People – as one of the four pillars of sustainability, is described as the consumers in the economy. In general, consumers can be categorized in terms of their age, gender income or occupation. (Michael, Rebekah and Josephine, 2012) It is common to see that consumers are classified in terms of generation as maturists, baby-boomers, generation X, millennial and generation Z. (Fourhooks, 2015)

Generation Z, the group born after 1995, (Fourhooks, 2015), are the first generation to have spent their whole lives immersed in technology and the internet. Because of this, they differentiate out from previous generations of consumers. (Moran, 2022) The characteristic of Gen Z is that they look for inspiration and pleasure as well as convenience and quickness. As they age, Gen Z are the potential and future targeted customer group for many brands and retailers. (Moran, 2022)

As the Gen Z ages, their consumption patterns will change regularly, thus businesses and retailers must pay attention to them if they want to be successful and competitive in the market. To attract Gen Z, knowing what they like and making use of the technology and innovation is essential. Gen Z now expect to get their purchases as quickly and easily as possible due to advances in technology. Moran (2022) stated that 45% of respondents want same-day or instant deliveries from fashion brands and retailers, which is an idea to attract Gen Z. In addition, Gen Z engages a lot in social media like Instagram, TikTok and they are becoming more aware of the new concept – metaverse, which 61.6% of Gen Z claim to be familiar with the idea. (Moran, 2022) Thus, brands can gather their business into social media and virtual world to attract Gen Z. For example, Gucci has partnered with Zepeto to customize avatars in virtual world. (Don-Alvin, 2021) Therefore, to attract Gen Z, a brand can engage technological advancement into its business and create what they want, and make them feel fascinating.

Since Gen Z have developed a knowledge of sustainability, inclusion and diversity, these concepts will benefit both society as a whole and fashion brands in the long run. Thus, many brands have started to respond to diversity. (Mitterfellner, 2019, p.176) For example, in response to complaints from customers who cannot find the ideal foundation shade for their skin tone, Rihanna-founded cosmetics company Fenty Beauty created the forty shade foundation campaign. This campaign has made a significant effort to embrace people with a variety of skin tones which have gained lots of praises. (Aamina, 2018)

To be successful as a fashion brand, some key people skills are needed. “Really successful companies know what consumers want and are willing to change to meet their needs.” (Tisch and Weber, 2007) Thus, user-centered innovation is one of the key skills for success. A brand needs to have open communication with customers to know what they truly want and need. It should gain feedback from customers from a direct system instead of indirect communication channel. (Hethorn, 2015, p.73) Therefore, the brand can improve the quality and use-problems of its products more thoroughly, retain customers and build long-term relationship with them. Furthermore, customers are seeking for brands who use sustainable practices so enable them to tread lightly on Earth. (Hethorn, 2015, p.27) Thus, being social entrepreneurship is a key people skill. A brand should take social and environmental problem into account in their business to protect the ecosystem and attain social equity, in order to achieve sustainability, which is a key for a brand to be successful in the modern society.

References

Adegeest, D.-A. (2022) Gucci partners with Zepeto to personalise avatars and Virtual World, FashionUnited. FashionUnited. Available at: https://fashionunited.com/news/fashion/gucci-partners-with-zepeto-to-personalise-avatars-and-virtual-world/2021020837944 (Accessed: October 12, 2022).

The Generation Guide – Millennials, gen X, y, Z and baby boomers (2015) FourHooks. Available at: http://fourhooks.com/marketing/the-generation-guide-millennials-gen-x-y-z-and-baby-boomers-art5910718593/ (Accessed: October 12, 2022).

Hethorn, J. and Ulasewicz, C. (2015) Sustainable fashion: What’s next?: A conversation about issues, practices and possibilities. New York: Bloomsbury, Fairchild Books, an imprint of Bloomsbury Publishing Inc. (Accessed: October 14, 2022)

Mitterfellner, O. (2020) in Fashion Marketing and Communication: Theory and practice across the fashion industry. London: Routledge, p. 176. (Accessed: October 14, 2022)

Moran, G. (2022) Gen Z and millennials 2022 report, Drapers. Available at: https://www.drapersonline.com/insight/drapers-bespoke/gen-z-and-millennials-2022-report (Accessed: October 13, 2022).

