Xander Saban-Smith

About Xander Saban-Smith

Posts by Xander Saban-Smith:

PURPOSE

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Purpose, something everything in existence has, but how does it relate to fashion brands? It is especially important to consider purpose in a fashion business as it gives a sense of general direction towards an end goal. An excellent way to achieve an understanding of a brands purpose is dividing it into four segments: mission, vision, value and proposition. “Nike has set itself three new goals that it’s hoping to hit for fiscal 2020: (1) minimize its environmental footprint, (2) transform its manufacturing, and (3) unleash human potential” (Londrigan, Michael P, Jenkins, Jacqueline M. (2018) Fashion supply chain management: New York, Fairchild Books, An imprint of Bloomsbury Publishin Inc.) This is a brilliant example of a strategy and how Nike has created a vision. Another brand that stood out to me is ASOS, they have a section on their website that presents their purpose and values which, to a consumer, can be rather appealing as it gives them an understanding of their vision and goals, not behind closed doors thus creates a close connection with the consumer and the brand. “We believe in a world where you have the freedom to explore and express yourself without judgement, no matter who you are or where you’re from.” ASOS(2023) This is a clear representation of ASOS’ proposal to their purpose within their brand, which also was selected wisely as this is a very appealing choice of words for the consumer, Gen Z, as expressing yourself without judgement is a fundamental point this generation would most definitely agree with. Emphasising a purpose and the brands vision to the public is a way of connecting with them on another level, a way to build a community and relationship with customers. It is important that a brand does this as it builds an identity for itself. 

   Spoken about throughout this whole blog journey, Gen Z. The generation that brings individuality to a different level, understands the importance of accepting others and creating a strong community in person and social media. One of Africa’s leading sneaker retailers, Shelflife, and Jordan is collaborating to create a new Air Jordan 2. The team of Shelflife is unified by a spirit of obuntu “I am because we are.” Nike(October 14, 2022) this is actually Jordans first Africa-based collaboration, bringing diversity into the brand and a strong message that can resonate to the generation Z. Nike did a collaboration with Billie Eilish, she stated “I want my collaborations with Nike to tell a story that not only highlights the importance of recycling but also reminds us that we need to take better care of our planet” Nike(November 30, 2022) this has a strong purpose in itself, emphasises their collaboration stands for something and has a message and story behind it. Gen Z is also the greatest advocates for acting upon sustainability.

Bibliography

https://www.asosplc.com/this-is-asos/our-purpose-and-values/
https://about.nike.com/en/newsroom/releases/jordan-brand-s-first-africa-based-collaboration-brings-the-air-jordan-2-to-the-next-generation
https://libsearch.arts.ac.uk/cgi-bin/koha/opac-detail.pl?biblionumber=1449128&query_desc=kw%2Cwrdl%3A%20londrigan
https://about.nike.com/en/newsroom/releases/nike-x-billie-eilish-af1-low
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PROFIT

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The fundamental goal of a fashion business is to make money. Therefore, today I will introduce the pillar of profit. Despite the fashion industry being one of the largest industries in the world, how big really is it? Fashion on a whole generates “$2.5 trillion in global annual revenues” et al Mckinsey, (November 29, 2022). Post pandemic the industry started to boom again, people were finally able to roam free and escape the lack of care for what they wore at home, new trends were set, and more clothes were being produced as consumer needs increased. Because of the circumstances brands could really start to determine a more expressive approach to their business and become further creative, unique and stand out to their competitors. Uniqueness in the fashion market is a challenge so how do they do it? “Today, luxury fashion brands need to reach out further and invite new designers, new styles, new consumers, new communications channels and new technological formats” (Mitterfellner, O. (2023) Luxury fashion brand management: unifying fashion with sustainability: London, Routledge.) By integrating these into the business plan it will generate an increase in growth overall, thus creating a community for the brand and an increase in loyal and returning customers. Furthermore, a good way to reach that goal is by developing the brand into a new style, this could be a rebrand for more recognition in the fashion world or a new collection that is more appealing to different consumers such as Gen Z, as they are the main consumers in the fashion industry today which would inevitably supplement increased profit. 

   There are a multitude of sectors in the fashion industry, the largest being luxury fashion “Luxury fashion brands with a higher price point experienced a 6% larger growth in orders year on year compared to fast fashion” et al Just Style, (April 19, 2023) this is because this sector is forever changing and adapting to consumer trends and using higher quality garments which can increase market price. I’d also like to mention the textile sector has had a high demand for sustainable materials as the industry is slowly developing into a more sustainable approach.

