Purpose
“Purpose” is often misdefined. Especially so in fashion. Commonly confused with the concept of “result”, which in the context of a brand, would be money, “purpose” is a company’s “raison d’être”, the reason to be (Volkinburg, 2023).
Purpose, also referred to as brand philosophy, is a brand’s mission, vision, and value proposition. This concept holds significance because of “differentiation”. With over 100 billion garments being produced annually according to the McKinsey & the Ellen MacArthur Foundation, standing out in the market is challenging. Having a well-defined brand philosophy is just what a brand might need to distinguish itself from competitors.
A purpose that many brands and designers share is sustainability. Falling under the category of CSR, short for “Corporate Social Responsibility”, it is the concept of “companies taking responsibility for their impact on society” (Londrigan & Jenkins, 2018). CSR’s key components include being environmentally and socially sustainable, ethical business practices, and governance. Interest in CSR began in the 1950s with the discussion of the merits and values of responsible business practices. TOMS, a vegan shoe brand, for example, is a brand that has been considered an “industry model” for their CSR and philanthropic work (Londrigan & Jenkins, 2018). TOMS vows that “With every purchase, TOMS will help a person in need” (Londrigan & Jenkins, 2018), and has notable initiatives such as their “Shoes for Children” mission, clean water program, and more.
Other brand philosophies in fashion include Patagonia’s “Build the Best Product, Cause No Unnecessary Harm, Use Business to Inspire and Implement Solutions to the Environmental Crisis”, which is centered around both environmental and social responsibility, and Dove’s “Real Beauty for All”, which revolves around promoting beauty and self-confidence.
To many, the thought that companies needed to prioritize vision, mission, and values was often dismissed and thought of as “old hat”, or a “been there, done that” exercise (Mirvis et al., 2010). However, Gen Z has recently had a hand in changing this narrative. Although this trend of highlighting brand purpose has been seen with millennials over the years, Gen Z has certainly accelerated the process (Spagnuolo, 2020). With this emphasis on company values, brands are looking for new, innovative ways to communicate their purpose to Gen Z. One such way is to “move beyond being omnichannel and more to this concept of being omnipresent” (Spagnuolo, 2020). The idea of being “present everywhere” rather than being narrow in their approach to the market allows transparency and authenticity between the brand and the consumers, ideal for communicating their true purpose to the world.
Citations:
Londrigan, M. and Jenkins, J.M. (2018) Fashion Supply Chain Management. New York: Bloomsbury Academic & Professional.
Mirvis, P., Googins, B. and Kinnicutt, S. (2010) ‘Vision, mission, values’, Organizational Dynamics, 39(4). Available at: https://www.researchgate.net/profile/Philip-Mirvis/publication/247141794_Vision_mission_values/links/5a43ce11aca272d2945c07b9/Vision-mission-values.pdf (Accessed: 23 October 2023).
Global Fashion Industry Statistics (no date) FashionUnited. Available at: https://fashionunited.com/global-fashion-industry-statistics (Accessed: 25 October 2023).
Rahilly, L., Finneman, B. and Spagnuolo, E. (2020) Meet Generation Z: Shaping the future of Shopping, McKinsey & Company. Available at: https://www.mckinsey.com/industries/consumer-packaged-goods/our-insights/meet-generation-z-shaping-the-future-of-shopping (Accessed: 23 October 2023).
Patagonia: Mission & values (2018) Will Gardner. Available at: https://willgardner.co/patagonia-mission-values/#:~:text=Founded%20by%20Yves%20Chouinard%20in,solutions%20to%20the%20environmental%20crisis’. (Accessed: 26 October 2023).
Volkinburg, N.V. (2023) ‘Intro to Purpose’. London: UAL, 23 October.