Solomon, M., Russell-Bennett, R. and Previte, J. (2012) Consumer behaviour ebook. Melbourne: P. Ed Australia. (Accessed: October 12, 2022)

SULEMAN, A. A. M. I. N. A. (2021) How fashion and Beauty Brands Embrace Diversity in their marketing, ZD Blog. Available at: https://www.zilliondesigns.com/blog/fashion-beauty-brands-diversity-marketing-designs/ (Accessed: October 13, 2022).

References for Images

The Generation Guide – Millennials, gen X, y, Z and baby boomers (2015) FourHooks. Available at: http://fourhooks.com/marketing/the-generation-guide-millennials-gen-x-y-z-and-baby-boomers-art5910718593/ (Accessed: October 12, 2022).

Gucci® UK Official Site: Redefining Luxury Fashion (no date) GUCCI® UK Official Site | Redefining Luxury Fashion. Available at: https://www.gucci.com/uk/en_gb/ (Accessed: October 13, 2022).

How fashion and Beauty Brands Embrace Diversity in their marketing (2021) ZD Blog. Available at: https://www.zilliondesigns.com/blog/fashion-beauty-brands-diversity-marketing-designs/ (Accessed: October 13, 2022).

People are one of the pillars of the fashion business, which are the centre of every organisation with impacts across all social and cultural dimensions of our world.

Members of Gen Z are true digital natives, immersing in the internat ,social networks and mobile systems since their earliest age .They are comfortable at deal with and accept many source of information from different area , integrating virtual and offline experiences.beause of their excellent cognition.GenZ as customers,( Francis & Hoefel,2018) their consumption as an expression of individual identity, which means they will pay a premium for personalized offerings and customized touches. What’s more, GenZ, pay more attention to ethical concern and also have high acceptability to the new form of consumption products become services and services connect consumers.

Gen Z is more likely to value brand names and the ability to resell a fashion item. This means brands should consider reselling ability at the producing stage to improve the competitiveness of their products (Drapers,2022).

Rental and resale continue to grow in popularity among younger shoppers, in line with Drapers 2022 data,39.8% GenZshoppers have bought second-hand and would do so again.

The logistics models of the rental market could be intricate yet, however, investment continues to flow into this part of the market, in March 2022, peer-to-peer rental app ‘By rotation’ raised 2.3million pounds in seed funding to support its international expansion plans, a lot of luxury brand also join in to explore this channel, like Burberry.

It’s worth noting that in 2022, 51% of Gen Z express the willingness to pay more for sustainable and ethically made items(Drapers,2022) Many brands already launched their sustainable line for a few years and start their recycling plans, but most of these still remain in a small scalp, facing a lot of technical barriers, some fast fashion brand even was doubted that they just the ‘greenwash ‘for their brand to reassure customer, just a few brands like Patagonia and Pangdaia now be accepted by the public as doing well at sustainability. So brands and companies with a larger capital base should invest more in circular and sustainable technologies from production, educating Gen Z to have more distinguishability for sustainable goods.

Besides, the number of people who buy fashion via social media continues to rise with the number of people who say never use social media before for fashion inspiration has fallen from 19.4% in 2021 to 14.9%. According to Drapers (2022) data statistics, 62.8% of Gen Z in the past 12 months browse Instagram for fashion inspiration and 60% of both Gen Z and millennials purchase by clicking through a social media post. In that case, it’s very necessary to improve the Gen Z convenience online shopping experience by providing more relevant commerce opportunities and remaining the brand news active and media exposure in their social strategies.

Fashion brand retailers should also keep a close eye on developments in the metaverse, in total,44.9% of Gen Z expressed that they would consider exploring metaverse environments created by fashion brands and retailers, such as virtual stores, shopping events or product launches, in the future, data rising to 49.4%.many compan like Boohoo develop their advertisement in the online gaming channel like Roblox .Besides, dressing digital avatars offer fashion creative brand a huge potenial market ,many brands collaborated with Fortnite launching latest avatars skin set and provoking hotpot concern in the’ campfire ‘ (Draper,2022).Nike announced equity acquisition the PTFKT, a NFT creating company who quickly made more than 600 virtual shoes last year, help the Nike further expand the virtual product collection.

Gen Z care about the offline shopping experience at the same time, according to the mintel the so revamping the offline shopping model and service experience is essential to retailers.