   Creativity is an important aspect of a fashion brand, this could be marketing, clothing and media for example. Creative director of GAP, Len Peltier, uses creative campaigns to represent and engage its brands community. “We want GAP to be able to express itself in some incredible external engagement programmes to build deeper connections with the consumer” et al businessoffashion, (16th March, 2021) this shows the links between creativity and commerce through marketing campaigns. GAP has used famous photographers such as Lenny Kravitz to express creativity in 1989, they also have used famous music bands and artists such as daft punk wearing all denim and shot a video of them dancing, making GAP stand out from its competitors. 

Bibliography

https://www.nssmag.com/en/fashion/23399/gap-most-iconic-advertising-campaigns
https://www.businessoffashion.com/articles/news-analysis/at-gap-how-community-culture-powers-creative-output/
https://www.just-style.com/news/luxury-vs-fast-fashion-are-consumers-favouring-quality-over-quantity/
https://www.mckinsey.com/industries/retail/our-insights/state-of-fashion
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PEOPLE

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Hello! Another week of the blog, today I will be touching on the Pillar “People”. Let’s begin with Gen Z, difficult type of crowd I’d say. With myself being a Gen Z I can assure you that we do have the most integrated and connected network compared to the other generations as we are the babies of technology after all. Looking back to my childhood I reminisce on the times where I would get a new game or new computer and play with my friends, the excitement from that was unmatched. Eventually the teenage years creep up and you get your first smartphone, social media gets installed., and opens a whole new world of individuality and gives people the ability to express themselves through online platforms. McKinsey & Company et al.(2023) stated “Gen Z loves expressive clothes, wants to stand out rather than fit in, and has an ever-changing style” although those points are very prominent  to distinctiveness, it can be difficult for the producer to keep up with our everchanging style and trends. 

   “Teens today represent one of the most powerful consumer forces in the world” Jeff Fromm, Angie Read Gen Z: the rules for reaching this vast, and very different, generation of influencers, AMACOM, New York. Available from: ProQuest Ebook.(2015) this quote illustrates the fact that producers must consider our generation as their foremost priority therefore considering Gen Z and their beliefs such as diversity and individuality, which was touched upon earlier. A brand that encompasses this is Mara Hoffman, they work with BIFC (Black in Fashion Council) to incorporate inclusivity in the apparel industry, they also use a range of models from different sizes and ethnicity. Furthermore, they have a wide range of sizes. Sustainability is also an important factor that they include in their brand, which is specifically appealing to the Gen Zer’s and our strong views on climate change. 

   Working collaboratively in a workplace is a key feature for a successful fashion brand, what else? There’s an abundance of options but I will explain my key people skills for success. First, I’d like to focus on communication, this is one of the most necessary people skills there is for a business. Without the ability to communicate to your colleagues there will be no way of achieving anything effectively, simple as that. Studying and respecting cultural differences is so important for a workplace as elucidated here “In some cultures workers typically expect a greater level of empathy in professional relationships, whereas in others, communications are often far more direct” Michael Page et al(2022). Until my next blog, have a wonderful rest of your week.

Bibliography:

Michael Page

https://www.michaelpage.co.uk/advice/career-advice/growing-your-career/people-skills-what-are-they-and-why-are-they-important#:~:text=Why%20are%20people%20skills%20important,together%20to%20achieve%20common%20goals.

Mara Hoffman 

https://marahoffman.com/pages/our-commitments

Marketing to Gen Z eBook

https://libsearch.arts.ac.uk/cgi-bin/koha/opac-detail.pl?biblionumber=1384490&query_desc=kw%2Cwrdl%3A%20Generation%20Z

McKinsey 

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

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PLANET BLOG

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The fashion industry is built upon four pillars: planet, people, profit and purpose. Today I am focusing on “planet” and why it is so important to fashion, business and our future. Let me start with some staggering facts about the fashion industry and these may, hopefully, make you want to change your shopping habits and open your eyes about the harsh reality of the fashion industry and its impact on our world on a global scale. 

   There are just over 8 billion people on our planet today and we all can’t just walk around in our birthday suit so we must dress ourselves and most of us like to dress in style and care about what we wear. We all have favourite brands we like to buy from, and they are forever changing and adapting to trends on a yearly, even seasonal, basis and this creates a large amount of pollution and waste every year from the vast amount of production. This industry is one of the largest polluters to the world, it is responsible for 8-10% of the humanity’s carbon emissions which is more than all international flights and maritime shipping combined. Around 20% of industrial wastewater pollution worldwide originates from the fashion industry. The equivalent of 50 billion plastic bottles are released into the ocean each year from clothing production. Before 1940 only a few thousand tonnes of synthetic fibres were consumed, it rose to 60 million tonnes in 2018. 

