Davina Agarwal

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Purpose

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Purpose is one of the four main pillars of the fashion industry (people, planet, profit), and can be described as an organisation’s aim. It is why they started their business and what they hope to achieve through it. It is generally some form of positive social change, or social well-being. Brand philosophy can be dissected into three main segments: mission, vision and value proposition. Mission is the ‘why’ behind a brand, meaning the reason behind its existence. Vision can be described as the brand’s aim and what they are working towards, that is, where they see themselves in the near future as well as in the long run. Value propositions are the ethics of the brand, what they believe in and what is important to them. 

A brand’s philosophy, that is, the mission, vision, value proposition is something that is essential to establish before starting an organisation because that is what gives a brand their purpose. A brand’s philosophy is fundamentally a guideline for them as to how to proceed and make decisions. The philosophy a brand chooses to adapt also gives it its identity. (Silva, 2020) Oftentimes, a brand’s philosophy can be something that sets them apart from the rest of the industry. For example, Coralie Marabelle’s philosophy revolves around upcycling which is heavily reflected in their unique patchwork-like designs as well, as that is what they are recognised for. (Corcoran, 2022). It is also important so that the brand can attract the right kind of demographic. 

However, the purpose of the brand has to be correctly and accurately communicated to the consumers in order for it to have a positive impact, the consumers now being Gen Z. In this digital day and age, most brands, from small businesses to luxury and exclusive brands, have resorted to influencer and digital marketing to promote their brand philosophy. The brand also has to be careful when choosing a celebrity face to represent their brand, as the celebrity’s actions have to align with the brand’s philosophy. For example, Kanye West was recently dropped by multiple brands after making inappropriate comments about a particular religion, which shows the consumers that said brands do not align themselves with the celebrity’s opinions and actions. (Mayer, 2022). According to Jeff Fromm, a successful purpose driven brand has to have the “linking of functional, emotional and societal benefits”. (Fromm, 2019). Gen Z wants to emotionally connect to the brands they are shopping from, hence why, especially in today’s environment, it is vital that a business has a strong brand philosophy. 

References:

Fromm, J. (2019) Gen-z and the three elements of Purpose Brands, Forbes. Forbes Magazine. Available at: https://www.forbes.com/sites/jefffromm/2019/07/26/gen-z-and-the-three-elements-of-purpose-brands/?sh=5c825de37e3d (Accessed: November 9, 2022). 

Silva, P. (2020) Why philosophy has much to do with brand-building (and what that looks like), Forbes. Forbes Magazine. Available at: https://www.forbes.com/sites/piasilva/2020/11/19/why-philosophy-has-much-to-do-with-brand-building-and-what-that-looks-like/?sh=4430aa5671f9 ] (Accessed: November 9, 2022).

Mayer, I. (2022) The downfall of brand Kanye West: All the labels that have cut ties, Elle India. Available at: https://elle.in/all-the-brands-that-cut-ties-with-kanye-west/ (Accessed: November 9, 2022).

Corcoran, L. (2021) Upcycling fashion: 6 brands turning scraps into stylish pieces, KeiSei Magazine. Available at: https://keiseimagazine.com/upcycling-fashion-6-brands-turning-scraps-into-stylish-pieces/ (Accessed: November 9, 2022).

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Profit

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Profit arguably is one of the most important pillars from a business perspective out of people, planet and purpose. Profit can be described as “money that is earned in trade or business after paying the costs of producing and selling goods and services” (Cambridge Dictionary). Simply said, profit is the monetary benefit a business receives after selling its goods and services. 

The size of the fashion industry is something that is not only hard to determine but also changes according to whether the informal sectors of the economy are being included or not. Generally speaking, the United States of America and China possess the largest apparel retail markets in the world. Before Covid-19 hit the world, the fashion industry was worth $1.7 trillion. During the pandemic, the worth of the fashion industry had decreased to $1.45 trillion, that is by -18.1%. (McKinsey, 2022). Post pandemic, consumers indulged in something termed as ‘revenge-shopping’, bringing up the industry’s worth between $1.5 and $1.7 trillion in 2021. (Fashion United).

The economy is perpetually fluctuating, especially post pandemic, and brands can find it difficult to remain competitive during these uncertain economic times. To help remain afloat, it is important that a brand stay with the trends and keep up with the times. For example, the new way of advertising is through social media and that’s where most consumers look for information nowadays. If a brand did not have a digital marketing team, they would find it very hard to remain profitable. A brand could also use their unique selling point to their advantage and stand out from the rest of the market. Even though good profit is important, it can only be achieved if the consumer is happy. Hence, it is important to make product development decisions based on consumer feedback. (Forbes Finance Council, 2020). Brands also need to be able to bridge the gap between creativity and commerce in order to be competitive. 