Many luxuries noticed that the collaboration culture is still thriving, In line with the Lyst index data (2022), Gucci skyrocketed 286% in the 48 after its collection with Adidas was released in June. It is risky to attract and broaden GenZ customers by opening a subsidiary line to a brand with uncertain demand and consumption trends of GenZ, and the cost is too high. Besides, brands need to maintain and inherit their brand identity. The main line of the brand from the design concept to the pricing is difficult to fully conform to GenZ’s aesthetic and also not affordable for GenZ to some extent. So collaboration is a nice choice for the brand to attract GenZ customers by avoiding those risks. As the Lyst 2022 hottest brands show, the top. 10brands listed in front all launched their collaboration collection in the past year, choosing the place according to their new collection theory to present their runway and change or name a new ambassador endorsing their latest collaboration. obviously, the collaboration will bring more exposure to social media, which involves offline new collection event news, new brand representation celebrity new look media report and  KOL online promotion. Which is the main way to attract GenZ.

Regarding the critical people skills fashion brand should have, referring to the Mikensy 2022 report(108-111), a company need to know how to create a space for employees to improve and develop themselves giving them a learning chance so that employees have a clear mind of purpose, meanwhile creating a sense of belonging to the company and industry, ensuring employee to keep working with a better vision for future development, that’s what Farfatch doing now, pay attention to invest in employee learning and training, cultivate their personal skills and bound with brand development prospect also focus on（McKinsey 2022 p109）. The company also should have a strong CSR policy,(McKinsey, 2022,p.108)which encourage the employee to respond to social and environmental issues, 83% of fashion industry practitioner say that that would improve their loyal if the company did that well. In addition, put DE&I policy in a priority place, company should keep diversity and inclusive norms both in retention strategies and the talent hiring process,42% of fashion professionals rate the industry’s performance as ‘poor’ in prioritizing DE&I as a core value right now, around 50% of employees of colour believe that it is not equally accessible to all qualified candidates. Farfetch’s chief people officer said there is a skills gap between creative and tech specialists, and they try to partner with external businesses and organisations to address this problem(Mckinsey,2022)

Moran. G(2022) Gen Z and Millennials 2022.Available at:

https://www.drapersonline.com/guides/gen-z-and-millennials-2022(Accessed at:October 15th)

Mintel(2022)Lifestyle of generation Z-UK.Available at:

https://reports-mintel-com.arts.idm.oclc.org/display/1125361/?fromSearch=%3Ffreetext%3DGen%2520Z%2520value%2520to%2520fashion%26resultPosition%3D4(Accessed at:October 15^th)

Mckinsey(2022)the-state-of-fashion.                                        Available at:

https://www.mckinsey.com/~/media/mckinsey/industries/retail/our%20insights/state%20of%20fashion/2022/the-state-of-fashion-2022.pdf(Accessed at:October 15^th)

Francis & Hoefel, (2018) ‘True Gen’: Generation Z and its implication for companies.https://www.mckinsey.com/~/media/McKinsey/Industries/Consumer%20Packaged%20Goods/Our%20Insights/True%20Gen%20Generation%20Z%20and%20its%20implications%20for%20companies/Generation-Z-and-its-implication-for-companies.pdf(Accessed at:October 15^th)

lyst（2022）The Lyst index: Fashion’s hottest Brands and Products Available at: https://www.lyst.com/data/the-lyst-index/q222/(Accessed at:October 15th)

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).

At the Fashion Business School there are four pillars to achieving the goal of sustainability: Planet, People, Profit and Purpose. The “People” pillar emphasizes on inclusivity and diversity within the fashion industry. It is also based on how people are involved in the fashion industry and how it effects society as well as how different generations of people consume fashion.

Different generations contribute to the fashion industry in different ways and often, brands will market and cater their goods in ways to attract the consumers they want. Gen Z are a group of people born between 1995 and 2010 and are the “true digital natives” having being exposed to technology, such as mobile phones and the internet, from an early age (Francis & Hoefel, 2018). The use of social media has made Gen Z consume differently to the previous generations. Gen Z are actively the largest users for social media apps such as TikTok, and will often buy fashion pieces that are trends at that moment in time. Furthermore, when online shopping, they seek “fun and inspiration” and in addition to this they also look for “convenience and speed” as a factor to their experience online (Drapers,2020).

