Yasmine Thurley

Purpose in a business is one of the most important as well influential factor of a business as it reflects on the businesses values, especially when it comes to retail. It’s not just about selling their products it’s about the promises a business makes to its consumers, as well as identifying the brands values and missions . This establishes trust with your consumers and further creating loyalty responsibility to fulfil both consumers and employees wellbeing needs. Moreover a brand purpose gives buyers a way to remember a business by creating an identity therefore setting you apart from competitors. (Creatitive | Sports Digital Branding & Marketing Agency. (2018) Consumers are more likely to purchase from a brand that has strong values especially with the current generation who are known to be more socially responsible.

Wellbeing is an important factor in the Fashion Industry as our appearance reflects how we want to be perceived, where we feel comfortable, and how we seen and express ourselves . the clothes you purchase and wear have an effect on how your confidence , this is evident as it is mentioned in ‘That Swimsuit Becomes You’ (Frederikson et al, 1998) where a study was made on women and men. women were less Wearing of swimwear had a greater effect on women’s performance than men as people who wore a swimsuit which were women performed poorly where as for the men is was vis versa. this is. a prime example of how brand physiology is important as it is important for the consumers to feel comfortable in the products their buying as well as confident.

Zara is among the most famous retailers in the world. Its shopper visit frequency is three times higher than for most other clothing brands (Djordjevic, M. (2022) . Their brand physiologist is 4 pillars brand beauty, clarity, functionality and sustainability (Kala, K. (2018) . Only a few clothing brands can keep up with the latest fashion while maintaining high quality of products and selling then at an affordable price and Zara is one of them. they stick by their values and mission statement to keep up with customer needs.

Unlike other generations gen Z are the most socially conscious as well as socially responsible. they have grown up with technology therefore allowing them to boarded their knowledge and educate themselves on ongoing issues. In addition social media platforms such as tiktok and instagram reels which are eye-catching visual content is a large platform for marketing products as they tend to have a short attention span. The best way to get across to them is by interactive content, this also allows the consumer to understand what they want to buy and the company to understand the customer needs. Furthermore trends are constantly changing due to social media. The fast pace encourages trends to go in and out companies need to ensure they stay current and follow these trends due to the speed interests change in.

There is a significantly strong belief on sustainability as gen z are heavily concerned about our planet and want to make a difference, especially within the fashion industry. Corporate social responsibility (CSR) refers to companies taking responsibility for their impact on society” (para 1). CSR and sustainability have been inextricably linked in the fashion industry. (in.arts.idm.oclc.org. (n.d.). University of the Arts London WebLogin). Moreover this impacts how and where they purchase their products from, as it is important they are purchasing from a sustainable brand. They are not interested in empty promises they want to know action will be made. Brands must highlight their commitment by providing evidence against challenges such as diversity, sustainability and destruction of the environment . A brand’s corporate social responsibility (CSR) statement must be something that the brand lives, rather than just espouses. (Clark, S. (2022). What Does Gen Z Really Want From Brands?)

Creatitive | Sports Digital Branding & Marketing Agency. (2018). What Is the Purpose of Branding? How Your Company’s Image Is More than Just a Logo. [online] Available at: https://creatitive.com/purpose-of-branding/.

Djordjevic, M. (2022). 20 Astonishing Zara Statistics That Show the Brand’s Value. [online] Fashion Discounts. Available at: https://fashiondiscounts.uk/zara-statistics/.

Kala, K. (2018). FASHION HISTORY- ZARA. [online] Medium. Available at: https://medium.com/@kalyanii8927/fashion-history-zara-19ac531d9ab1.

‌login.arts.idm.oclc.org. (n.d.). University of the Arts London WebLogin. [online] Available at: https://www-bloomsburyfashioncentral-com.arts.idm.oclc.org/encyclopedia-chapter?docid=b-9781501317798&tocid=b-9781501317798-chapter3&pdfid=9781501317798.ch-003.pdf.

Clark, S. (2022). What Does Gen Z Really Want From Brands? [online] CMSWire.com. Available at: https://www.cmswire.com/customer-experience/do-your-brands-values-align-with-those-of-gen-z/.

‌psycnet.apa.org. (n.d.). APA PsycNet. [online] Available at: https://psycnet.apa.org/record/1998-04530-020.

