People
The second pillar that helps to obtain a sustainable fashion ecosystem is “People”. People are certainly the most important part of human society, and Generation Z now becomes vital influencers and consumers in fashion industry. As the latest generation, Gen Zers started at 1996, and its end has not been defined yet. Differ than former generations, Gen Z have more expectations and thoughts about the intangible products of the brand. According to Bo, “They’re looking beyond tangible products and actually trying to understand what is it that makes the company tick. What’s its mission? What’s its purpose? And what is it actually trying to build for us as a society? (Bo, 2020)” Base on this statement, a brand should do more than working on stylish design to attract Gen Z consumers. Meanwhile, Generation Z is a cohort of people with global, political, environment, and social awareness, so brands should respect and understand that their target consumers prefer the company who has same values with them.
Because Gen Z has grown up in an age of technology-enabled living, they are more diverse than ever. For brands, it is difficult to impress young consumers through a single content and resources, so brands need to customize more effective marketing strategies according to different interest characteristics, aesthetic orientation, circle culture. Nowadays, the heat of meta-universe is booming, and major brands have entered the meta-universe to open new marketing scenarios and explore new marketing models. Meta- universe is closely related to VR/AR, virtual world, games, etc. Take Louis Vuitton as an example, on the 200th anniversary of Louis Vuitton’s founder’s birth, Louis Vuitton has launched its “Louis 200” theme celebration, featuring digital games, artwork, documentaries and more. Meta-universe is dominated by Gen Z, and luxury wants to capture young users, who are willing to their their hand at the direction of meta-universe. Luxury brands create a gamified virtual new world for young people, inspiring new ways for brands and consumers to interact.
Fenty Beauty is a model of how to response to diversity. Rihanna shook up the Beauty industry when she launched Fenty Beauty in 2017. Her collection offers 40 foundations (now 50) in shades from light to dark, with foundations for every skin tone. With products aimed at both genders, Fenty Beauty was and is celebrating and regulating what it looks like to be human. Rihanna continues this brand narrative across all of her brands, including Savage X Fenty, her lingerie line that recently added pieces for her male audience and is now fully gender-neutral Fenty Skin.
While the fashion industry requires people to be highly creative, people also need to have business knowledge. They need to be able to manage budgets, implement marketing strategies, and be good at coming up with sales concepts. At the same time, fashion practitioners need to have a keen observation of people and things around. Empathy and respect for and encouragement of the world’s differences are essential.
Reference List:
“Meet Generation Z: Shaping the Future of Shopping.” McKinsey & Company, McKinsey & Company, 4 Aug. 2020, www.mckinsey.com/industries/consumer-packaged-goods/our-insights/meet-generation-z-shaping-the-future-of-shopping.