Brands must be able to satisfy several requirements to appeal to Gen Z. Inclusivity and diversity are major aspects of a brand that Gen Z look out for. Furthermore, the brand must align with the values and ethics of Gen Z. Sustainability and whether the production of the goods is ethical plays a huge role in whether Gen Z consume from a brand or not. The Drapers 2022 report states that 46.8% of Gen Z have abandoned a purchase because it did not align with their values and that 51% of Gen Z are willing to pay more for sustainable and ethically made goods (Drapers, 2022).

Fenty Beauty, a makeup brand found by Rihanna, showed success by being diverse and inclusive and the changed the way that brands cater towards people of different colours. The line consists of a 40-shade (now 50) foundation range which included shades for everyone (Vogue, 2020). The brand took in a revenue of $100 million in its first 40 days on the market (Forbes,2019). Since then, multiple beauty brands have also been extending their shade ranges to satisfy to a wider range of skin tones – this is known as the “Fenty Effect” (Vogue, 2020).

For a brand to be successful, communication and relationship building skills with consumers are very important. By being transparent with the production process of their products and aligning their values and ethics with consumers, brands will gain consumer trust and loyalty.

References

Winged. J. (2019) Rihanna’s ‘Fenty Beauty’: A Leadership Case For Customer Inclusivity. Forbes

https://www.forbes.com/sites/jasonwingard/2019/08/02/rihannas-fenty-beauty–a-leadership-case-for-customer-inclusivity/?sh=252087df3460

Moran, G. (2022) Gen Z and Millennials 2022. Drapers

https://www.drapersonline.com/guides/gen-z-and-millenials-2022

Francis, T.  Hoefel, F . (2018) “True Gen”: Generation Z and its implications for companies. McKinsey & Company

https://www.mckinsey.com/industries/consumer-packaged-goods/our-insights/true-gen-generation-z-and-its-implications-for-companies

Fetto, F. (2020) How Fenty Beauty Changed The State Of Play In The Industry. Vogue

https://www.vogue.co.uk/beauty/article/rihanna-fenty-beauty-diversity

PEOPLE is the social pillar of sustainability that concentrates on leveling the needs of an individual with the needs of the group. Many big companies try to do this in many distinctive ways (FrontStream, 2013). 

Generation Z refers to the group of people born between the years 1997 to 2012 (Hecht, 2022). It is the first tech savvy generation, playing with technology and internet every day. Personally, they view themselves as a more creative and an adventurous generation (smith, 2022). Even as shoppers they differ from the generations before them, like the millennials (1981-1996) (FrontStream, 2013).

As gen Z ages, they will become the primary consumers and will obviously differ from today’s older shoppers. Soon, brands and retailers should actively start tracking their shopping habits, likes and dislikes (Moran, 2022). 

Generation Z are usually seen as the more socially and environmentally conscious generation. As their patterns and behaviors vary from those of the other generations; brands need get a better understanding of them (smith, 2022). 

In order to achieve this, fashion Brands need to plan and make a point of difference in everything they do which could include a signature style or a unique ethos. However, making small changes to the brand would not be enough for them to attract new customers. To completely do so, they need to know that environmental impact, breaking gender stereotypes and representation is very important. in addition, brands who want to attract the new audience need to offer comfort and make their costumers feel understood and seen (Bendon, 2021). 

While talking about diversity and representation in the fashion industry, human experience is as essential as the numbers. For example, “tracking an industry where black representation is rare,” racial progress asks for vulnerability and complete transparency from a brand to create trust (Friedman et al., 2021). Fashion brands should guide the young and think of solutions to improve their wellbeing. 

To achieve this, they should target their creative, fun side by organizing interactive marketing campaigns. These campaigns should praise gen z for their creativity and ambition rather than focusing solely on the intensity of the issues that they face (smith, 2022).

For example, Aerie, a sub-brand of American Eagle Outfitters, launched an #AerieREAL campaign in 2014 which stopped the editing of its model’s photos. Since then, the brand represents real women with diverse experiences along with women with disabilities (www.pixlee.com, n.d.). Therefore, its essential to for the brand understand different beliefs of people to make them feel represented (Kim, n.d.). 

References:

bendon (2021). What do Fashion Brands Need to do to Attract Gen Z consumers? [online] www.linkedin.com. Available at: https://www.linkedin.com/pulse/what-do-fashion-brands-need-attract-gen-z-consumers-cara-bendon [Accessed 15 Oct. 2022].

