Kenny Unaka

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PEOPLE

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In this section, I will be discussing the extent to which ‘People’ are involved within the fashion business. The term People, refers to the consumers buying from fashion brands. Consumers are a significant factor in the fashion industry because of their spending power. At the moment, fashion brands are targeting Gen Z consumers because they are the dominant generation in these times.

Gen Z are considered digital natives, people who grew up with the internet and the technology that we currently use. As a generation they tend to do most things online, including shopping. As a result of this many brands have created online shopping platforms with many younger brands such as Jaded London operating exclusively online. Gen Z are also more concerned about the ethical values that the brands that they shop from hold. According to Francis and Hoefel (2018), consumers are increasingly expecting brands to “take a stand”. Because of the damaging environmental impacts of the fashion industry this generation is progressively starting to shop more sustainably and encouraging brands to use more sustainable practices in the development of their clothing. Many Gen Zers have also started using online second-hand retailers such as depop and Vinted in efforts to reduce the environmental impact of consuming fast fashion and also as a way to attain individuality through buying pre-loved clothes that aren’t currently available at fast fashion retailers.

Figure 1: Telfar x UGG Denim Campaign

Furthermore, Gen Z also wants to see diversity in the brands that they shop from. Mitterfellner (2023) argued that fashion consumers want to see their own diversity respected and reflected in the way that brands communicate with them. Formerly, brands would create campaigns that appeal to the dominant culture (white, heterosexual, cisgender, able-bodied men) through the use of the male gaze and a lack of diversity. Nowadays, brands are gradually becoming more inclusive with their marketing and within their companies. For Example, Telfar is a black-owned luxury fashion brand who markets its products as accessible to everyone. This gender neutral approach has been successful as their bags have been coined as ‘Gen Z’s first it-bag’ (Business of Fashion, 2020). Within their campaigns Telfar uses Black, non-binary, queer and disabled models and has been doing so since the its launch in 2005.

One of the key people skills needed for a fashion brand to be successful is communication. Fashion brands need to engage with their consumers in order to fulfil their needs. Gen Z tend to prefer brands that communicate with them through social media tools such as Instagram polls as it makes them feel part of a community. Streetwear brands such as Corteiz have gained mass amounts of popularity because of their ability to communicate with their consumers and create a community feeling through activities such as pop-up events that create an experience for the consumer.

Bibliography:

Francis, T. and Hoefel, F. (2018) ‘true gen’: Generation Z and its implications for companies, McKinsey & Company. 

Available at: https://www.mckinsey.com/industries/consumer-packaged-goods/our-insights/true-gen-generation-z-and-its-implications-for-companies (Accessed: 11 October 2023). 

Mitterfellner, O. (2023) Luxury Fashion Brand Management and sustainability unifying fashion with sustainability. New York: Routledge. 

How TELFAR’s ‘Bushwick Birkin’ became gen-Z’s first IT-bag, The Business of Fashion (2020).

Available at: https://www.businessoffashion.com/briefings/luxury/telfar-bushwick-birkin/ (Accessed: 15 October 2023).

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PLANET

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For the longest time the fashion industry has been associated with creativity, innovation and glamour but behind all of this it has a damaging impact on the environment that not many people know about. The fashion industry produces 20% of global water waste, 10% of the world’s carbon emissions and in 2015 the industry was responsible for 1.75 million tonnes of CO2 emissions (Pulse of Fashion). Many of the materials used to create the garments we wear are incredibly unsustainable, for example: Cotton is very water and energy intensive which increases global carbon emissions. Oil-based synthetic materials such as Polyester use scarce resources like oil and produce plastic microfibers that do not decompose.

The Circular Economy:

Traditionally the industry has been quite linear in the way we consume fashion. The linear model describes the way garments are made, sold then disposed of, eventually ending up in landfills. However, the circular economy aims to put a stop to this cycle by consuming in a more responsible way by making sure materials are in use for as long as they can. The circular economy involves repairing, reusing and recycling garments and materials to give them a longer life. For example, Patrick McDowell is a sustainable fashion designer that uses scrap fabrics from the Burberry studio to create new garments. He also offers an after care service where he makes alterations to his pieces, repairs or reworks them into new items such as pillow cases, so that his clients can have more use for them.

Sustainable Development Goal 12 – Responsible Consumption and Production:

Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) are 17 Goals set by the United Nations in 2012 in efforts to reduce the environmental, political and economic problems facing our world (United Nations Development Programme). One SDG that closely relates to the fashion industry is Goal 12 – Responsible Consumption and Production.

Within the fashion industry, responsible consumption and production means embracing more sustainable practices such as using recycled materials. Designers and brands are now becoming increasingly sustainable by using responsible practices. For example, Stella McCartney uses biodegradable fibres and materials made from resources such as Grapes and Bananas. Consumers also play a role in this SDG with their economic power. If consumers use their money to support brands dedicated to more sustainable practices it will encourage more brands to think responsibly and sustainably to attract more customers.

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Mowalola

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Mowalola Ogunlesi is a Nigerian-born, London-based fashion designer that graduated from Central Saint Martins in 2019. I first came across her in 2019 when she released her SS20 collection with Fashion East. She is known for her provocative and sexy style inspired by Nigerian, British and American youth culture. She often references pop culture in her work with her most recent Beats collaboration campaign referencing a magazine shoot from the 2000s that featured the Hip Hop group, Outkast. Her logo being the walkman logo flipped upside-down to show an “M’ also reflects this.

I would consider Mowalola my favourite fashion brand because her approach to design is incredibly unique and refreshing. She often uses colour in ways that many designers do not and is one of very few designers of our time that also incorporates other forms of art such as music and film into their work. Being a Nigerian youth myself I can see myself within Mowalola and her work which is why her work is important to me.

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