As Caroline Steven mentioned (Stevenson, 2019), “Nineteenth Century, Charles Frederick Worth, the ‘Father of Haute Couture’ and a keen entrepreneur, recognised the economic benefit of aligning himself with art and creativity over commerce.” (Berry, 2018) Creative directors can bridge the gap between creativity and commerce by creating a balance between skill, that is art, and the business aspect of the company. More often than not, consumers are more likely to buy something that is visually appealing and are displayed in elaborate pop ups and/or flagship stores. This is the creativity aspect of the business. If a brand is creatively strong, they are likely to make a higher profit, which is the commerce aspect of the business. 

References:

Profit (no date) Cambridge Dictionary. Available at: https://dictionary.cambridge.org/dictionary/english/profit (Accessed: November 9, 2022).

Global Fashion Industry Statistics FashionUnited. Available at: https://fashionunited.com/global-fashion-industry-statistics (Accessed: November 9, 2022). 

State of Fashion 2022: An uneven recovery and new frontiers (2022) McKinsey & Company. McKinsey & Company. Available at: https://www.mckinsey.com/industries/retail/our-insights/state-of-fashion (Accessed: November 9, 2022). 

Panel, E. (2020) Council post: 13 tips to balance staying competitive with maintaining cash flow in your business, Forbes. Forbes Magazine. Available at: https://www.forbes.com/sites/forbesfinancecouncil/2020/02/18/14-tips-to-balance-staying-competitive-with-maintaining-cash-flow-in-your-business/?sh=7886696b1f02 (Accessed: November 9, 2022).

Stevenson, C (2019) “(I was there) when it all went down”, in Cronberg, A. (ed) Vestoj issue 9: On Capita 

Berry, J. (2018) House of Fashion: Haute Couture and the Modern Interior. London: Bloomsbury 

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People

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‘People’ is one of the 4 main pillars of the fashion industry (planet, purpose and profit), and is a huge part of any organisation, as a part of the supply chain as well as in the form of the various kinds of consumers a brand has. It can also be described as the diverse demographic (in terms of race, age, size etc.) a brand aims to market their products to. The current, ‘new’ consumers for the fashion industry are the youth who are also better known as generation z or gen z. 

Gen Z can be described as people born between 1995 to 2010 (Francis and Hoefel, 2022) and are the youth. Gen Z consumers are advocates for sustainability, inclusion, correct and diverse representation. They are also described as “true digital natives”. (Francis and Hoefel, 2022). They relate to one on one communication, and this is where influencers come into play. The one on one communication helps the consumers emotionally connect with the brand and understand the brand’s philosophy as well. However, this also often times puts the brand at risk, because with digital platforms and Gen Z also comes ‘cancel culture’ which is a harsh attempt at holding brands and people accountable for making mistakes. This means that brands cannot afford to not take actions according to their brand philosophy.

Glossier, for example, has fairly inclusive campaigns, and is a huge advocate for it as well. They also send out postcards with their packages with an aesthetic image for several hands of different skin colours coming together. However, their shade range is pretty limited compared to what a lot of other brands are doing, especially given that they are a rather well established brand now. Even though they have an extremely light shade and an extremely dark shade, there are barely 13 shades. Fenty beauty, on the other hand, has been a great advocate for diversity and inclusion, with not only inclusive campaigns but also a rather wide shade range containing 59 different options. (Fetto, 2020). Fenty beauty’s motto is “beauty for all”, and they truly are practicing what they preach. 

As aforementioned, people are a key focus of any brand, and there are certain key people skills required for a fashion brand in particular to be successful. One has to be patient, open minded to others’ ideas which goes hand in hand with being good at teamwork, and being accepting of others. This means one has to be flexible. For a business to be successful, the people working for the brand have to listen proactively to not only their colleagues and employees but also the consumers. (Smith, 2022).

References:

Fetto, F. (2020) How Fenty Beauty changed the state of play in the industry, British Vogue. Available at: https://www.vogue.co.uk/beauty/article/rihanna-fenty-beauty-diversity (Accessed: November 9, 2022). 

Smith, J. (2022) The 20 people skills you need to succeed at work, Forbes. Forbes Magazine. Available at: https://www.forbes.com/sites/jacquelynsmith/2013/11/15/the-20-people-skills-you-need-to-succeed-at-work/?sh=11792cac3216 (Accessed: November 9, 2022).