Friedman, V., Tillet, S., Paton, E., Testa, J. and Brown, E.N. (2021). The Fashion World Promised More Diversity. Here’s What We Found. The New York Times. [online] 4 Mar. Available at: https://www.nytimes.com/2021/03/04/style/Black-representation-fashion.html [Accessed 13 Oct. 2022].

FrontStream (2013). The three pillars of sustainability. [online] Frontstream.com. Available at: https://www.frontstream.com/blog/the-three-pillars-of-sustainability [Accessed 14 Oct. 2022].

Hecht, E. (2022). What years are Gen X? What about baby boomers? When each generation was born. [online] USA TODAY. Available at: https://eu.usatoday.com/story/news/2022/09/02/what-years-gen-x-millennials-baby-boomers-gen-z/10303085002/ [Accessed 14 Oct. 2022].

Kim, S. (n.d.). Aerie Continues To Include Authentic Disability Representation — Ali Stroker Joins #AerieREAL Role Model Family. [online] Forbes. Available at: https://www.forbes.com/sites/sarahkim/2020/01/31/aerie-disability-representation/?sh=3170e5e550bd [Accessed 20 Oct. 2022].

Moran, G. (2022). Gen Z and Millennials 2022. [online] Drapers. Available at: https://www.drapersonline.com/guides/gen-z-and-millennials-2022 [Accessed 15 Oct. 2022].

smith, F. (2022). University of the Arts London WebLogin. [online] login.arts.idm.oclc.org. Available at: https://reports-mintel-com.arts.idm.oclc.org/display/1125345/ [Accessed 20 Oct. 2022].

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 [Accessed 20 Oct. 2022].

People are an important aspect that brands must consider ranging from consumers, the workers, general public and society as a whole.

Gen Z consumers are described as people born from 1995 to 2010. As a generation raised within the digital world they are consumers that are changing the way brands present themselves.

McKinsey & Company collaborated with a research agency focusing on the consumer trends and purchasing behaviours to investigate their impact. This generation values individualism and self-expression; avoiding labels and focusing on consuming brands that reflect ideologies and values that they also align with. The three implications of this generation stated within McKinsey’s research were ‘Consumption as access rather than possession, Consumption as expression of individual identity and Consumption as a matter of ethical concern’ (Tracy Francis and Fernanda Hoefel 2019)

For brands to be successful at attracting Gen Z a focus on authenticity is necessary. Building a brand identity focused on truth and transparency will provide an attractive base for Gen Z consumers. Globalised access to the internet makes consumers powerful as the increased understanding and sourcing has made most Gen Z educated about the realities of brands and therefore the problems.

Maison Martin Margiela Spring 1990 is an example of an experimental runway that broke down the barrier of diversity by providing front row access to individuals who otherwise would typically never of got close to attending a runway show.

The runway location was on a derelict playground within a North African neighbourhood on the outskirts of Paris. It was used by an association that took care of the local children and therefore Margiela saw it as the children’s space. The team didn’t want to seem disrespectful by taking the kids space so they decided to get them involved. Drawings by the local children become the invitations implied by Jenny Meirens, co-founder of Maison Margiela that it was ‘like they were inviting you to their place’.  (Quote taken from The Gentlewoman’s Spring/Summer 2016 issue). During the fashion show the children were allowed to sit right alongside the runway and join in to parade alongside the models.

Skills such as communication and collaboration are vital for success as the more diverse a team is the more ideas and inspiration that can be created. When a group of diverse people come together the outcome can only be better than those who are all the same with the same ideas.

The Business of Fashion. (n.d.). Remembered: The Game-Changing Martin Margiela Show of 1989. [online] Available at: https://www.businessoffashion.com/articles/fashion-week/remembered-the-game-changing-martin-margiela-show-of-1989/  (Accessed 15 Oct. 2022)

CR Fashionbook – CR Fashion Site. (n.d.). Maison Margiela’s Most Unconventional Runways [online] Available at: https://crfashionbook.com/fashion-g32070490-martin-margiela-most-unconventional-runways-fashion-designer/  [Accessed 15 Oct. 2022].

McKinsey (2019) ‘True Gen’: Generation Z and its implications for companies

Moran, G. (2022). Gen Z and Millennials 2022. [online] Drapers. Available at: https://www.drapersonline.com/guides/gen-z-and-millennials-2022 (Accessed 15 Oct. 2022)

“People”  are the component of four pillars (planet, profit and purpose) and it is the main point of not only the organizations in all kinds but also the fashion business industry. It has been argued that ‘profit’  is the most important part in fashion business, however, ‘people’ are becoming more and more influential since “people” contain culture background of organizations, collaboration, diversity and relationships of the whole society (LCF Lecture, 2022). 

