Omojolaoluwa Ajibola Daudu

“There are people who have money and people who are rich” (Coco Chanel). This quote expresses the fact that some people may be tangibly wealthy yet poor in their values. This interlinks into the theme for this blog post, ‘profit’. Profit is the 3^rd pillar of sustainability at the University Of The Arts London. 

The fashion industry consists of the following sectors: textile design and production, fashion design and manufacturing, fashion retailing marketing and merchandising & media and marketing (BfashionAcademy 2021) These components are steps of production that brands take to create the life span of a product. The fashion industry is one of the biggest and most important industries, driving a significant part of the global economy (McKinsey State Of Fashion 2017)before the Covid-19 pandemic, global revenue was estimated between $1.7 trillion and 2.5 trillion from the fashion industry alone.

Globalisation has had a drastically negative impact on the textile and production sector. Globalisation refers to the ‘spread of the flow of financial products, goods, technology information and jobs across national borders and cultures. This is beneficial as it allows developing countries to catch up to industrialised nations. However, low-income countries can be exploited of their labour, physical & intellectual resources (Investopedia 2022). The recent documentary on the fast fashion brand ‘Shein’ showcases the fact that there are no defined working hours as well as emphasising the fact that workers only get one day off per month; this violates Chinese labour laws, meaning that Shein is not only being unethical but also breaking the law. (Rochelle Brand 2022). 

Brands can also be creative through Celebrity endorsements. When doing this, brands should ensure that the celebrity that they are endorsing has had a successful portfolio, within their scope of performance. For example, the athletic fashion brand Nike’s mission is to ‘inspire athletes. If Nike were to use a gold medallist as the face of a project, the celebrity could potentially inspire athletes and customers to purchase from their brand. This could then lead to an increase in profit for Nike and allow them to bridge the gap between commerce and creativity. (Mitterfellner, 2019, loc 91).

(The Fortnite team 2021 high altitude meets high fashion in Fortnite with the Moncler classic set)

 Luxury fashion brand Moncler collaborated with leading the gaming industry brand ‘Fortnite’. This was very innovative and creative as players were able to dress their characters in Moncler garments. Both companies not only profited from this but received deserved attention for this unique way of marketing high fashion to the Gen Z sector. Thus, allowing them to bridge the gap between creativity and commerce. 

During the covid-pandemic, ‘Burberry’ harmed sales. Profit decreased by more than half and customers were drawn to niches in the brand lacked. (Vogue business 2020). Burberry could have remained competitive during this uncertain economic time by taking inspiration from the retailer Farfetch which excelled during the pandemic. Farfetch catered to their customer’s fashion needs by having a stay-at-home fashion range and they found that customers purchased more from this category than high-heeled shoes and formal wear. This allowed Farfetch to make a profit even during this unstable economic time. 

• BfashionAcademy (2021), What are the key factors of the fashion industry. Available at: What is Fashion Industry and it’s key factors of Fashion Industry? (bfashionacademy.com)/ (Accessed: 21 October 2022).

• Investopedia (2022) Globalisation in business with history pros and cons. Available at: https://www.investopedia.com/terms/g/globalization.asp- / (Accessed: 21 October 2022)

• Mckinsey State Of Fashion (2017) The state of fashion. Available at: The-state-of-fashion-2017-McK-BoF-report.pdf (mckinsey.com)/ (Accessed: 23 October 2022).

• Mitterfellner, O., (2019) Fashion marketing and communication. Milton: Taylor and Francis Group.

• Rochelle Brand (2022) National World. Available at: SHEIN UK: are workers being exploited by fast fashion brand? | NationalWorld/ (Accessed: 24 October 2022).

• Vogue Business (2020) Burberry profit falls more than half. Available at: Burberry profit falls by more than half over Covid-19 | Vogue Business/ (Accessed: 25^th October 2022).

People, the noun is defined as ‘human beings in general or considered collectively’ (Cambridge dictionary 2022). At the University Of The Arts London, People is the second pillar of sustainability. People are the producers of sustainability, the output of sustainability depends on the input and if we choose to behave sustainably, this will affect the world of future generations positively.

