Isobel Cullen

About Isobel Cullen

Posts by Isobel Cullen:

PROFIT BLOG

⋅

‘Fashion is a multi-billion dollar industry’ (Corner, 2014, p.71).

The fashion industry is fueled by materialistic desire for profit and gain, despite its forefront of self-expression and connection. Understanding the ‘profit’ pillar, and the interrelated relationship between the fashion industry and the economy, can allow better understanding of how businesses continue to produce profit in our ever changing economy.

The industry currently sits at a value of 1.74 trillion US dollars worldwide, and is expected to continue to grow in coming years, despite recovering from the damaging effects of the COVID-19 pandemic in 2021, and facing the challenge of rising inflation in 2022 (Statista, 2023).

The women’s apparel market dominates all sectors, generating 907.40bn dollars worldwide, with a heavier focus on sustainable women’s apparel in coming years (Statista, 2023). The men’s apparel market, however, only brought in a revenue of 555.3bn dollars worldwide (Statista, 2023). The second hand apparel market has also seen an increase, with it generating 211bn dollars worldwide due to the increase in consumers desires to shop more sustainably and responsibly (Statista, 2023). McKinsey & Company (2022) explore how ‘97% of economic profits for the whole industry are earned by just 20 companies, most of them in the luxury segment’ (McKinsey et al, 2022); and research shows that the personal luxury goods sector generated 354.8bn dollars worldwide (Statista, 2023).

In the current economic climate, factors such as the cost of living crisis and inflation have disrupted regular buying patterns. McKinsey & Company (2022) explore how the global fashion industry needs to account for this, yet find opportunities in shifting consumer patterns, channel and digital marketing strategies and manufacturing approaches (McKinsey et al, 2o22). It is imperative that brands also focus on their existing customers, valuing loyalty over reaching new consumer markets, as well as keeping up to date with trends. Transparency is vital in the current social economy, with sustainability becoming ever more prevalent; it is interesting to explore how brands stay true to themselves and their customers whilst keeping up with the superficial, non-stop nature of the fashion industry.

Bridging the gap between creativity and commerce is crucial; not only will this allow brands to reach new markets and open up to new consumers, but it will also open opportunities for brands to explore new creative pathways without compromising on the identity of the brand itself. There are many pathways a brand can take on the route to collaboration; Louis Vuitton and Yayoi Kusama’s collaboration exemplifies this, and demonstrates how two creatives can unite to express themselves, whilst remaining true to each’s values and image.

Reference list : 

Liked Liked
No Comments

People

⋅

“Fashion matters. To the economy, to society and to each of us personally” (Corner, 2014, p.4)

Fashion is a form of self expression that extends well beyond superficiality: a way to understand individuals. Fashion connects the people of the world, it allows them to communicate their values, beliefs and identities. The ‘People’ pillar explores this fundamental relationship between the fashion industry and the world around it, and how they must grow and adapt alongside each other.

Gen-Z, individuals born between 1996 and 2010 (McKinsey et al, 2023), stray from more outdated practices and values, instead focusing more on transparency and the ethics of fashion within the modern world. McKinsey et al explore how these ‘digital natives’ (McKinsey et al, 2023) utilise the internet as a way to inform and make more responsible purchases, which is due to their overall collective demands for purpose and accountability, including opportunities for all as well as more sustainable and green practices (Mckinsey et al, 2023). It is imperative that brands are able to cater to this new wave of demands, especially since Gen-Z consumers are concerned with not only diversity and inclusivity, but also place a heavy responsibility on companies to ‘address environmental and social issues’ (McKinsey et al, 2023) with the expectation that they are able to back up these claims with real change (McKinsey et al, 2023) . 

Djerf Avenue is a Swedish company who, at the very core of their brand, focus on diversity and inclusivity. They never edit or retouch photos on their social media or website, they employ models from all backgrounds as well as models with disabilities, and their sizes range from XXS to XXL. Through this they are able to subvert harmful ideals and values and embrace diversity within the world. Another brand that openly displays and embraces diversity is Vogue; not only do they display a wide range of diverse models on their covers, such as US Vogue’s September 2021 issue featuring ‘trans and plus-size models of varying ethnicities’ (Ng, 2021) in order to ‘challenge definitions of beauty’ (Ng, 2021), but they also internally display diversity, with Tyler Mitchell being the first black photographer in history to shoot a cover of Vogue (Russo, 2019). 

Brands must keep up with new demands and values of Gen-Z, in order to be successful. Transparency should be at the fore-front; consumers are becoming ever more aware of making more responsible purchases, meaning that if they can easily access and understand the values of the brand on their website, they will be more inclined to purchase from them. Brands also have to be able to adapt and change to new values and practices, particularly focusing on becoming more accessible to the digital market, and Gen-Z consumers. 