Gen Z are the group of people who born from 1995 to 2010. According to the report from McKinsey & Company, Gen Z’ are more likely to pick the product that makes them stands out and being unique rather than choose a particular brand. Approximately 40% of Gen Z’ s (age 18 to 23) shopping behavior are influenced by social media (McKinsey & Company). As the bar chart illustrated, the shopping behavior of majority of Gen Z (age 13-17) buying an item or a brand are influenced by their friends or family (35%) and 28% of Gen Z (13-17) are influenced by social media. The situation twisted in the age group of 18-23 which they are more likely to be influenced by social media and website instead of friends or family (McKinsey Generation Z Survey 2019). 

In order to attract Gen Z, a brand could be  focus on ethnical area more since Gen Z are having more and more ethical standards and willing to pay for it. In addition, according to the data above, online shopping and chasing the social media are becoming a fashion trends. Majority of Gen Z are familiar with and getting used to the modern technology and also it is popular and common to follow the influencers or bloggers in Gen Z age group. So that a brand should be focus on the marketing on social media and celebrities, also send promotions through emails and on the first page of the website inorder to draw Gen Z’s attention on purchasing the products. 

Fenty beauty , a cosmetics brand which made a huge change in the beauty industry established by Rihanna, illustrates the diversity completely and successfully. According to Vogue, It contains 40-colour foundation and all consumers could find the right colour suit for them. The advertisement page of this foundation are also demonstrated by people in different colour (Vogue, 2020). The main idea of fenty beauty was showing diversity and comprehensive attitude to everyone. It also brought the attention to the group that did not appear in the beauty industry that much and had be ignored (Vogue, 2020). The main people skill such as multitask, flexible working environment and various work visions are needed for a fashion brand to be successful.

Reference:

Funmi Fetto, 2020, How Fenty Beauty Changed The State Of Play In The Industry, Vogue, Available at https://www.vogue.co.uk/beauty/article/rihanna-fenty-beauty-diversity (Accessed on 7.10.2022 )

 S Bhargava, B Finneman, J Schmidt, and E Spagnuolo, 2020, The young and the restless: Generation Z in America, Available at https://www.mckinsey.com/industries/retail/our-insights/the-young-and-the-restless-generation-z-in-america (Accessed on 7.10.2022 )

People refers to one of the four pillars among the fashion business school strategies to achieve long term advantages in the changing environment. This pillar focuses on culture differences, collaboration between brands, community relations and human diversity. People is an essential element in the fashion industry as it involves the participation of not only customers but also designers and brands.

The generation Z, so called Gen Z refers to the young group of people born between 1995 to 2010 accounting for approximately 25% of the world population. Gen Z contributes with a purchasing power of about $360 billion in the US which hugely moves the economy. (Schneider & Lee,2022) The fact that makes Gen Z so unique is that they are born as the first digital natives growing up under the lens of technology. According to Bird (TEDx Talks,2019) Gen Z-ers are not required to set up full strategies to influence others, instead, just creating a tweet—voicing their opinions on social media platforms.

Drapers reported that “Gen Z are far bigger users of video app TikTok, for example: 50.3% use it versus 25.7% of millennials.” (Moran,2022) When it comes to fashion shopping, 48.6% of Gen Z are more intense on the digital channel compared with millennials. (Fig 1.) Analyzing date from this exclusive survey of 2000 customers, Gen Z are more likely to access information through surfing websites and mobile APPs such as TikTok and Instagram, to interact with the change in shopping preferences, a company should set up relevant marketing strategies to attract Gen Zs through providing online shopping experiences and advertising their products through social media.

Apart from bringing conveniences for the Gen Z customers through digitalization, it is essential to take diversity into consideration as Gen Z are seeking for strong uniqueness and representation. An example of a brand that considers diversity and inclusivity in the approach to marketing is SAVAGE x FENTY by Rihanna with the slogan: Made to celebrate you being you. It has been revolutionary in the lingerie industry ranging clothes from the size XS to 3Xs or bras from 32A to a 46H. (Jayanthi, 2018) Diverse body sized models with different ethnicity wearing various sized bras are shown on Instagram advertisements of SAVAGE x FENTY. (Fig 2.)

