People
Out of the four pillars of sustainability, the second one is People. And it may be the most impactful of all other three. People play a major role in the fashion world. They are the creators of clothes, accessories and fashion. Everything in fashion starts with people themselves. And fashion changes as the people change. Which brings us to our current generation.
Gen Z are a progressing generation that grew up with complete access to technology. This could be what makes them comfortable with the new technology that is used for fashion right now like meta verse and AI. They care about sustainability and views of the brand and enjoy community and uniqueness in shopping. (Moran, 2022)
Generation Z are the group of people who would like the brand not just for its clothing but also for its values. And it is becoming more important these years. As McKinsey&Company (2023) point out, equality for all and sustainable practices are something that they expect from brands to start doing more. This means for brands to attract this generation they should first of all be inclusive of all sizes, genders and races, and also establish or change themselves into a sustainable business.
As an example, Nike recently announced a campaign that promotes more physical activity in younger people while starring popular influencers. It is Called “How We Do”. They are focusing on the fact that doing sports can be helpful for anyone, and that people don’t have to look a certain way to be able to do sports well. (Tyus, 2023)
This is a successful way to promote and encourage more people into purchasing their products, by making everyone feel like they do belong in the “Nike world”.
Because of the fast ongoing shift in the economy and technology in the world, people for the brand would need to be fast paced and determined to follow up fast changes while learning new data with efficiency (McKenzie, 2023, p. 6). They also would have to know how to lead people well, while working in a community and be able to inspire other people to give the brand a fresh and interesting feel.
This all would contribute to a fashion brand that would potentially do well in the future and be popular within our society.
References:
Moran, G. (2022). “Gen Z and Millennials 2022.” Drapers. Available at: https://www.drapersonline.com/guides/gen-z-and-millennials-2022 [Accessed: 12 October 2023].
McKinsey & Company. (2023). “What is Gen Z?” McKinsey & Company. Available at: https://www.mckinsey.com/~/media/mckinsey/featured%20insights/mckinsey%20explainers/what%20is%20gen%20z/what-is-gen-z.pdf [Accessed: 12 October 2023].
McKinsey & Company. (2023). The State of Fashion (p. 6). Available at: https://www.mckinsey.com/~/media/mckinsey/industries/retail/our%20insights/state%20of%20fashion/2022/the-state-of-fashion-2022.pdf [Accessed: 12 October 2023].
Tyus, B. (2023). “Nike’s New Series Encourages Youth to Be More Active.” Brand&Culture. Available at: https://brandandculture.com/nikes-new-series-encourages-youth-to-be-more-active/ [Accessed: 12 October 2023].