Similarly, to how society cannot function without people, neither can the fashion industry. Without consumers, brands do not sell their clothes – they do not make a profit.  To be successful, brands must always adapt their products and marketing towards the trends and preferences of their target audience. Inability to do so, and the consumer will move on. Therefore, it is crucial that brands captivate both the hearts and wallets of Generation Z.

So, who are Gen Z and what do they want?

Generation Z are people born from 1995 to 2010: a hypercognitive generation who “value individual expression and avoid labels” (Francis & Hoefel, 2022). This generation are ‘social entrepreneurs’ who care simultaneously about fashion and the welfare of our planet (Hethorn & Ulasewicz, 2015). A study revealed that 9 in 10 Americans look to companies to support environmental issues in some capacity (Hethorn & Ulasewicz, 2015).

For this generation, the definition of consumption has evolved. It is access to a particular product rather than possession, an expression of individual identity and a matter of ethical concern (Francis & Hoefel, 2022). There is no distinguishment between the brand’s ethics and the ethics of the company that own it. Everyone from the boardroom to shop floor must share the values and morals of the company as 80% pf consumers say they’d refuse to buy goods from companies involved in scandals (Francis & Hoefel, 2022).

Gen Z are digital natives and 95% own a mobile phone (Jason Dorsey, 2022). Therefore, brands must keep up with the latest technological advancements to captivate Gen Z. Ultra-fast deliveries are being trialled by many brands as “45% of Gen Z and millennial respondents want same-day or “instant” deliveries from fashion brands and retailers” (Moran, 2022).

Furthermore, 49.4% of Gen Z would consider exploring the metaverse environments of fashion brands so many companies are trialling the metaverse. Nearly a quarter have purchased digital fashion items and would again (Bain, 2022). This is a new realm for fashion brands to diversify into to keep up with demand. For example, luxury fashion brand Prada have released a “time capsule NFT collection which it has used to link NFTs to items like special-edition shirts” (Bain, 2022). Prada releases a limited edition NFT on the first Thursday of every month (Prada, 2022) – this creates brand loyalty and exclusivity – something very important for Gen Z.

Another factor which is important to Gen Z is diversity and inclusivity. Kim Kardashian’s brand ‘Skims’ executes this perfectly – “Our goal has always been to represent all women, inclusive of age, ethnicity and size” (Skims, 2020). Gen Z appreciate representation and finding products which suit them.

We will continue to proudly champion diversity and inclusivity through our products and content, and are honored to work with so many incredible women and creative partners from all cultural backgrounds by doing so.

— SKIMS (@skims) June 11, 2020

References

Bain, M. (2022) How fashion is using NFTS to sell exclusive physical products, The Business of Fashion. The Business of Fashion. Available at: https://www.businessoffashion.com/articles/technology/how-fashion-is-using-nfts-to-sell-exclusive-physical-products/ (Accessed: October 17, 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: October 16, 2022).

Hethorn, J. and Ulasewicz, C. (2015) “Social Responsibility and Innovation in the Sewn Products Industry,” in Sustainable fashion: What’s next?: A conversation about issues, practices and possibilities. New York, New York: Bloomsbury, Fairchild Books, an imprint of Bloomsbury Publishing Inc., pp. 27–50.

Jason Dorsey (2022) Gen Z and tech dependency: How the youngest generation interacts differently with the Digital World, Jason Dorsey. Available at: https://jasondorsey.com/blog/gen-z-and-tech-dependency-how-the-youngest-generation-interacts-differently-with-the-digital-world/ (Accessed: October 16, 2022).

Kim Kardashian West on why she started skims (2021) YouTube. Wall Street Journal. Available at: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1YwHr91A1qs (Accessed: October 17, 2022).

Moran, G. (2022) Gen Z and millennials 2022, Drapers. Available at: https://www.drapersonline.com/guides/gen-z-and-millennials-2022 (Accessed: October 16, 2022).

Prada Timecapsule (2022) Prada. Available at: https://www.prada.com/us/en/pradasphere/special-projects/2022/prada-timecapsule.html (Accessed: October 16, 2022).

Skims (2020) Our goal has always been to represent all women, inclusive of age, ethnicity and size and we remain fully committed to shining the light on them even more., Twitter. Twitter. Available at: https://twitter.com/skims/status/1271201812943499264 (Accessed: October 16, 2022).

What is sustainability?