Gen Z, the digital natives refer to the generation that was born between 1995-2010. (McKinsey & Company, 2022). Taking into consideration the psychological factors of this young audience, Gen Z wants to be able to shop quickly and cheaply, therefore fast fashion is most appreciated by Gen Z, they can look good for less and stay up to date with the latest trends.

To attract Gen Z customers, brands should have a heavy social media presence on apps such as Instagram and TikTok. Both these apps have introduced shopping which is a key element to intriguing Gen Z purchases from brands. The percentage of consumers who purchase fashion via social media is increasing with 60% being Gen Z (Graeme Morgan, 2022). Both these social media platforms allow brands to ensure that their content and promotions are being viewed by their targeted audience. Instagram allows brands to specifically choose what audience brands want their promotions to reach which is very beneficial because this ensures advertisements are specifically seen by their targeted audience (Instagram, 2022).

Good American has championed inclusivity and makes it a mission to ensure every woman is seen and heard. This is done by the brand having a nationwide casting call for diverse women to model in its seasonal campaigns, that are of different sizes and ethnicities. (Forbes, 2022) Good American is a prime example of brands responding to diversity, they are understanding that the world is evolving, and they are not only practising diversity but have met the United Nations SDG of gender equality.

Communication is one of the most fundamental people skills needed for a fashion brand to succeed (Jacquelyn Smith, 2013), brands need to be able to communicate effectively internally and externally within the business for example within a team, communication Is used to put across plans to lead a project to success and to ensure everyone knows what the task is. Fashion brands need to be able to communicate with their customers effectively as customers may have enquiries for example fast fashion brand PLT have a Twitter dedicated to customer service where customers can talk with the customer services teams.

• Cambridge dictionary (2022, English meaning – people. Available at: PEOPLE | English meaning – Cambridge Dictionary / (Accessed: 20 October 2022).
• Forbes (2022) 11 brands that successfully model diverse and inclusive advertising. Available at: 11 Brands That Successfully Model Diverse And Inclusive Advertising (forbes.com) / (Accessed 26 October 2022).
• Graeme, M., (2022) Gen Z & Millennials 2022. Available at: Gen Z and Millennials 2022 – Drapers (drapersonline.com) / (Accessed October 14 2022).
• Instagram (2022) Boost an Instagram post. Available at: Boost an Instagram post | Instagram Help Centre / (Accessed 16 October 2022).
• Jaquelyn, S., (2013)  The 20 people skills you need to succeed at work. Available at: The 20 People Skills You Need To Succeed At Work (forbes.com) / (Accessed 26 October 2022).
• Mckinsey & Company (2019), ‘True Gen’: Generation Z and its implications for companies. Available at: Generation Z characteristics and its implications for companies | McKinsey / (Accessed: 10 October 2022).

Trees have the purpose to provide 70% of the world’s oxygen, whether it is a cup or a laptop. Everything around provides a purpose. But what is most important? is that each one of us has an individual and unique reason why we are on this earth. Purpose is the final pillar of sustainability at the University Of The Arts London. The purpose of this blog is to give readers comprehension as to why every fashion brand has a purpose. 

Consumers can understand the purpose of a brand through brand philosophy. Brand philosophy represents a sense of pride in what a brand is about(Brand Master Academy, 2022). Brands want their customers to feel the class money can buy (Isaac Jeffries, 2016). Brands practice this by having a mission statement. A mission statement is a formal summary of the aims and values of a company(Dictionary Cambridge, 2022). For example, the Fashion brand Zara’s mission statement is to “give customers what they want and get it to them faster than anyone else”. Having a mission statement creates a sense of identity for fashion brands like Zara and allows brands to measure and ensure they are working and creating products that align with their mission statement, this also provides an ideal vision for the company’s future and directs its growth(Indeed, 2022).

Vision answers the question of ‘Where does a brand wants to be?’ and ‘What are the future goals?’. Brands having a vision drives success as this gives the brand something to work towards, motivates employees and differentiates the brand from competitors (David Aaker, 2022) For example, sports brand Nike set three goals that they hope to have met by 2020 one being to ‘minimise its environmental footprint’ (Londrigan, M.P, & Jenkins, J.M, 2018, loc 41-60). Nike having this goal would then be broken down into steps they will take to get there this could be done by creating a vision board for the brand.

