People
‘People’ is one of the four pillars of fashion, concentrating on a fashion brand’s relationship with its consumers, keeping various factors in mind; such as a brand’s image and diversity aspirations in relation to the target audience of consumers they are aspiring to market to. People can be categorised in numerous ways, including age, gender, sexuality, hobbies, race, and religion. Age is an incredibly significant factor as people in various age groups and generations may look for different aspects from a brand. Gen Z is currently the most prevalent group of consumers that many brands are looking to appeal to. Gen Z is categorised as people born between 1995 and 2010, making them ‘digital natives’; having grown up around the internet their entire lives, heavily influencing their culture and mindsets.
Gen Z is the generation most comfortable with technology which, in turn, influences their methods of consumption. The majority of Gen Z consumers say they use social media as their primary source of shopping inspiration (Kastenholz, 2021). In order for a brand to attract a Gen Z consumer market the brand has to have a strong online presence which can be obtained through an effective website, as well as online advertising. An article by McKinsey shows that ‘Gen Zers are known for working, shopping, dating, and making friends online; in Asia, Gen Zers spend six hours on the phone’. This shows that online resources are the most effective tool for a brand to reach a Gen Z market.
A brand can also attract Gen Z consumers by expressing diversity and values which align with Gen Z, who are more progressive and inclusive when compared to previous generations. An example of this would be showing support for the LGBT community, which many established brands have been doing. Balenciaga is a strong example of this, with their Pride Month 2021 collection, showcasing hoodies inspired by Gap hoodies with the ‘P’ changed to a ‘Y’, shown in Figure 2. However, there are also key people skills needed for a brand to maintain a good public image, with one of these skills being self-awareness. Balenciaga is, again, an effective example with two of their 2022 campaigns sparking outrage. The first featured children holding handbags that resembled teddy bears in bondage gear with the second featuring paperwork concerning child pornography laws (Paton, Friedman, Testa, 2022). This caused significant outrage which led to Balenciaga’s reputation to be in jeopardy, completely ruining the momentum that they had been building previously.
Bibliography
Kastenholz, C. (2021). Gen Z And The Rise Of Social Commerce. [Online] Available at: https://www.forbes.com/sites/forbesagencycouncil/2021/05/17/gen-z-and-the-rise-of-social-commerce/?sh=3fe327d251d0
Paton E., Friedman, V., & Testa, J. (2022). When High Fashion And QAnon Collide. The New York Times. [Online] Available at: https://www.nytimes.com/2022/11/28/style/balenciaga-campaign-controversy.html
What is Gen Z? (2023). McKinsey. [Online] Available at: https://www.mckinsey.com/featured-insights/mckinsey-explainers/what-is-gen-z