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Profit is one of the 4 pillars of the fashion business school, It is one of the most important as it encourages the industry to prosper as well as develop . The fashion industry statistics show that the apparel and textile sector is the 4th biggest in the world (Major, J.S. and Steele, V. 2018) resulting in an increase in the industries profit. Especially after covid, and the mass amount of online shopping done resulted to Ecommerce growing fast, the pandemic pushed even more U.S. consumers online and pushed to spend frequently. Digital Commerce 360 estimates the pandemic contributed an extra $218.53 billion to ecommerce’s bottom line over the past two years. In 2020, the coronavirus added $102.08 billion in U.S ecommerce, and it added $116.45 billion in 2021, according to Digital Commerce 360 . Therefore majorly increasing the retail industry due to customers being forced to stay indoors a lot of people shopped within their free time. However due to the high demand of products there would have been a mass amount of over consumption resulting in mass production as well as wastage which is not sustainable, this would be taken into account when consumers make decisions on their purchases.

The fashion industry currently consists of four levels, the production of raw materials, principally fibres and textiles but also leather and fur. The production of fashion goods by designers, manufacturers, contractors, and others; retail sales; and various forms of advertising and promotion. (CBInsights 2021) it is becoming harder for these sectors to perform especially when selling to a market such as generation z who have strong beliefs in sustainability. It is more expensive to become sustainable within a business especially due to covid due to decrease in certain sales therefore making it challenging for brands to afford to be sustainable as majority of consumers within this generation are more socially responsible and are aware of what products they purchase and how their being produced.

Moreover today, fashion technology is growing at a faster pace than ever as technology is evolving it is providing more opportunities for the industry. Robots that sew and cut fabric, algorithms that predict style trends, clothes to be worn in virtual reality, an array of innovations show how technology is automating, personalising, and speeding up the fashion space(,,,,) , this would allow brands to reach consumers specific needs and understand what specifically needs to be produced to meet the needs of the market.

In addition a brand can remain competitive in uncertain economic times by taking inactive and creating a stronger brand image, past crises also show that brands that have the strongest brand positioning and equities emerge stronger during a crises than brands that are mainstream. Premium and luxury sectors tend to perform much better during recessions than average segments, hence the ability to create extreme value is critical for navigating successfully through a crisis. However brands who are non luxury brands would not have the funding to invest into things like marketing as well as developing their products like luxury brands. Some examples of how to adapt through a economic struggle

Nurture and protect employees and give them perspective (e2fashion.com n.d.)

• create extreme value, you need to refocus on brand equity building in times of crisis. The best brands focus on their core values and make sure the brand storytelling is precise, specific, insight-driven, and differentiating, which creates meaningful value for their customers.

• Innovate and become more influential , by adapting to the current issues and seeing how they could make it easier for consumers to buy or wjhat they need such as during covid majority of retail brands took thinner business online as this was how consumers were purchasing products. or even moving their whole business online as it would work out cheaper than having a store

• Transform digitally

• one of the biggest business impacts of The Pandemic is that it’s highlighted just how important e-commerce has become. Luxury brands have been a combination of tradition and arrogance. Luxury thrives on exclusivity; a luxurious in-store experience; and luxury brands are notoriously controlling about their image. But the future is online – which is why LVMH’s latest ‘cabinet reshuffle’ shows how even luxury brands are being forced to sit up and take e-commerce seriously. (DMARGE. (2020).)

For creative directors to engage and bridge the gap to the audience about creativity and commerce, they must market their product in a way that evolves art as well as skill. Many consumers like to purchase products with a story and extravagant displays . Therefore, if brands portray a message of meaning through their products, it is more likely customers would relate and purchase the product. the invention of the Little Black Dress from coco Chanel incorporated comfort as well as creativity. Wearing a fitting black dress might be a go-to for all western-clothing-clad women today. But it was Coco who invented it, removing uncomfortable frills, corsets, and laces from women’s clothing. she was adapting to the trends of the current era emerging creativity and commerce and to this day her work is constantly worn and continues to be adapted to the target market.

Referencing

Major, J.S. and Steele, V. (2018). Fashion industry. In: Encyclopædia Britannica. [online] Available at: https://www.britannica.com/art/fashion-industry.

‌CBInsights (2021). The Future Of Fashion: From Design To Merchandising, How Tech Is Reshaping The Industry. [online] CB Insights Research. Available at: https://www.cbinsights.com/research/fashion-tech-future-trends/.