A value proposition is a ‘commitment made specifically to a targeted audience’ (Casey Schmidt, 2020). This gives customers a clear insight as to what the companies values are and the service that the brand wants to provide to their consumers (TechTarget, 2022) Luxury fashion brand Louis Vuitton targeted audience is 18- 54 women who earn high yearly salaries of $75,000 or more. Louis uses value proposition through their exclusivity in their bags which enables Louis to charge their high prices. The Louis bag sells an image of status, and they want their customers to feel the class money can buy (Isaac Jeffries, 2016).

• Brand Master Academy (2022) What is brand philosophy. Available at: What Is Brand Philosophy? [+How To Find Yours] (brandmasteracademy.com) / (Accessed: 25 October 2022).
• Casey Schmidt (2020) Canto. Available at: Break through barriers with a brand value proposition | Canto (Accessed: 23 October 2022).
• David Aker (2014) It Starts with a Brand Vision: 6 Key Components of Successful Models. Available at: Brand Vision: 6 Key Components of Successful Models | Aaker on Brands (prophet.com) / (Accessed: 26 October 2022)
• Dictionary Cambridge (2022) Mission statement. Available at: MISSION STATEMENT | English meaning – Cambridge Dictionary / (Accessed: 25 October 2022).
• Indeed (2022), Why is a company mission statement important. Available at: Why a mission statement is important: uses and examples | Indeed.com UK / (Accessed: 25 October 2022).
• Isaac Jeffries (2016) Value propositions. Available at: Value Propositions — Isaac Jeffries / (Accessed: 24 October 2022).
• Londrigan, M.P., & Jenkins, J.M. (2018). Fashion Supply Chain Management. New York City: Fair Child Books, An imprint of Bloomsbury Publishing inc.
• Tech Target (2022) Value proposition. Available at: What is value proposition? – Definition from WhatIs.com (techtarget.com) / (Accessed: 23 October 2022).

Social development goals (SDGs) were founded by the United Nations. These goals were put in place to make our world and the way we live sustainable and to give every business and the world something to work towards to make the world we live in sustainable.

There are 4 pillars of sustainability, people, profit, purpose, and planet. In this blog, I will be giving readers an in-depth enhancement of knowledge on the pillar ‘Planet’. Living sustainably is defined as doing things in the present that will not impact future generations negatively, this is done by using sustainable resources rather than finite ones. The planet pillar is the foundation for living sustainably as everything we do on earth will affect it in the long run either positively or negatively, the decision is in our hands.

Building a circular economy plays a huge role In the planet pillar. A circular economy is ensuring that actions taken are not affecting the economy negatively which is done by refurbishing and recycling. in the context of fashion, a circular economy could be done by recycling textiles from recently produced garments rather than throwing away and burning materials. Fashion magazines such as vogue have been reporting on issues of climate change and educating readers on how to live more sustainable lives which is such an amazing way of influencing the world to live more sustainably as these magazines hold so much power in the fashion industry. (www.condenast.com may 2020)

The fashion industry is one of the least sustainable industries. Fashion production alone makes up 10% of humanity’s carbon emissions, dries up water sources, and pollutes rivers and streams (www.Genevaenvironmentnetwork.com  2021) however the fashion industry is recognising the importance of sustainability and is trying to improve. Brands such as fast fashion brand PLT have moved on to promoting reselling and re-wearing through the creation of the PLT marketplace. This is a base where PLT customers can sell items from PLT and other retailers. By this PLT is encouraging their consumers to recycle clothes rather than throw them away which is much better for the environment.

The SDG goal ‘zero hunger’ has a big relevance and impact on the fashion industry. In 2017, the fashion industry alone consumed 79 billion cubic metres of water, this is enough to fill 32 million Olympic size swimming pools (www.theconsciouschallenge.org 2019).

low-income countries in Africa have very little access to clean water and the amount of water used could cure that extremely devastating problem in the world.

Fashion companies are trying to make a difference such luxury fashion brand Balenciaga. In 2018, luxury fashion brands donated 10 per cent of their sales to the ‘World Food Programme which is the largest humanitarian aid group fighting world hunger.

refrences:

www.theconsciouschallenge.org 2019

www.condenast.com may 2020

www.Genevaenvironmentnetwork.com  2021