References : 

‌

Liked Liked
No Comments

Planet

⋅

There are no jobs on a dead planet (Rimarcikova, 2023).

As an industry, fashion is considered “one of the most wasteful on the planet” (Drapers, 2022), with over 120 billion garments produced a year; textile production alone producing 1.2 billion tonnes of carbon dioxide annually. With the fashion industry and planet coexisting in a toxic, parasitic relationship, they have become trapped in a destructive cycle; the “ongoing overexploitation of natural resources” (Hethorn and Ulasewicz, 2015, p.28) leads to both overproduction and overconsumption. In recent years, as both producers and consumers become more aware about the impact of their actions, there is a heavy emphasis on straying from more traditional fashion practices and to start considering those more sustainable. 

The United Nations has introduced their 17 Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) with a vision to solve the world’s issues by 2030. Focusing particularly on SDG 12: Responsible Consumption and Production, understanding how it directly feeds into creating a more responsible fashion industry allows for better understanding of the actions and responsibilities needed to be taken in order to be successful. This particular SDG focuses on the concept of responsibility with regards to consumption and production, and how efforts from both consumers and producers, as well as the industry as a whole, are required in order to become fully responsible and sustainable. Hethorn and Ulasewicz (2015) explore how consumers need “to buy better [and] to buy less” (Hethorn and Ulasewicz, 2015, p.82) in order to make more responsible decisions surrounding their purchases, however producers have a duty “to improve the sustainability of things like textile production, waste in the manufacturing process, and recyclability of garments” (Hethorn and Ulasewicz, 2015, p.232).

Considering a circular economy, which opposes that of the harmful, traditional linear economy, it deserts the traditional practice of making, using and disposing of a garment, and instead focuses on maintaining resources in use for as long as possible – repair, reuse and adaptation. As a model it aims to tackle climate change and other global challenges, and is based on three principles driven by design: eliminate waste and pollution, circulate products and materials, and regenerate nature. Brands such as Nike and Patagonia have all adopted schemes whereby customers can return their used garments in exchange for money in an attempt to reduce the amount of clothes that end up in landfill, allowing the garments lifecycle to continue well after a consumer is finished with it. Schemes like this therefore pave the way for the fashion industry to become more sustainable and responsible.

Reference List:

  • Hethorn, J. and Ulasewicz, C. (2015). Sustainable Fashion What’s Next?: A Conversation about Issues, Practices and Possibilities. Second ed. [online] London: Bloomsbury. Available at: https://www-bloomsburyfashioncentral-com.arts.idm.oclc.org/encyclopedia?docid=b-9781501312250 [Accessed 6 Oct. 2023].

‌

Liked Liked
No Comments

My Favourite Brand

⋅

Djerf Avenue

Djerf Avenue is a Swedish brand founded by influencer, Matilda Djerf in 2019. With over 3 million followers, it is essential that her brand shares the same values she addresses on her platform. The brand itself is focused on creating ‘non-seasonal, ready to wear’ garments, which allow them to not only prioritise creating both ethical and timeless items of clothing, but also resist feeding into the damaging, everchanging nature of the trend cycle. As a brand centred around ethical production, their garments are manufactured in Portugal, Sweden, and Italy, with Matilda herself carefully identifying and selecting each factory, enabling them to ensure high quality in all products, as well as following European laws and policies regarding labour. On their website they are extremely transparent about their core values and the actions they take in their ‘pursuit of sustainability’, which is something that allows their customers to better understand the role they play within the fashion industry when purchasing a garment. 

The style of the brand is described as ‘chic’ and ‘laid-back’, with Matilda able to take creative reign, and incorporate her own individual style into her brand, fuelled by her love of vintage and basics. The brand creates garments that become staples in any timeless wardrobe, as well as ensuring they are made to last. Djerf Avenue is the perfect brand due to their ability to take a simple item of clothing, transform and then elevate it into something much more than what meets the eye; the intricacies and features that allow each item to have that perfect fit, and the quality of each garment are what set it apart from its competitors. The timeless nature of each item is purposefully designed with the intention of being able to be styled and worn with previous items, with many garments from their first collection still being available on their website today.  

At the very centre of their brand they focus on inclusivity, a value becoming ever more important within the modern world around us. They never edit or retouch photos on their social media or website, demonstrating the beauty of the natural world, and reflecting how the imperfections we see in ourselves are normal and perfect. They also use models from all backgrounds, with sizes ranging from XXS to XXL, subverting the harmful ideals and values the fashion industry has been known to force on the impressionable youth. 

Liked Liked
No Comments