   These are some devastating facts about the world of fashion that need to be acted upon as soon as possible as this is not a sustainable production method, especially on the year on year growth. We must redefine sustainability and use the “re” practices: reduce, repair, reuse, recycle, repurpose, restore and regenerate. This moves me on to talk about the circular economy. What is circular economy you ask? The principles are to eliminate waste and pollution, circulate products and materials at their highest value and regenerate nature. This is so important as the current system will always produce pollution which is only going to create catastrophic affects to the global climate sooner than it should ever happen. Something that all fashion businesses should focus on is adapting to a more effective way to tackle climate change and the irreversible damage this current system is causing. 

   Some things fashion businesses can focus on to be more sustainable are using materials that are biodegradable or natural fibres so these materials will grow with no fertilizer use and consume less energy and water thus reducing the overall carbon footprint of the brand. Using a business model where you can resell the clothes from previous collections from the consumers themselves so no clothes will go to waste, and they will be used and bought again from someone else which is a great way to reduce waste and keep a close connection with the brand and its customers. Brands like depop and vinted are reducing the mainstream brands sales.  Examples of fashion businesses that have a resale platform are Canada Goose, Carhartt, Levi’s, Lululemon, Patagonia and so many more are jumping onto this business model as it is so successful for reducing waste and production of new clothing.

   Lets move onto talking about SDGs (Sustainable Development Goals) there are 17 of these the United Nations work on, I want to specifically focus on number 17, partnership for the goals. I’d like to emphasise how important it is for brands to really focus on working collaboratively towards a more sustainable business model. Encouraging effective partnership between workplaces is so important, working closely with suppliers, for example, and communicating with them about future targets should be a main priority and this would also increase more recognition to their consumers as everyone wants to be more sustainable. For a respected brand to focus on this topic also brings more favour to them without greenwashing and comes from the companies morals and recognition to climate change. 

   I’d like to finish with saying although the industry is at an all-time low with being sustainable, it can only go up from here. My generation (Gen Z) is here to redesign the fashion world to be more aware of the current situation and its effects on the environment and my aspiration is to do so.

Bibliography

GENEVA ENVIRONMENT NETWORK https://www.genevaenvironmentnetwork.org/resources/updates/sustainable-fashion/

VOGUE BUSINESS https://www.voguebusiness.com/sustainability/sustainability-where-fashion-is-heading-in-2022

FORBES https://www.forbes.com/sites/forbescommunicationscouncil/2023/01/02/the-state-of-sustainability-in-the-fashion-industry-and-what-it-means-for-brands/

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Diesel

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Do you like impact, experimentation, pleasure and play? Well, the brand Diesel has met that category since Renzo Rosso commenced Diesel in 1978. It began where there was an energy shortage, and the slogan was “Alternative Energy” which stood out to the world at the time. This is admirable to me, how they used current world problems for a way to connect to their consumers which really set them aside from their competitors in the fashion world. The brand used innovative marketing and changed the slogan to “For Successful Living” in 1991 which evolved Diesel to become a more luxury brand with supreme quality garments and thus increased markup and profit for them as producers. furthermore, they evolved as a business to meet the fashion trends over the years, specifically their SS24 fashion show in Milan. The designer Glenn Martens did an incredible job, the apparel stood out to me and created something so unique from distressing techniques, intricate designs, bright colours to a full collection of their famous denim and had artisanal zip-up jackets that were made from scrunching real-life posters from billboards to create a silhouette like a fur, which was extraordinary. I think the fashion world is forever changing which makes it such an exciting world to be going into and keep up with. Diesel meets the category of adaptation in fashion indefinitely in my opinion. During Diesels SS23 show they had the largest blow-up sculpture which set the Guinness world record which helps people that maybe aren’t as into fashion as let’s say I am to really understand that fashion isn’t just clothes draped over a body, it is also a form of art and creativity which is something I really appreciate. Another reason why diesel stands out to me so much is their choice of models are so fitting to the outfits they wear; they have a performance approach to their runway shows such as their music choice which is more electronic, trance, techno and the clothing they show off, the sets of the runway, their choice of makeup and hairstyling I think all these things they piece together to exhibit new collections resonates to my personality and they definitely don’t just put on a catwalk, they put on a show. 

Some of Diesels SS24 runway collection
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