To establish a sincere relationship between fashion brands and customers, strong people skills are necessary for a brand to succeed. Understanding and respecting the diversity of the customers is a key element, especially for the Gen Z with strong representation and seeking for unique shopping experiences. The way that brands communicate are also important, recognizing the needs and wants of the customers to adjust the marketing strategies to create cohesion with them.

References:

Beard.H (2019)TEDx Talks: What Makes “Generation Z” So Different? | TEDxAstonUniversty. Available at: https://youtu.be/qyCn3APagyU (Accessed 15October 2022)

Jayanthi.R (2018) Clothes & Water: Five Trendy and Inclusive Fashion Brands to Support in 2021. Available at: https://www.clothesandwater.com/style/five-trendy-and-inclusive-fashion-brands-to-support-in-2021 (Accessed 15 October 2022)

Moran.G (2022) Drapers: Gen Z and Millennials 2022. Available at: https://www.drapersonline.com/guides/gen-z-and-millennials-2022 (Accessed 15 October 2022)

Schneider.B & Lee. D (2022) BOF: BoF Insights | Gen-Z and fashion in the age of realism. Available at: https://www.businessoffashion.com/reports/retail/gen-z-fashion-in-the-age-of-realism-bof-insights-social-media-report/ (Accessed 15 October 2022).

Image:

Figure 1.

Moran, G (2022) How do you prefer to shop for clothes, accessories or shoes? Available at: https://www.drapersonline.com/guides/gen-z-and-millennials-2022 (Accessed 15 October 2022)

Figure 2.

Savagexfenty (2022) ‘LISTEN UP’ [Instagram]. 11 October. Available at: https://www.instagram.com/p/CjlyVCVv2cd/?igshid=YmMyMTA2M2Y= (Accessed 15 October 2022)

The pillar “People” is a fundamental aspect of all industries as this is what all the corporations are built on. In fashion industry, people play a vital role because fashion is made by people and for people.

Gen-Z is the largest generation, accounting for around 25 percent of the world’s population, with purchasing power of around $360 billion in the US (Lee, 2022). Moreover, fashion is the favourite entertainment category for US Gen-Zers to spend money on, outranking other categories like dining, video games, and music (Lee, 2022). Therefore, the success for brands and companies will come through analysing and focusing on younger generation.

Figure 1 – what fashion represents for Gen-Z (Lee, 2022)

According to the Business of Fashion report, fashion is important for Gen-Z in terms of showing confidence and identity rather than showing status and being trendy. In contrast, for the previous generation – millennials, fashion is all about purchasing power and status. That’s why it is essential for fashion industry to investigate and target different generations and their needs.

In order to attract Gen-Z consumers, brands have to be inclusive, diverse, and transparent. According to the Cambridge Dictionary, inclusivity is “the quality of trying to include many different types of people and treat them all fairly and equally” (Anon., 2022). Fashion industry is evolving in the right direction – making a broad range of sizes, using models with different cultures and ethnicities, and showing a wide variety of body shapes. However Gen-Z wants more, they want something more than just different fabrics, they want uniqueness and ethicality. For Gen Zers, the key point is not to define themselves through only one stereotype but rather for individuals to experiment with different ways of being themselves and to shape their individual identities over time (Hoefel, 2019). Therefore, the key success for the brands would be making their product unique, selling experience, rather then product, being transparent and ethical in the whole supply chain system.

One example of how a brand has responded to diversity is a campaign called “Until We All Win” made by Nike. In 2017, the brand launched a new line of swimwear, making a hijab designed swimsuit for Muslim woman athletes. The campaign promotes equality in all degrees because no win will ever matter “until we all win”. Nike believes in the power of sport to unite and inspire people to take action in their communities (Anon., 2022). In this specific campaign, we are called to pay attention to those who face inequality each and everyday whether it is because of skin colour, sexuality, gender, or ability.