Francis, T. and Hoefel, F. (2022) ‘true gen’: Generation Z and its implications for companies, McKinsey & Company. McKinsey & Company. Available at: https://www.mckinsey.com/industries/consumer-packaged-goods/our-insights/true-gen-generation-z-and-its-implications-for-companies (Accessed: November 9, 2022). 

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Planet

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‘Planet’ is one of the 4 pillars of fashion business (profit, purpose and people) and it refers to the sustainability aspect of fashion. The dictionary definition of sustainability is “avoidance of the depletion of natural resources in order to maintain an ecological balance.” (Halliday, 2019) However, it also means simply being responsible and aware of the happenings of the sustainable development ’industry’, as well as trying to do one’s part in contributing positively to it. Planet as a pillar focuses on the ways through which we can nurture the environment by inculcating sustainable methods of living. 

To be able to do so, and be sustainable, some brands in the fashion industry have tried to adopt a circular economy. A circular economy is an oscillation from the standard way the economy works, which is creating, using and then disposing. The concept of circular economy revolves around rethinking about the way the buyers consume and the industry produces. The other seven main factors of this type of economy are reusing, recycling, refusing, reducing, repairing, re-gifting and recovering. 

This form of economy is especially beneficial to the fashion industry as it makes huge contributions to the waste that is created everyday. However, as the industry tries to become more sustainable, it has come with its own challenges. Sustainability can definitely be labelled as a trend, hence why it can be difficult to identify whether a company is genuinely trying to do better or if they are using this ‘trend’ to their advantage in order to increase sales as well as to appeal to the youth. This is called greenwashing. Greenwashing is when a company pretends to protect and care for the environment as a marketing strategy, but do not actually take any steps to be sustainable. (Edwards, 2022) As consumers, it is vital to try to not fall for it, however due to the complexities of the supply chain, it is often difficult to figure out whether a garment was created through sustainable processes or not. 

One of the most important sustainable development goals that the United Nations have come up with, especially in terms of fashion is Goal 12: Responsible Consumption and Production. The achievement of this goal not only aids the fashion industry as a whole but also is essential to work towards in terms of the circular economy. 

Reference List

Halliday, M. (2019) How sustainable is sustainability?, Oxford College of Procurement and Supply. Available at: https://www.oxfordcollegeofprocurementandsupply.com/how-sustainable-is-sustainability/ (Accessed: October 9, 2022). 

What is the circular economy? (no date) RIT. Available at: https://www.rit.edu/sustainabilityinstitute/blog/what-circular-economy (Accessed: October 9, 2022).

Edwards, C. (2022) What is greenwashing, and how do you spot it?, Business News Daily. Available at: https://www.businessnewsdaily.com/10946-greenwashing.html (Accessed: October 9, 2022). 

The 17 goals | sustainable development. United Nations. United Nations. Available at: https://sdgs.un.org/goals (Accessed: October 9, 2022).

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A Favourite Fashion Brand: Christian Dior

A Favourite Fashion Brand: Christian Dior

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Elegant, stylish and classy are all words that come to one’s mind when they hear ‘Christian Dior’. 

Dior, as a brand, has always been the epitome of classiness while still being trendy and in fashion; and that is precisely why it is my favourite brand. Hearing the phrase “my  favourite  fashion  brand” instantly makes me think of Dior, simply due to its timelessness and its classiness it has held through the decades. My most preferred phases of Dior are those with John Galliano and of course the current Dior aesthetic with Maria Grazia Chiuri. I personally love Dior specifically for their beautiful bags and fashion jewellery, although they have managed to tap into many other luxury categories such as beauty, fragrances, shoes etc. Whether it is their Saddle bag, or their book tote, it is nothing less than iconic. Dior runway looks and sets also contribute to it being one of my favourite brands. 

FUN FACT: Dior released its first lipstick in 1953.

Founded by French Couturier Christian Dior in 1946, it has played a key role in commercialising and globalising Parisian fashion. Later, it was taken over by Yves Saint Laurent, who went on to create his own luxury brand, followed by Marc Bohan and then John Galiano. He was followed by Gianfranco Feree and Raf Simons and then finally Maria Grazia Chiuri. Christian Dior was also popular for creating the ‘new look’ which was introduced via his first collection. Although it was named ‘Corolle’ by Dior himself, it was later given the name ‘the new look’ by Carmel Snow who was the editor in chief of Harper’s Bazaar at that time. 

They can now be experimenting with a lot of mural-like patterns and embroideries besides their classic ‘dior’ monogram. The scope for Dior seems to be huge with constantly changing fashion trends, and given its history, it seems like they will be able to keep up with the times whilst still remaining true to their roots. 

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