PEOPLE
The People pillar contributes to the four pillars of the fashion business school. This pillar considers the principles of a consumer and how individuals in society keep the fashion industry buoyant for production and profit. For brands, it is vital to keep up to date on the new age of consumers, gen z, to align with the needs and expecations of a younger audience. The ‘True Gen’ report covered by Francis & Hoeffel (2018) briefly defines Gen Z as “loosely, people born from 1995 to 2010”, and expands on the social group’s ‘hyper-cognitive’ approach to life. As Gen Z has had easy access to the internet from a young age, there is a greater opportunity to explore the world around them, especially within the online depths of the fashion industry. Global e-commerce sales are said to reach $5 trillion by 2022 (Racnerowicz ,2022) which is largely down to the online presence of the Gen Z community, therefore encouraging brands to upkeep their digital marketing image
The fashion industry withholds a great responsibility to maintain a socially transparent and progressive image to cater for its Gen Z audience. Fashion is inextricably responsible as one of the ways people can express themselves, and a way in which identity can be explored.
Social inclusion has become a trending issue amongst Gen Z consumers, as the various gender, racial and social identities have expanded over time, it has increased diversity within communities. Although the term diversity can be seen as a buzzword within fashion, it is generally defined as ‘the condition of having or including people from different ethnicities and social backgrounds”. Brands must be aware of diversity as all identities and social groups are entitled to an equal workplace and opportunity to work in fashion. Thirdlove is a lingerie company created by Heidi Zak in 2013 (Nerisha Penrose, 2020) that influences body positivity and racially diversity. This is successfully marketed through their 78 different bra sizes in an expansive range of ‘nude-coloured’ undergarments. Additionally, in 2020 Thirdlove introduced ‘the TL effect whereby the brand selects entrepreneurial women of colour to use facilities and office space to boost the experience for their brand. Here is an encouraging example of diversity within a brand regarding size, race and ethnicity, and created a positive image for the company to interact with a variety of consumers.
To indicate a successful and authentic relationship between a brand and its consumers it must align the evolving nature of a society and its standards, especially with the expansion of identities and expressions that we are witnessing amongst the Gen Z community.
REFERENCES:
En.wikipedia.org. 2022. ThirdLove – Wikipedia. [online] Available at: <https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/ThirdLove> [Accessed 14.10.2022].
Francis, T. and Hoefel, F. (2018). ‘True Gen’: Generation Z and its implications for companies. [online] McKinsey & Company. Available at: https://www.mckinsey.com/industries/consumer-packaged-goods/our-insights/true-gen-generation-z-and-its-implications-for-companies. [Accessed 14.10.2022]
Rajnerowicz, K., 2022. Online Shopping Statistics: Ecommerce Trends for 2022. [online] Tidio. Available at: <https://www.tidio.com/blog/online-shopping-statistics/> [Accessed 15.10.2022].
Penrose, N, 2022. ThirdLove Launches The TL Effect to Support Businesses Led by Women of Color. [online] ELLE. Available at: <https://www.elle.com/fashion/shopping/a32892933/thirdlove-women-of-color-tl-effect/> [Accessed 14.10.2022].
Wordnik.com. 2022. diversity — definition, examples, related words and more at Wordnik. [online] Available at: <https://www.wordnik.com/words/diversity> [Accessed 15.10.2022].