survey 2019). 

In order to attract Gen Z, a brand could be  focus on ethnical area more since Gen Z are having more and more ethical standards and willing to pay for it. In addition, according to the data above, online shopping and chasing the social media are becoming a fashion trends. Majority of Gen Z are familiar with and getting used to the modern technology and also it is popular and common to follow the influencers or bloggers in Gen Z age group. So that a brand should be focus on the marketing on social media and celebrities, also send promotions through emails and on the first page of the website inorder to draw Gen Z’s attention on purchasing the products. 

Fenty beauty , a cosmetics brand which made a huge change in the beauty industry established by Rihanna, illustrates the diversity completely and successfully. According to Vogue, It contains 40-colour foundation and all consumers could find the right colour suit for them. The advertisement page of this foundation are also demonstrated by people in different colour (Vogue, 2020). The main idea of fenty beauty was showing diversity and comprehensive attitude to everyone. It also brought the attention to the group that did not appear in the beauty industry that much and had be ignored (Vogue, 2020). The main people skill such as multitask, flexible working environment and various work visions are needed for a fashion brand to be successful.

Reference:

Funmi Fetto, 2020, How Fenty Beauty Changed The State Of Play In The Industry, Vogue, Available at https://www.vogue.co.uk/beauty/article/rihanna-fenty-beauty-diversity (Accessed on 7.10.2022 )

 S Bhargava, B Finneman, J Schmidt, and E Spagnuolo, 2020, The young and the restless: Generation Z in America, Available at https://www.mckinsey.com/industries/retail/our-insights/the-young-and-the-restless-generation-z-in-america (Accessed on 7.10.2022 )

The word “planet” refers to one of the four pillar which are Profit, Planet, People and Purpose. Fashion industry as a huge part of the society has the responsibility to link and combine these four pillars together in order to achieve sustainable fashion. The key issue of fashion is that the process including sample making, fabric and garment production, use, distribution and retail containing immeasurable amount of waste and pollution. (Gwilt, A. 2014) Some of the process in fashion requires chemicals and that would lead to waterways pollution (Allwood et al.2006).  According to the UNICEF, 700 million people would effected by massive water scarcity by 2030. Approximately a quarter of children will be living in a circumstance with extremely horrible condition of water use (UNICEF). Water needs to be protected and saved. However, water usage in the fashion industry is up to about 93 billion cubic meters per year (CO.2021). Majority of the environmental pollution are produced during laundering process which causes energy, water and chemical detergents (Gwilt, A. 2014). 

SDG stands for Sustainable Development Goals and it separates 17 goals that the world tend to achieve into three parts: Economic pillar, Environmental Pillar and Social pillar. Clean Water and Sanitation is one of the goals in SDG. In order to achieve this goal, sustainable fashion and circular economy become the indispensable components of the process. According to the The Soil Association (1946),  organic cotton has a great impact in water reduction by saving 91% of water usage compared to normal grown cotton. In addition, organic farmers do not use chemicals or toxic pesticide to the crops so that helps waterways to keep clean and protected (The Soil Association, 1946). These crops and techniques are benefit for sustainable fashion since it cause less damage and pollution to the earth and saved natural resources. 

Circular economy are formed by three principles which are Eliminate waste and pollution, Circulate products and materials and regenerate nature (Ellen Macarthur Foundation). It is a solution framework  that solves global problems like climate change and pollution. In the first principle, it focus on minimize the waste and pollution to none which starts with design (Ellen Macarthur Foundation).  By using recycled, degradable or edible product as raw material in order to achieve the circulation. The second principle’ main idea is highly repeated use either as a product, components or raw materials. The third principle focused on contributing to the nature instead of degrading nature so that earth has the time and space to breathe (Ellen Macarthur Foundation). 

Reference:

Gwilt, Alison. A Practical Guide to Sustainable Fashion, Bloomsbury Publishing USA, 2020. ProQuest Ebook Central, http://ebookcentral.proquest.com/lib/ual/detail.action?docID=6234061 ( Accessed on 10.9.2022)

UNICEF, Water scarcity. Available at https://www.commonobjective.co/article/the-issues-water (Accessed on 10.9.2022)

 Soil Association Thirsty For Fashion? Available at https://catalogue.unccd.int/1352_thirsty-for-fashion-soil-association-report.pdf (Accessed on 10.9.2022)

Ellen Macarthur Foundation, Circular economy. Available at 

https://ellenmacarthurfoundation.org/regenerate-nature (Accessed on 10.9.2022)

CO, SUSTAINABILITY ISSUES. Available at 

https://www.commonobjective.co/article/the-issues-water (Accessed on 10.9.2022)

Yohji Yamamoto was a brand established by Yohji Yamamoto who borned in Tokyo and raised up by his mother alone. He graduated from a law school, however, designing clothes is what he really passion for. So he went to her mother’s shop to help her sewing clothes after graduation. Years later, he opened his first shop in the beginning of the 1980s in French and known for its deconstructed style, mixed material and gender ambiguity style.

Until now, it contains two main lines named Yohji Yamamoto and Y’s which all collaborated with serval famous brands and three other branches. Yamamoto disgust overtly sexualized female so that all the clothes of his brand are gender ambiguous. There is no certain boundary can be found in Yohji Yamamoto’s design. This is also one of the reason why it becomes my favorite brand. I could find a sense of security, respect and freedom in this brand. In addition, black as the most important and major color of Yohji Yamamoto, made it even more special and full of mystery since black contains a range of meaning in different culture backgrounds. I also love how it make changes under the same color by deconstructed the costume itself and combining different materials together.

Reference:

BOF (2013) Yohji Yamamoto, The influential Japanese designer. Available at: https://www.businessoffashion.com/community/people/yohji-yamamoto (accessed 7 October 2022)

Armstrong, Lisa. “Deconstructing Yohji.” British Vogue (August 1998): 134-137.

Chua, Lawrence. “Exploring the Yamamoto Cult.” Women’s Wear Daily (April 1988).

Hildreth, Jean C. A New Wave in Fashion: Three Japanese Designers, March 1-April 24, 1983. Phoenix, Ariz.: The Arizona Costume Institute of the Phoenix Art Museum, 1983.

Hirokawa, Taishi. Sonomama Sonomama: High Fashion in the Japanese Countryside. San Francisco: Chronicle Books, 1988.

Kondo, Dorinne. About Face: Performing Race in Fashion and Theater. New York: Routledge, 1997.

Koren, Leonard. New Fashion Japan. Tokyo: Kodansha International, 1984.

Martin, Richard. “Destitution and Deconstruction: The Riches of Poverty in the Fashions of the 1990s.” Textile and Text 15 (1992): 3-12.

Takashina, Shuji. “Japonism: An Aesthetic of Shadow and Fragment.” In Japonism in Fashion. Edited by A. Fukai. Tokyo: Kyoto Costume Research Foundation, 1996.

Wenders, Wim. Aufzeichnungen zu Kleidern und Städten (Notebook on Cities and Clothes.) Berlin: Road Movies Filmproduktion in cooperation with Centre National d’Art et du Culture Georges Pompidou, 1989.