Ailin Jin

The pillar people (stakeholders) can impact the fashion industry drastically as people surround the whole lifecycle of a garment. stakeholders in the fashion industry are interconnected and play essential roles in shaping its trends, practices, and impact. Understanding and managing the interests of these stakeholders are critical for the industry’s success, sustainability, and responsible growth. On the other hand, consumer preference for a product can decide the design to a large extent.

Generation Z comprises people born between 1996 and 2010. This generation’s identity has been shaped by the digital age, climate anxiety, a shifting financial landscape, and COVID-19  (McKinsey & Company, 2023). Gen Z grew up in this ever-evolving internet digital age, and they are the first to grow up as digital natives – surrounded by technology and the internet for their entire lives (Drapers, 2022). The highest percentage of Gen Z mobile internet users on a social app is on YouTube, with 84% visiting the app. This is followed by TikTok at 61%. (Comscore, 2023) This means brands should use more social media marketing strategies to increase their Gen z consumers. Primark, which historically focused on physical stores, has been expanding its channel offer. The retailer dipped its toe into digital with the trial of its online click-and-collect service late last year  (McKinsey & Company, 2023).

According to Susanne Ricee (2022), there are 4 diversity types or dimensions: Internal, external, organizational and worldview. For example, age, race, education and mental diversity. Close to 40 per cent of Gen-Z consumers prefer gender-neutral beauty products, compared to around 30 per cent of older generations (BOF, 2023). One notable example is the beauty brand Fenty Beauty, which was launched by the multi-talented artist and entrepreneur Rihanna in 2017. They offer 40 different shades, catering to a broad spectrum of skin tones, including those often underserved by other beauty brands.

People skills are closely intervened with the inner development goals. Inner Development Goals (IDGs) is a non-profit organisation for inner development. We research, collect and communicate science-based skills and qualities that help us to live purposeful, sustainable, and productive lives (Inner Development Goals, 2020). In the fashion industry, the sense of sustainability is crucial as Generation Z pays more attention to the environment. Moreover, thinking skills, communication skills and creativity are important.

bibliography

What are the most visited social media platforms among Gen Z?
https://www.comscore.com/Insights/Blog/What-are-the-most-visited-social-media-platforms-among-Gen-Z

The State of Fashion Beauty
https://cdn.businessoffashion.com/reports/The_State_of_Fashion_Beauty_2023.pdf

Inner development goals
https://www.innerdevelopmentgoals.org/

Qualtrics xm fenty beauty
https://www.qualtrics.com/blog/setting-a-new-tone-for-diversity/

What is Gen Z?
https://www.mckinsey.com/~/media/mckinsey/featured%20insights/mckinsey%20explainers/what%20is%20gen%20z/what-is-gen-z.pdf

Comscore, 2023
https://www.comscore.com/Insights/Blog/What-are-the-most-visited-social-media-platforms-among-Gen-Z#:~:text=for%20Gen%20Z.-,What%20social%20media%20app%20has%20the%20highest%20reach%20among%20Gen,%2C%20and%20Instagram%20at%2056%25

In the fashion industry, there are many different elements that can affect the business. Planet, People, Profit and Purpose are the main four factors (pillars), and each pillar has its own function in the system. The planet pillar is crucial to the fashion industry as it encounters issues such as pollution and greenhouse gases. These issues are caused throughout the whole life cycle of a fashion garment: design, production, distribution, use and end-of-life. In total, this $2.5 trillion industry (fashion) produces 20% of the global water waste and creates 10% of the global carbon emissions, these consequences may lead to serious concerns like climate change, animals losing their habitats and rising sea levels. The study “Environmental Assessment of Swedish Fashion Consumption (2015)” by Mistra Future Fashion has examined the environmental impact of the annual consumption of textiles in Sweden. The study shows that the production of a garment is the dominant phase, accounting for 56 per cent of the impact. Combined with the manufacturing of textile fibres, production accounts for 70 per cent of the impact on the climate. 

