the profit blog

In this part, I will introduce the pillar of “profit”. We all associate the fashion industry with creatives, even geniuses but it is an interesting point to consider if it’s a rightful place for designers to put themselves on the same level as people in other creative fields. Is fashion as an art form worth pursuing when from a marketing perspective the idea of owning a brand is creating a business and generating profit?

We know that the fashion industry is a huge, really competitive, and fast-moving sector. (Gazzola, 2020) According to the author of “Psychology of Fashion” the global value of the fashion industry is about 3 trillion dollars and it employs 57.8 million people overall (Mair, 2018).

Looking at the story and success of Alexander McQueen’s brand, especially its beginning we could consider the artistic approach as beneficial for emerging brands. In his performance art movie “The Bridegroom Stripped Bare” (2002) McQueen places himself in the role of an artist and essentially ventures into performance art rather than fashion, which was not uncommon for this designer when he “blurred the boundary between a runway show and a new kind of installation art” (Knox, 2010). In a symbolic way, he breaks the stereotype of a faceless entity behind the project and rather a person who actively partakes in the creative process- an artist, (C. Stevenson, personal communication, October 16, 2023), which might be seen as a unique approach from the perspective of fast fashion era when the artistry of making clothes is under the cover and disregarded, because of the rate of global consumption.

As much as the beginning of McQueen’s history does present a quite avant-garde image, the brand is now still recognizable and after the founder’s death continued to operate. Therefore we might argue that the cause of a brand’s success is the persona and “spirit” of the designer that is immortalized through the archive of their work, building a foundation for the reception of the brand (Mora & Berry, 2022). Looking at McQueen or brands like Channel and its time under Karl Lagerfeld’s direction we might draw the conclusion that it’s the individuality that keeps a brand going. Therefore the role of a creative director and the persona they build is crucial.

One of the other important factors is the role of technology in fashion; “To be dynamic is becoming strategic to survive in the long-term and this implies the need for companies to update technologies and to interpret the new trends and to identify how these challenges can be translated into marketing opportunities”(Gazzola & colleagues, 2020) as well as the importance of sustainability, which has recently been described as “ an important new driver in consumers’ purchasing decisions” (Gazzola & colleagues, 2020). With the heightened awareness of global issues presented by the Gen Z customers, the market shows a need to adjust in these areas.

Resources:

Mair, C. (2018). The psychology of fashion. Routledge.

Gazzola, P., Pavione, E., Pezzetti, R. R., & Grechi, D. (2020). Trends in the fashion industry. The Perception of Sustainability and Circular Economy: A Gender/Generation Quantitative Approach. Sustainability, 12(7), 2809. https://doi.org/10.3390/su12072809

McQueen, A.M. (Director). (2002). “The Bridegroom Stripped Bare” [Film].

Knox, K. (2010). Alexander McQueen: Genius of a Generation. http://ci.nii.ac.jp/ncid/BB03561173

Juliana Luna Mora & Jess Berry (2022) Creative Direction Succession in Luxury Fashion: The Illusion of Immortality at Chanel and Alexander McQueen, Luxury, 9:2-3, 117-140, DOI: 10.1080/20511817.2022.2194039