‌www.fibre2fashion.com (n.d.). Brand Strategy: Rules for Uncertain Times. [online] www.fibre2fashion.com. Available at: https://www.fibre2fashion.com/industry-article/8630/brand-strategy-rules-for-uncertain-times [Accessed 26 Oct. 2022].

‌DMARGE. (2020). Louis Vuitton’s Digital Moves Evidence That Luxury Brands Are Finally Taking E-Commerce Seriously. [online] Available at: https://www.dmarge.com/lvmh-taking-e-commerce-seriously [Accessed 26 Oct. 2022].

Roberta, V. (2021). Building a legacy: Chanel’s Luxury Marketing Strategy. [online] TheStrategyStory. Available at: https://thestrategystory.com/2021/04/03/chanel-marketing-strategy/.

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One of the most influential pillars within the fashion business school is people. It is the reason business adapt and run. To understand how to target a product to a customer you first need to understand the market and within that is the consumers. Moreover it encourages you to understand the needs and wants of the customer (David Meerman Scott, New Rules and Marketing and PR).

Generation z is one of the biggest and more influential generations, as well as one of the biggest consumers in the market, they were born in a when there was massive financial struggle where have more awareness on spending as watching their parents struggle. In addition they also are more likely to shop sustainably as well as high-quality, products as they are more cautious on being ethical. 73% of Generation Z consumers are willing to pay 10% more for sustainable products ( iiii) furthermore they have strong views as well as beliefs on diversity as well as brands being socially responsible value personalised products and are often drawn to brands that share their point of view on political issues as they are more cautious on who they are buying from.

Generation Z is more or less born with a phone in their hand and has a completely different approach to social media and digitisation in general. They use social media to seek inspiration, research products and connect with their favourite brands. majority of their research or information is coming from tiktok or other social media platforms  Gen Z are YouTube (95%), TikTok (67%), and Instagram (62%). —-60% of Generation Z in the US use Instagram to discover new brands, products and services. therefore majority of purchases are made online as well as Generation Z embracing mobile payments like mobile apps and mobile wallets encouraging them to shop majority online, this would force brands to adapt their style of marketing to appeal to gen z such as creating tiktok accounts of promoting their products by creating a instagram. gen z one of the biggest buyers in the market so it is important that brands are adapting to the current trends.

Furthermore a brand that has taken initiative is third love a lingerie brand who uses measurements from millions of real women instead of industry size templates. The brand created a line of bras with 78 different sizes including half cup sizes. Not only does ThirdLove create a product that’s made for real women’s bodies, it also offers a wide range of nude shades to offer options for more skin tones they highlights real women with diverse backgrounds, body types, and ages. this would attract attention. as it is humanising it has a estimated valuation of $750 million proving to be successful. consumers escpially generation z would be more drawn to brands like third love rather than brands such as Victoria secret who have a specific brand image on who they want purchasing their products. diversity is very import in our modern world today as when making a purchase our generation are going to be cautious on what the brand stands for as well as their values due to being social responsible.

Referancing

Inglis, A. (2016). Importance of Buyer Personas for Your Business. [online] Grow. Available at: https://wearegrow.com/importance-of-buyer-personas-for-your-business/.

Apptus (2022). Generation Z: Online Shopping Habits and Behaviour [2022]. [online] www.apptus.com. Available at: https://www.apptus.com/blog/generation-z-online-shopping-habits/.

‌www.pixlee.com. (n.d.). 4 Brands Embracing Diversity in Their Content | Pixlee TurnTo Blog. [online] Available at: https://www.pixlee.com/blog/4-brands-embracing-diversity-in-their-content.

