People

Fashion is for people and from people. No matter the gender, race, age or where they come from, all people are inherently connected to the fashion industry and form part of it, either as a customer or producer. Unfortunately, many people working in the fashion industry are underpaid, underage or working endless shifts. “Factory managers typically pressure employees to work 10 to 12-hour days, and sometimes 16 to 18-hour workdays with hours increasing as order deadlines approach” (Clean Clothes Campaign, 2013).

Generation Z, which is a generation born between the years of 1996 and 2010, is trying to change this situation by converting to different ways of shopping — they are looking more at the morals of the company, sustainability and the whole story that surrounds the brand.

“Gen Z’s behaviours are shaped by how they grew up. Young people today have come of age in the shadow of climate doom, pandemic lockdowns, and fears of economic collapse.” (McKinsey & Company, 2023, p.2)

Additionally, they were born into a digital age where online shopping and targeted online marketing, principally on social media platforms such as Tik Tok and Instagram, are part of their everyday lives. Spending multiple hours per day on their phones scouring reviews of products and attempting to find the best and most suitable ones to their needs before purchasing is a common practice.

“Many Gen Zers throughout Asia see the internet as the first place to go when researching new products to purchase; in the United States, 40 percent of Gen Zers admit to being influenced online, often by the brands featured in the videos they watch. Members filter a lot of information, from influencers, family, and friends. To decide where and how they want to spend.” (McKinsey & Company, 2023, p. 4)

A great example of brands that appeal to Gen Zers are Fenty Beauty and Savage & Fenty, owned by Rihanna, which respond to the need for diversity and inclusion for people of all sizes and skin colours. The brand has become widely successful in the beauty and fashion industry since their launch in 2017. “Fenty Beauty, founded by Rihanna, has an annual revenue of $582.8 billion and 12 million Instagram followers, making it the world’s most successful celebrity beauty brand, according to Cosmetify.” (Happi, 2023)
   

They have applied all the key people skills required for a successful fashion brand: great presentation, creative skills, efficient planning and organization, finding the gap in the market, targeting the appropriate audience and satisfying the needs that were previously unmet.

Bibliography:

1. Clean Clothes Campaign (2013) Working Hours and overtime: 96-hour workweeks, Clean Clothes Campaign. Available at: https://cleanclothes.org/issues/working-hours (Accessed: 16 October 2023).

2. Figure 1, Low pay in the garment industry still a reality despite pledges – study (2019) The Guardian. Available at: https://www.theguardian.com/fashion/2019/may/30/despite-fashion-living-wage-pledges-low-pay-still-a-reality-study-says (Accessed: 16 October 2023).

3. What is gen Z? (2023) McKinsey & Company. Available at: https://www.mckinsey.com/featured-insights/mckinsey-explainers/what-is-gen-z (Accessed: 16 October 2023).

4. Rihanna’s Fenty Beauty is the world’s most successful Celebrity beauty brand: Cosmetify (2023) HAPPI. Available at: https://www.happi.com/contents/view_breaking-news/2023-04-01/rihannas-fenty-beauty-is-the-worlds-most-successful-celebrity-beauty-brand-cosmetify/ (Accessed: 16 October 2023).

5. Figure 2, Johnston, R. (2023) Rihanna debuts Fenty Beauty’s new ‘Hella thicc’ mascara, Billboard. Available at: https://www.billboard.com/culture/product-recommendations/rihanna-hella-thicc-mascara-fenty-beauty-1235359101/ (Accessed: 16 October 2023).