Figure 2 – Nike Victory full-coverage swimsuit

Bibliography

Anon., 2022. Cambridge dictionary. [Online]
Available at: https://dictionary.cambridge.org/dictionary/english/inclusivity

Anon., 2022. Nike. [Online]
Available at: https://www.nike.com/until-we-all-win

Hoefel, T. F. a. F., 2019. ‘True Gen’: Generation Z and its implications for companies. [Online]
Available at: https://www.mckinsey.com/industries/consumer-packaged-goods/our-insights/true-gen-generation-z-and-its-implications-for-companies

Lee, B. S. a. D., 2022. Gen-Z and Fashion in the Age of Realism. [Online]
Available at: https://shop.businessoffashion.com/products/gen-z-and-fashion-in-the-age-of-realism

Lee, B. S. a. D., 2022. Gen-Z and Fashion in the Age of Realism. [Online]
Available at: https://shop.businessoffashion.com/products/gen-z-and-fashion-in-the-age-of-realism

Lee, B. S. a. D., 2022. Gen-Z and Fashion in the Age of Realism. [Online]
Available at: https://shop.businessoffashion.com/products/gen-z-and-fashion-in-the-age-of-realism

‘People’, one of the four pillars identified by the Fashion Business School. It refers to many ideas and practices including how to sustain people through fashion, as well as diversity, inclusion and representation. ‘People’ within the fashion industry were traditionally European, white, older males, known as Eurocentrism; focusing on European culture and history, aesthetics, behaviours, and values, excluding views from non-European cultures (Sundberg, 2009). 

‘Gen Z’ are individuals born between 1995 and 2010 sharing characteristics other generations may have stereotypes, misconceptions and preconceptions about. They are “true digital natives: from earliest youth, they have been exposed to the internet, to social networks, and to mobile systems” and “a hypercognitive generation very comfortable with collecting and cross-referencing many sources of information” (Francis & Hoefel, 2018). Gen Z are demonstrably more open to the idea of the metaverse and new technologies, showing adaptability and flexibility. 61.6% of Gen Z are familiar with the metaverse, significantly higher than 39.5% of millennials (Moran, 2022). 

Gen Z are technologically advanced, responding well to brands constantly developing their online presence. 32.7% of Gen Z say they’re more likely to enjoy the relaxation of online shopping despite being twice as likely to not shop online due to the desire for “digital detoxes” (Moran, 2022). To attract this generation, brands should look to develop online shopping experiences and bricks-and-mortar stores. This can be done by creating enticing displays and apps with m-commerce opportunities. Gen Z finds physical shopping enjoyable due to the ability to spend time with friends and get inspiration from browsing.

Dior’s 2023 Cruise Collection focuses on Andalusia and Maria Grazia Chiuri’s inspiration was dancer Carmen Amaya who performed during the show which took place at The Plaza de Espana. “When Chiuri does her cruise collections, she takes head to the country, to the village the show will be in, to its music and dance, and to the craftsmanship of the region” (Portee, 2022). This is an example of responding to diversity whilst appreciating culture. Local crafts people were involved in the processes, actively engaging with people and fully immersing the brand within the culture of the region.  

To be successful, brands need to research constantly, developing their presence within the market to meet consumer needs. This can be done by putting consumers at the centre of all processes to meet individual needs. Key skills required to achieve this include; communicating effectively to consumers, researching individual’s needs, and being transparent to maintain strong relationships. This will enable fashion brands to be successful in a fast paced market. 

Gen Z are the future of fashion therefore should be involved in all fashion business processes to produce the best possible outcomes for consumers, brands and other stakeholders within the industry.

Bibliography 

Francis, T & Hoefel, F (2018) ‘True Gen’, McKinsey & Company [accessed October 2022]

https://www.mckinsey.com/~/media/McKinsey/Industries/Consumer%20Packaged%20Goods/Our%20Insights/True%20Gen%20Generation%20Z%20and%20its%20implications%20for%20companies/Generation-Z-and-its-implication-for-companies.pdf

Moran, G (2022) ‘Gen Z and Millennials 20222’, Drapers [accessed October 2022] 

Gen Z and Millennials 2022

Gen Z and Millennials 2022

Portee, A (2022) ‘Andalusian Cultural Heritage And Style Influence Dior Cruise Collection’, Forbes [accessed October 2022]

https://www.forbes.com/sites/allysonportee/2022/06/16/andalusian-cultural-heritage-and-style-influence-dior-cruise-collection/?sh=70203786f511

Sunbair, E (2022) ‘Dior Cruise 2023: An Ode To Spain’s Vibrant History And Artistry’, ELLE [accessed October 2022] 

https://www.elle.com/uk/fashion/a40321617/dior-cruise-2023/

Sundberg, J (2009) ‘Eurocentrism’, Science Direct [accessed October, 2022]

https://www.sciencedirect.com/topics/social-sciences/eurocentrism