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Planet is one of the four pillars discussed within fashion business in addition to people, profit and purpose. It focuses on an aspect of sustainability within the fashion world. As the fashion industry and textiles contributes to 10% of pollution. Modern textiles petrochemical products that come from many of the same oil and gas companies driving greenhouse gas emissions. Today, in fact it is highly reverent to be talked about due to the mass consumption of textiles and products being made as fashion accounts for up to 10% of global carbon dioxide. (Dottle and Gu, 2022)

Sustainability is is a call of action taken to end poverty and protect the planet by the use of recycling or up cycling . Arguably the fashion and textile industry is unsustainable in its current form. It makes a significant contribution to the global economy, but it uses a disproportionately large amount of natural resources; its waste products pollute rivers and oceans; and when garments and footwear reach the end of their lives, most are burned or placed in landfill. furthermore emphasising on the fact that sustainability is a empty term in a lot of cases. Moreover water is being taken up to provide to make cotton when that water could be beneficial to someone else and possibly save a life (economic impact)

A circular economy is the alternative to a traditional linear economy as use of a product and then dispose it. It allows companies to keep resources for as long as possible such as repair use and adapting this includes up up-cycling. This would help the fashion industry as it would protect the environment as it would be re using resources and allow the fashion industry to become more sustainable. It also relies on customers to make those decisions like shopping in vintage shops and buying a full vinted outfit instead of one piece of clothing, or even just being aware and do research about what’s being used to make a product.

there are 17 SDGS are universal calls to action to end poverty, protect the planet and ensure that all people enjoy peace and prosperity. it was created by the United Nations it includes 17 different goals encourage sustainability. these goals are most relevant in the fashion industry due to over consumption and mass production due to the mass amount of wastage and excessive water usage as Around half of the production requires additional irrigation, and this can add to stresses on local water supplies. The fashion industry currently uses enough water to quench the thirst of 110 million people for an entire year. To produce just one cotton shirt requires approximately 2500 litres of water.

References

(Dottle and Gu, 2022)

OTTLE, R. AND GU, J.

The Global Glut of Clothing Is an Environmental Crisis

In-text: (Dottle and Gu, 2022)

 Dottle, R. and Gu, J., 2022. The Global Glut of Clothing Is an Environmental Crisis. [online] Bloomberg.com. Available at: <https://www.bloomberg.com/graphics/2022-fashion-industry-environmental-impact/?leadSource=uverify%20wall> [Accessed 8 October 2022]. 

IS SUSTAINABILITY IN FASHION? | ECONOMIST IMPACT

In-text: (Is Sustainability in Fashion? | Economist Impact, 2020)

: Impact.economist.com. 2020. Is Sustainability in Fashion? | Economist Impact. [online] Available at: <https://impact.economist.com/sustainability/circular-economies/is-sustainability-in-fashion?utm_medium=cpc.adword.pd&utm_source=google&ppccampaignID=18156330227&ppcadID=&utm_campaign=a.22brand_pmax&utm_content=conversion.direct-response.anonymous&gclid=CjwKCAjwv4SaBhBPEiwA9YzZvHU6bYck_wi3tqXbg6nHVFW6IhUvtGMN3lOO2CVNsWDXB8KycEBG6xoCM_4QAvD_BwE&gclsrc=aw.ds> [Accessed 9 October 2022]

THE ISSUES: WATER

In-text: (The Issues: Water, 2021)

 Common Objective. 2021. The Issues: Water. [online] Available at: <https://www.commonobjective.co/article/the-issues-water> [Accessed 9 October 2022].

urban outfitters

urban outfitters is one of the most popular brands within the teenage community. I admire urban as they adapt to different aspects of the market such as having a range of different options for both men and women of different ages, as well as feeding into trends and creating them. Urban have looked at the needs of the market and incorporated that into their clothes and products , such as the 2000s trend, majority of their clothes are inspired by the 2000s and as it has become popular to bring back old trends it demonstrates urbans products are unique and stand out from competitors. In addition they also have done collaborations with brands such as Adidas, kappa , north face and nike. these collaborations with sports wear opens a whole new segment for urban to achieve a larger target audience therefore leading to consumers with different interests. Furthermore urban also sell a wide range of products such as beauty, furniture and accessories further adding to the idea that they target a larger audience.

In addition when a product is popular, urban tend to make mutilple of it in different colours such as their Josie tops. During summer of 2021 urban came out with their Josie tops which they dropped in 5 different colours. They were wore in movies as well as hundreds of teenagers and young adults purchasing them. Once they realised how popular they were, they released them in neon colours and colours that where in season and trend. As well as releasing a long sleeve version as we come into the winter. They do this with many of their products such as their cargos or jeans. This allows consumers to keep coming back to urban to get every colour of their favourite clothing encouraging loyal customers to continue to purchase from urban. They know how to adapt to the market as it is very fast pace and constantly changing however they always manage to keep up with the trends.