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Among the four pillars that construct the fashion business sector: planet, people, purpose, and profit, ‘people’ is a fundamental and unrepeatable component. Entrepreneurs decrease risks and increase profits by adopting sustainable practices, conveying core values, and taking corporate society responsibility to cater to the needs of consumers and society.
For better distinction and summarization, sociologists categorize people into various generations, which are cohorts that belong to the same age range and have certain traits. And Gen Z in particular, the largest generation born between 1995 and 2010, making up about 25% of the global population, has a significant influence on both culture and the economy, making it an alluring target for the current fashion industry. Then what uniqueness and values do these people have in common, and what can brands do to genuinely fascinate these consumers?
According to a survey conducted by McKinsey, in the aspect of consumer behavior and psychology, Gen Z basically has several noteworthy peculiarities that differ from Millennials. Firstly, they have strong ethics regarding racial justice and sustainability, especially climate justice, making it crucial for brands to offer related initiatives. Secondly, Gen Z has an ever-changing style and wants to stand out rather than blend in with the crowd, which urges brands to have a hyper-vigilant trail about the latest trend among them and express the uniqueness of goods in their own way. Thirdly, Gen Z is a good listener and willing to pay for stories if brands communicate strong values and purpose. Fourthly, ease of use is essential for Gen Z consumers in both online and offline channels, questioning the novelty and convenience that brands can offer. Lastly, although Gen Z are digital natives, they seems to like brick-and-mortar stores better compared to Millennials; however, according to the statistics presented by Draper 2023, 92% of Gen Z and Millennials still make purchases on mobile apps, either often or sometimes, revealing the lack of attraction of the current offline storesand the fading interest of consumers.
Based on these features, brands can develop corresponding strategies. In terms of the planet and purpose, brands should adopt distinctive sustainable practices that genuinely assist the environment, as well as create their own values and memorable stories. In the meantime, because many consumers still show their inerest about offline stores, building a convenient shopping channel for both online and offline sales can be primary for brands. Through online marketing promotion, attract consumers by enhancing the novelty and interactivity of offline stores and campaigns, boosting shop traffic, and lengthening customers’ duration of stay.
In addition to this, brands ought to work harder to build diversity, which is also crucial for Gen Z customers. Rabanne, for instance, which is known for its perfume products, joins the fiercely competitive Gen Z beauty race with its new 90-piece collection. The desire of Gen Z customers for self-expression despite varied genders and skin tones is the cornerstone of its new collection’s distinctiveness. Meanwhile, it addresses this cohort’s common concern about deteriorating the environment, including water contamination, by using natural ingredients and sophisticated texture in the production process, as well as combining the metallic aesthetics that accentuate the signature of brands.
The new move made by Rabanne illustrates the current state of the fashion industry: brands are all vying for the attention of Gen Z consumers by cultivating a sustainable and diverse reputation, as well as expanding into new markets and businesses such as beauty, fragrance, sports, NFT, and household. During this process, a challenge for skilled people emerged for brands and companies to take into account. According to the report presented by London College of Fashion, UAL, eight highlishts are promising to be indispensable for fashion practitioners in the future: sustainable knowledge, fashion-tech skills, human factor, joint research and development, soft skills, traditional skills, ethical and responsible consumption, and new strategies for the digital experience. Fashion brands require all of these competencies to run their businesses, stay current with trends, and meet consumer demand now and in the future.
To conclude, generation Z, due to its sizable population, unique values, and consumer viewpoints, has gradually become a sought-after object in the fashion industry. In the meantime, fashion brands need to innovate to be capable of sustainable, digital, and other key abilities to fulfill consumers’ values and growing needs.
Reference：
What is Gen Z? (2023) McKinsey & Company.
BoF Insights | Gen-Z and Fashion in the Age of Realism (2022) The Business of Fashion. Available at: https://www.businessoffashion.com/reports/retail/gen-z-fashion-in-the-age-of-realism-bof-insights-social-media-report/ (Accessed: 10 October 2023).
Long, C. (2023) ‘Rabanne joins Gen Z beauty race with cosmic cosmetics collection’, Financial Times, 23 August. Available at: https://www.ft.com/content/936bd4e5-8cd5-4e1f-b5dd-d25a1be8dc17 (Accessed: 11 October 2023).
UAL (2021) New FTAlliance report unveils the 8 key future jobs in fashion-tech, UAL. Available at: https://www.arts.ac.uk/knowledge-exchange/stories/new-report-unveils-8-future-jobs-in-fashion-tech (Accessed: 11 October 2023).