Planet is one of four pillars – Planet, People, Purpose and Profit – and is embodied by environmental sustainability. Sustainability is defined by the United Nations as “meeting the needs of the present without compromising the ability of future generations to meet their own needs” (United Nations, Sustainability 1987). For a consumer, ‘sustainable’ is often just used as a buzzword to encourage people to spend more money and increase profit margins. The fashion industry produces 100 billion garments every year (Maberry, 2021a) and it accounts for 10% of CO2 emissions – more than aviation and maritime shipping combined (World Bank Group, 2019). This is not environmentally sustainable as three out of five garments purchased from the fast fashion industry end up in landfill within a year (Maberry, 2021b).

What are the sustainable development goals?

The United Nations devised 17 sustainable development goals which were envisioned to be a solution to serious issues such as climate change – “A blueprint to achieve a better and more sustainable future for all” (Take action for the sustainable development goals – united nations sustainable development).

How does this relate to the fashion industry?

Sustainable Development Goal 12 – responsible consumption and production – creates a shared responsibility between consumers and brands to embed responsible habits into everyday life. In the UK, over 57 million pounds was spent on fast fashion in 2021 (Smith, 2022). Therefore, it is imperative that fashion designers and companies adopt more sustainable design and production processes. Such as (Gwilt et al., 2020a):

• Minimising the consumption of resources
• Choosing low impact processes
• Improving production techniques
• Improving distribution systems
• Reducing the impacts created during use
• Improving garments lifetime

Fashion designer Stella McCartney adopts these sustainable principles into her design process. She incorporates sustainable principles into her business and never uses animal products such as leather, fur or exotic skins in her collections. Additionally, in her fabrics she chooses organic cottons and low impact dyes, as well as always embraces new techniques and materials as they emerge (Gwilt et al., 2020b). McCartney’s AW17 collection was shot on a landfill site to promote sustainability – showing her commitment to sustainable fashion.

What is a circular economy?

“A circular fashion industry is defined as a regenerative system in which garments are circulated for as long as their maximum value is retained, and then returned safely to the biosphere when they are no longer of use.”

(Moving towards a circular fashion economy, 2021)

References

Devaney, S. (2017) Why Stella McCartney asked models to pose on a rotting landfill site in Scotland, HuffPost UK. HuffPost UK. Available at: https://www.huffingtonpost.co.uk/entry/stella-mccartney-sustainability-landfill-site_uk_596f35f5e4b0a03aba8630fa (Accessed: October 9, 2022).

Gwilt, A. (2020) “The life cycle of a garment,” in A practical guide to sustainable fashion. London: Bloomsbury, p. 35.

Maberry, S. (2021) 10 must-know fast fashion statistics & not-so-fun facts, ZEITGEIST. ZEITGEIST. Available at: https://wearzeitgeist.com/fashion-sustainability-ethics/fast-fashion-statistics#:~:text=100%20billion%20items%20of%20clothing%20are%20produced%20each%20year.&text=A%20mind%2Dboggling%20100%20billion,every%20person%20on%20the%20planet. (Accessed: October 9, 2022).

Moving towards a circular fashion economy (2021) MOTIF. Available at: https://motif.org/news/circular-fashion-economy/#:~:text=A%20circular%20fashion%20industry%20is,the%20next%20use%20in%20mind. (Accessed: October 9, 2022).

Smith, P. (2022) Clothing purchase trend in the UK 2021, Statista. Available at: https://www.statista.com/statistics/300842/annual-expenditure-on-clothing-in-the-united-kingdom-uk/ (Accessed: October 9, 2022).

Sustainability (no date) United Nations. United Nations. Available at: https://www.un.org/en/academic-impact/sustainability (Accessed: October 9, 2022).

Sustainable development goals (sdgs) and disability enable (no date) United Nations. United Nations. Available at: https://www.un.org/development/desa/disabilities/about-us/sustainable-development-goals-sdgs-and-disability.html (Accessed: October 9, 2022).

Take action for the sustainable development goals – united nations sustainable development (no date) United Nations. United Nations. Available at: https://www.un.org/sustainabledevelopment/sustainable-development-goals/ (Accessed: October 9, 2022).

World Bank Group (2019) How much do our wardrobes cost to the environment?, World Bank. World Bank Group. Available at: https://www.worldbank.org/en/news/feature/2019/09/23/costo-moda-medio-ambiente (Accessed: October 9, 2022).