Kaelyn Ng

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People

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Fashion Business consists of the four pillars Planet, People, Profit and Purpose. Through these factors, they contribute to a successful business, in this blog, the People pillar will be introduced. People are an essential factor to consider as they create harmonious relationships with the product. GenZs in particular, are unique as they value creating a strong identity for themselves. “More than any other generation, GenZ collectively demands purpose and accountability, the creation of more opportunities for people of diverse and underrepresented backgrounds, and rigorous sustainable and green practices” (McKinsey & Company, 2023). Hence, this reflects the type of businesses they support. 

Figure 1: Francies, T. and Hoefel, F. (2018) True Gen: Generation Z and its implications for companies 

Technology plays a crucial role in GenZ’s lives and the role of online shopping has been emphasised. However, a big disadvantage is an inability to try on clothes, hence a strategy to attract GenZ is to use virtual try-ons. This can be done through softwares such as Zyler.com which has been adopted by some brands such as Marks & Spencer and John Lewis. Through this, it can help reduce return rates, increasing profit. 

Creating a diverse community has been also crucial in GenZ’s lives. A brand example is Form and Fold, an Australian swimwear brand that caters to women of larger chest sizes ranging from D to G cup sizes. With such brands it helps fill a market gap for this group of women, allowing them to feel included in the fashion community. Next, some key people skills needed for a successful fashion brand include being open-minded and understanding. An example includes touching on their values such as good ethical practices. Through this, brands can modify their tactics to suit GenZ’s needs, generating profit and creating good customer relationships. In conclusion, consumers play an essential role as they determine a brand’s succession and image.

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Planet

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The fashion industry plays a crucial role in sustainability as it contributes most to the degradation of resources such as water hence, the emphasis on creating a circular economy. A circular economy is the prolonging of a product’s lifespan through various methods such as reusing, redistributing and recycling to minimise textile wastage. Hence, through the implementation of responsible production and consumption, the twelfth United Nations Sustainable Development Goal can help reduce this problem. 

Responsible Production 

The creation of materials has caused a strain on resources such as water. For example, the manufacturing of Cotton specifically Cotton irrigated fabrics, a widely renowned fabric consumes a tremendous amount of water. However, this is a struggle due to the high demand in the market due to its affordability. According to the figure below, it states that Cotton irrigated fabrics use 4,000 litres of water per kilogram, a significant amount more than other materials. 

            Fig 1: Fletcher, K & Grose, L. (2012) Fashion and Sustainability: Design for Change 

Next, the design of a product also contributes to textile wastage. According to (Gwilt, 2021) the adaptation of certain techniques such as the zero waste technique can help reduce waste. Hence, such an approach can help reduce the disposal of textiles, reducing land pollution. 

Fig 2: Gwilt, A. (2021) A Practical Guide to Sustainable Fashion 

Responsible Consumption 

“Designing clothes with future lives requires a radical overhaul of the way we currently deal with waste” (Fletcher & Grose, 2012) highlights the importance of the stage of responsible consumption as it is the main stage of sustaining the product which can be done through a circular economy. Healthy disposal of textiles also significantly plays an important role, for example, through redistribution such as donating it to charity shops and reusing, the upcycle of clothing. Lastly, recycling clothing can be done, since most fabrics take many years to degrade or never as some fabrics such as synthetic fabrics are non-biodegradable. Hence these methods can expand a garment’s lifespan contributing to the circular economy. 

In conclusion, the fashion industry should try to be as conscious as possible as a “one-size-fits-all ‘universal’ solution” (Fletcher & Grose, 2012) is hard to implement as it is a global issue. Hence, sustainability in the fashion industry plays a crucial role in order to protect our resources. 

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My favourite brand

My favourite brand

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Anna Sui 

About the brand 

Anna Sui is a New York-based brand that was started in 1981 by Anna Sui when she first launched her collection. She is known for her contemporary style and unique prints that often derive from vintage and cultural aspects. She gets inspired by her relationship with photography, music, art and design. Since then, the brand has evolved and has expanded into producing lifestyle, accessories, fragrance and beauty products. Today, Anna Sui has expanded worldwide with 300 stores in 30 different countries. 

Why it is my favourite brand 

The brand’s unique prints have always intrigued me as there is always something new and creative each season while sticking to the brand’s style even after these years. This makes the brand very distinct from others, as a strong brand identity has been created. Each collection is well-explained with a clear inspiration which is a reason why I find the brand so likeable.

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