A circular economy is a sustainable approach that aims to ‘design out waste by minimising the number of natural resources used to make a new fashion garment which forms a non-linear model of the fashion life cycle. Recently, more and more fashion business has adopted the idea of having a circular economy. For example, many clothing brands used the idea of upcycling used clothes, which reduced the environmental costs in the design and production stages of the life cycle. Also, upcycled clothes create a sense of vintage which newly produced clothes don’t have. 

In 1987, the United Nations Brundtland Commission defined sustainability as “meeting the needs of the present without compromising the ability of future generations to meet their own needs.” In the business world, environmental costs are usually ignored as the majority of them are more profit-driven. The fashion business harms the environment in several ways, but most importantly it affects water, in the production stage, chemical dyes are used which some companies will directly drain to rivers & seas, thus causing water pollution. However, as more people are concerned about the environment, fashion businesses started to incorporate corporate social responsibility to prove that they are behaving in an ethical way.

The UN published 17 sustainable development goals. The Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) aim to transform our world. They are a call to action to end poverty and inequality, protect the planet, and ensure that all people enjoy health, justice and prosperity. (WHO, 2015) Responsible consumption and production is one of the most crucial SDGs to consider in the fashion industry. Patagonia is a clothing company that puts a huge focus on this SDG, 98% of the products in their line are made with recycled material and they used 935 tons of plastic waste out of the world’s oceans by turning discarded fishing nets into gears. In addition, they also fulfilled the SDG “decent work and economic growth”, 85% of the products in their line are made in Fair Trade-certified factories. 

Bibliography

Academic Impact- Sustainability 

https://www.un.org/en/academic-impact/sustainability

The garment life cycle and climate impact2/5/2019

https://www.forestindustries.se/bioeconomylife/what-we-wear/the-garment-life-cycle-and-climate-impact/#:~:text=The%20study%20shows%20that%20the,the%20impact%20on%20the%20climate

Asian rivers are turning black. And our colorful closets are to blame

https://edition.cnn.com/style/article/dyeing-pollution-fashion-intl-hnk-dst-sept/index.html

Sustainable development goals 

https://www.who.int/europe/about-us/our-work/sustainable-development-goals#:~:text=The%20Sustainable%20Development%20Goals%20(SDGs,enjoy%20health%2C%20justice%20and%20prosperity

Patagonia CSR

https://www.patagonia.com/our-footprint/

A French fashion company, Zadig & Voltaire, is renowned for its cutting-edge and modern looks. Thierry Gillier, the grandson of André Gillier, a co-founder of the well-known Lacoste company, established the company in 1997. Zadig & Voltaire has established a reputation for fusing rock ‘n’ roll and Parisian chic aesthetics and it has carved out a niche for itself in the fashion world by offering a distinctive blend of French elegance, rock ‘n’ roll attitude, and a commitment to individuality and self-expression. Zadig & Voltaire is my favourite brand for several reasons: 

1. Creator and Inspiration: Thierry Gillier founded Zadig & Voltaire with the goal of developing a company that personified a rebellious and free-spirited mentality. The moniker “Zadig & Voltaire” is derived from the writings of Voltaire and the symbol of individualism and intellect, Zadig.

2. Attitude toward fashion and aesthetics: Zadig & Voltaire is recognized for its unpretentious, stylish, and subtly bohemian fashion. The company is renowned for using expensive materials like cashmere, silk, and leather, frequently with worn-in and distressed finishes. The clothes frequently have rock-inspired accents like graphic prints, leather jackets, and studs, which give them a distinctive and rebellious edge.

3. Brand Philosophy: The core values of Zadig & Voltaire are uniqueness, independence, and self-expression. Customers are urged by the brand to embrace their individual styles rather than follow established fashion trends.

4. Global Presence: With shops and boutiques in important fashion towns all over the world, Zadig & Voltaire has a substantial international presence. Additionally, they have a website that allows people all around the world to access their collections.

5. Sustainability: Zadig & Voltaire have made efforts to be more environmentally conscious since sustainability has become a crucial component of the fashion business. They have incorporated environmentally friendly products and procedures into their manufacturing processes.